Full moon tomorrow night… ahhh…sigh…the anticipation:)
But that’s not what I wanted to talk about for now. I wanted to talk about New Year’s Resolutions and Will Power. I have no New Year Resolution because I have no will power. I instead have a DAILY “resolution”…it’s not so much about goal setting for me but a daily reminder – it’s kind of like daily prayer or poetry reading for me so … not really a resolution is it? I have set very goal oriented and ambitious New Years Resolution before so I feel I can now speak about it with some frankness. Whenever we refer to New Year’s Resolution, the idea of “Will Power” comes up because the most popular and typical New Year Resolution for many is a challenge to lose weight and exercise more because of the average 2-3 lbs weight gain over the holiday season.
Therefore the local gyms might be packed … and I might implore to you that studies have shown that actually gentle yoga is effective in weight management… seems counter-intuitive but I know this to be true. Why? Because as recommended, it’s closest thing to mindful meditation so beneficial in that “goal” whether to curb your appetite or to let go what’s toxic or harmful to us. Unfortunately, the reason the current craze?, “mindful meditation” does not work or hard to engage in for many is that it’s too … goal oriented. People approach it the same mindset they approach their business or work – setting budgets or targeting revenue goals, etc. and wonder why it’s so challenging to meditate. It’s not the same..That’s right, counting the beans is not quite the same as counting your breath or paying attention. You are sitting there appearing on the surface to be serene in your buddha pose with the single goal to … achieve mindfulness – it’s a contradiction already. You have to let go of that “goal” … and a goal is a little different from setting an “intention”.
As far as will power… here’s an insightful TED talk given by our local yoga instructor and Stanford professor, Kelly McGonigal:
