Reflection, Release & Intention For The New Year

This meditation includes a guided reflection on the wonderful and not-so-wonderful moments from the past year, and an opportunity to release the old to make way for the new through the use of breath and gratitude. Take the time to visualize what you want to create for yourself in this coming year and receive affirmations to instill hope and positivity as you move forward.

Transcript

As we approach the dawn of a new year,

It's a good time to look back and look forward.

You can look back and reflect on the previous year,

And release it with gratitude,

And then look forward to what lies ahead,

Planting the seeds,

And nourishing new potential,

New growth,

And a new beginning.

So to begin,

Go ahead and get into a comfortable position.

You can be seated or lying down,

Any way that allows you to be fully relaxed and most comfortable.

When you're ready,

Gently close your eyes,

And focus your attention on your breath,

Breathing in slowly and deeply through your nose,

And releasing fully through your mouth.

Again,

Breathing in slowly through your nose,

And releasing slowly through your mouth.

To further allow yourself to relax,

You can practice inhaling to a count of 4,

And then exhaling to a count of 8,

To lengthen the exhale,

Which sends a message to your brain that it's time to relax.

Let's try this together for a few breaths.

Breathing in,

2,

3,

4,

And release,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Breathe in,

2,

3,

4,

And release,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Breathe in,

2,

3,

4,

And release,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

And continue breathing on your own at whatever pace feels right for you,

Noticing your body settling into whatever surface you're resting on,

Feeling the weight of your body sinking,

Your muscles loosening,

And take a moment right now to scan through your body for any areas of tension,

And when you find a tense area,

Breathe into it,

And allow it to relax.

Now from this relaxed and peaceful state,

We'll begin with some reflection.

I'll be asking you some questions,

And you can sit with them to see what arises,

Taking note of whatever images,

Sensations,

Feelings,

Or thoughts arise,

And just observing them,

Without getting too caught up in the memories or the feelings.

Just observing.

So I'll begin by asking,

What are the highlights from this past year?

The wonderful moments,

Big or small,

The accomplishments,

Successes,

Joyful times?

Let them come into your consciousness,

And again,

Just notice them,

See what arises.

Some of the highlights may have been expected,

But some were probably things that you didn't imagine or couldn't have possibly imagined a year prior.

Which highlights were unexpected?

This is a reminder that no matter how much you plan and work towards certain outcomes,

There often are unexpected little gems that appear,

And this will be true for the coming year as well.

Likewise,

For every wonderful moment over the past year,

There were those not-so-wonderful moments.

The setbacks,

The unexpected challenges and hardships.

I'm sure for some of you,

There are certain things that come to mind right away when you think about that for this past year.

Allow these moments to come into your consciousness,

Merely to do an inventory,

Not spending too much time thinking about any one area,

Not holding on to any one memory or feeling,

Just observing and acknowledging the difficult times.

If you feel your body's starting to tense,

Or you're feeling any discomfort,

Remember to breathe,

And for those particularly difficult moments that come into mind,

You can even place a hand over your heart to offer yourself some comfort and tell yourself,

It's all in the past now,

Or I'm moving forward.

Now that you've taken an inventory of the wonderful and not-so-wonderful moments from the year,

We're going to practice releasing these moments to make room for new experiences to come in for the new year.

We'll start by using the breath to help clear out any residual energy from the year that's being held in your body.

With the inhale,

You're going to imagine air coming in to replenish and restore your vitality.

And with the exhale,

Imagine yourself releasing the old energies,

Releasing from your muscles and clearing out your cells throughout your body,

A clean sweep.

So start by taking a deep breath in,

Filling your whole body with fresh,

Nourishing air,

And breathe out,

Releasing and untangling the old,

Stuck energy from the year.

Breathing in fresh,

Cleansing air,

And breathing out,

Clearing the way for the new.

Breathing in,

Feeling yourself full of life and potential.

And breathing out,

Letting go of what no longer is needed.

You can do this a couple more times on your own.

You made it through another year,

And although it may not have been the most graceful or grounded journey,

And some of the struggles from the year may not be over,

You can still hold your head high because everything that happened has led you to this very moment.

