How will you choose to carry yourself forward?

Happy New Year. I hope your 2026 is unfolding with steadiness, strength, and a few moments of quiet ease.

As the calendar turns and the energy of the holidays settles, I find myself coming to a screeching halt. The noise and momentum of the season softens, and life slips back into familiar routines. January doesn’t arrive with the same warmth or glow as December. Instead, the coe string lights stop working their magic, and the excitement has quietly packed its ld feels sharper, thbags and left town—elf on the shelf included.

And yet, January offers something else: a pause. A chance to ask a more honest question—how do I choose to carry myself forward? Not out of habit. Not because the calendar demands it. But with purpose.

I heard something recently that stayed with me. I may be butchering the original quote, but the essence is this: we were given this opportunity to exist. Simple, yes—but deeply humbling. Our presence here is not random. Our lives matter not because of what we do, produce, or achieve, but because we are here. There is relief and joy in knowing our worth is inherent, not something to earn. And from this gentle knowing, our purpose naturally unfolds. This kind of purpose gives even effort and discomfort meaning, reminding us that fulfillment isn’t canceled out by challenge, but often deepened by it.

Some of this reflection likely comes from the fact that January is also my birthday month. I’ll be honest—I’ve never loved it. Deep winter, gray skies, the strong urge to hibernate under every blanket I own. And yet, birthdays gently bring me back to perspective and remind me that life itself is a gift.

Tree Pose (Vrksasana) by the lake

The new year, like birthdays, doesn’t ask us to reinvent ourselves. It simply offers a widening of space—a moment to loosen our grip on what no longer serves us, and to choose with more intention what brings freedom and fulfillment. This year, I’m less interested in doing more, and more curious about how my purpose continues to unfold. I carry myself forward with kindness, honesty, and yes… probably an extra blanket.

How will you choose to carry yourself forward?

As we continue practicing together this winter, may the mat remain a place where you don’t have to perform or prove anything. A place to pause, to feel, to listen inward. A space where purpose isn’t something you strive for, but something that gently unfolds.

With warmth and gratitude,

Maheen 🌿