JAN 2026
New Year, Same Me.
By Ali Walker
We’ve crossed the threshold into a new year but maybe nothing feels different quite yet. The idea of a resolution may even feel like an insurmountable effort. If you’re like me, you are just barely catching your breath (or a nap) after a season that asks so much of us. January arrives and it can sometimes feel like a void. Being and body just now catching up to all of the expectations of merriment & magic.
Something I’ve been talking about in classes is this movement from the year of the snake into the year of the fire horse. This change didn’t take place at the stroke of midnight, timed with the dropping of a giant glittery ball. We are still in transition - still shedding, unbecoming, clearing space. In Chinese astrology, the year of the fire horse begins in February & with that comes alignment, direction and forward motion. We decide what to carry forward, what to pour our energy into, who/what will have access to our inner world.
Some questions to create clarity before momentum picks up:
Can you say yes with your whole body?
Can you share without the need to defend what is true for you?
What do you require in order to move forward?
Something I love to do several times a year is to move the furniture in my space, clear the clutter and bless my space. I walk through every room with sage or Palo Santo, pray, clear heavy energy & invite the light in. There is so much power in this ritual for me as a prelude to times of transition. This is my invitation to you. Be in the preparation, not in the pressure to be something new. Momentum will come & when it does, I sense we will be ready.
So much love,
Ali Walker
BREAK UP THE ENERGY
Liv Monte created this movement practice that can be done anywhere, anytime. To break up the stagnant Winter energy and get your blood flowing.
Four Bowls In The Kitchen Sink
By Ella Davila
Recently everyone in our family has been eating a lot of cereal. Something about the simplicity
of two ingredients and a bowl and a spoon make life seem a little easier. It hopefully brings
some nourishment and it definitely brings some nostalgic feeling of home. My boyfriend who I
have lived with for about seven months now said the other day that he felt blessed to look down
and see four dirty bowls in the sink. He had lived by himself for a while and has gracefully
integrated my two children into his life. His comment made me stop and think about how
noticing even the most unremarkable everyday subtle complexities of life can actually invoke a
remarkable feeling of gratitude from within. How simplicity can foster ease and fluidity in our
lives in the most intricate ways- a coming home. Our perception narrows, we refocus and we
begin to naturally just notice more. Time slows down and what would have been forgotten
fragments of our lives become memories transformed into what I can only describe as a feeling
of sanctity. Dirty dishes become someone's answered prayer, a moment of joy. What was an
empty sink is now a picture of hope for the future. In this new year, as we return to our
homes or invite loved ones into ours, let the dishes pile up. Let life show you what you have
cultivated and worked so hard for. Robert Brault (a freelance writer and voice teacher) says,
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
Make life simple, slow down so that what matters most to you can be seen and maybe find a
cozy corner and pour yourself a bowl of cereal.
LISTEN IN
Sarina Windel made this yummy playlist for you to carry through the month.
Whatever you’re calling in this year — may you remember. Life will always eb and flow. Healing will always be non linear. The greatest gift we can offer ourselves, the greatest desire for one self, will always be to honor right here. Right now. This moment, just as you are.
we love you so much