This moment that you've set aside for yourself.

This moment of peace.

Now give yourself the opportunity to experience the feeling of gratitude,

Calling into mind what you're grateful for,

Either in general,

Or what you appreciated from this past year.

The gifts,

The blessings,

The lessons learned,

The pleasant moments.

Allow the feeling of gratitude to flow through you,

Calling into mind what you're grateful for.

And you may even say the words,

Thank you,

To yourself.

Thank you.

And now as you look forward and approach this new year,

Even if it feels like the year might bring much of the same,

Remind yourself that you have the opportunity to shift the landscape and have a fresh start.

And this begins with having a positive mindset.

How you view your life and your circumstances greatly impacts the outcomes and how you experience them.

So right now,

Let's take some time to allow yourself to dream.

Begin to paint a picture of what you want for yourself in this coming year,

Without censoring yourself or telling yourself it's not possible.

What would you like to create for yourself this coming year?

Imagine it in your mind's eye.

Don't worry about how you'll get there.

Just imagine the outcome.

Picture yourself living in the life you want for yourself.

What do you see around you?

Where are you?

Who is with you?

Spend some time here taking it all in.

And again,

If you find your mind trying to figure out the next steps or noticing the obstacles that may arise,

Kindly acknowledge the hard work that your beautiful mind is doing,

Trying to figure things out.

And then redirect your focus to imagine what you want for yourself this year.

Really imagine yourself there,

Grounded in your body,

Feeling yourself living in this life you desire.

What does it feel like?

What is the feeling you want to feel this year?

Maybe peace,

Satisfaction,

Ease,

Joy,

Perhaps it's relief,

Or freedom.

Maybe it's a combination of all of those feelings,

And you can't quite name it.

Whatever it is,

Just allow yourself to feel it.

And let it expand and flow throughout your body,

Radiating through you,

Filling you with positive feelings through every inch of your body.

Bring a slight smile to your face,

Breathe into it,

And release.

And now let the following statements resonate through you.

I am ready and I am capable of achieving great things this year.

I will make wise choices and look at each day as an opportunity.

I will take the lessons that I've learned from the past and use them to keep growing into the best possible version of myself.

There will be challenges and obstacles that arise,

And I will persevere and remain focused,

Resilient,

And determined to move forward toward my goals.

I trust in my abilities and I believe in myself.

I will be bold and courageous.

I will appreciate and take in all the good in my life,

No matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

I will listen deeply and with curiosity to my needs,

Desires,

And inner wisdom.

And I will treat my mind,

Body,

And soul with love and care.

I will treat my mind,

Body,

And soul with love and care so that I can more easily extend love and care to those around me,

And allow myself to receive the love and care that I deserve.

I will rest when I need to.

I will know my limits and say no with ease when I need to.

I will surround myself with people who inspire and support me,

And who I feel good being around.

I will protect my energy so that I can expend it in areas that will help me thrive.

I will remember confidence when I have moments of self-doubt.

I will remember patience and keep things in perspective,

Trusting that when things don't come to me right away,

There's a good reason for it,

And that it'll show up in right timing.

And when I can't see the way forward,

I will trust that it will all work out,

And I'll be open to the possibility that something even better that I can't even imagine will show up instead.

Everything that I desire is within reach,

And I am ready to have a really good year.

Let that all sink in.

As you continue through this day,

Remind yourself of what you want for this year,

And most importantly,

How you want to feel,

And use that to guide you through your decisions and actions.

Take a few moments more to savor the peacefulness of this moment before you return to your day.

Do the best to carry this feeling with you.

Whenever you're ready,

Gently open your eyes and take in your surroundings to return yourself to this time and this space in the present moment.

I hope you have a wonderful new year.

Thank you for joining me.

Reviews

Thank you for this beautiful reflection and opening.

Thank you! It was just the message I needed today.

Wow!! Such a great way to start the year! I will have to release to this a few more times throught January to really allow it to sink in.

Remarkable! Full of gentle kindness, warmth, and support. Love. Trust. Confidence.

Wonderful guidance for welcoming the new year!