Resolutions. That word, it’s enough to squelch your New Year’s joy, isn’t it? But you need not be afraid. I like to think of mine as enhancements vs. resolutions – trying to do things better than I have before. We usually want the same things year after year: health, happiness, beautiful experiences. We simply have to enhance and fine tune our abilities to pursue them.

Here are my 2015 enhancements:

Be full, not busy. Being busy is out, being full is in. Because you can complain endlessly about being too busy, but can you really complain about your life being full? The answer is No.

More tea. I’m so exited about our new partnership with The Tea Spot, whose founder Maria will be presenting on our February Winter Wonderland & Wellness retreat. As if that weren’t exciting enough, she and I will be giving a talk on the synergy of yoga + tea at a tea expo this spring. And the health benefits of tea are as numerous as the enticing blends offered by The Tea Spot…so I’m going to keep sipping. We’ll be including tea treats in all our 2015 goodie bags, and you can shop anytime to enjoy 20% off with the discount code BIGSKYYOGA.

More restorative yoga. I plan to develop a close relationship with my bolster. The new book Restorative Yoga for Life makes me feel more relaxed by just looking through it (I think they should have called it Bolsters, Blankets & Blocks are the Best). I’ve always been a little intimidated by restorative yoga. I get worried when I have to teach it. In general, I just move too fast. But duh – it’s taken all these years to realize how good it is for someone like me, and how good it feels when I slow down to do it. Moving too fast is out – support and stillness are in.

More meditation. And more mom-and-me meditation. Like all previous generations before me, I worry about my daughter and how the world we live in will affect her life. This article really resonated: Parenting as a GenXer: We’re the first generation of parents in the age of iEverything. Like everything else, it’s always a question of balance…but I think that being surrounded by iEverything just heightens our need for the meditation practice’s quiet, still space. I plan to get help from YogaGlo and the calm app (noting the irony of using said iEverything to facilitate my meditation practice).

A challenge. Of course this is not to say that I don’t have challenges in my life. But it’s different when you take one on by choice, right? Hiking in the mountains is one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had – and also one of the most challenging. I’ve never been a big cardio girl, so pushing myself in this area is indeed tough. Last year, I hiked to the top of my first 10K+ peak (read my post Hiking Happiness). It was a huge deal for me. I loved the feeling of accomplishment, so much so that I decided to extend it to our yoga and hiking retreats by creating an advanced option, at the end of July. I’d love to have you join me on this journey. We’re even offering training tips in the months before the retreat.


And as always…more yoga, period. Because there is just never enough. And like love and health, no need to limit this gift that keeps on giving.

Wishing you an enhanced 2015.

Photo of Big Sky Yoga Retreats teacher Lisa by a Fall 2014 Cowgirl Yogatographer