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We don't need new year resolutions - we need rest.

B

https://time.com/7335921/new-years-resolutions-rest/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-gb

'So, perhaps January is not the time for reinvention, but radical rest. Winter is a time to follow nature, to create our own version of hibernation, listen to our bodies, and prepare slowly and quietly for the year to come. Slowing down is good for you, and can improve your productivity in the long run.'

Bear

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  • January isn’t the time for reinvention for me and I don’t make New Year resolutions. At least now more people are aware of how harmful the practice can be as it is sets people up for failure which is often accompanied by guilt. 

    I relate to this:

    Living in tune with the seasons is a great way to stay grounded in the present moment, to listen to your body and to give it what it needs at the right time of year. Look at what the natural world is doing in each season; during winter, it rests, so take your inspiration from that.

    Spring has come very early to where I live these last few years, so rather than being in tune with the meteorological winter which ends on 28th February, I like to be present to the Celtic winter which ends on 31st January with the Celtic Spring Imbolc or Lá Fhéile Bríde (St Brigid’s Day in Ireland) beginning on the 1st February. 

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    Imbolc's my favourite festival, you can see the return of spring, it's lighter and plants are starting to wake up, there are lots of lambs and to me it feels more like new year than Jan 1st.

    I used to go on silent retreat every year at this time, I still miss it.

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  • in reply to TheCatWoman
    TheCatWoman said:
    some don't want you have coffee!

    Haha! That would settle any thoughts of a retreat in one of those places for me too! Coffee revives me and gives me a boost like nothing else. 

    I forgot there would be some retreat houses here that would have space for self-directed retreats between the organised retreats. I could go to one of those and omit the daily religious liturgy, or I could manage to sit through it as it wouldn’t be overly long. 

    The cost of retreats in these places has skyrocketed in the last ten years, so that is a factor which adds to the reasons why I haven’t been on retreat for many years.

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    Where I used to go was an open house for people who followed any spiritual path or just wanted time to explore, nobody was made or expected to do anything that felt wrong to them. I've looked at other retreats and there's nothing matching it, it's all either focussed on a particular spiritual path or on something like yoga which dosen't appeal to me, nor does having to get up before dawn and do stuff before my first bucket of coffee, some don't want you have coffee! I think that would make me murderous!

  • in reply to TheCatWoman
    TheCatWoman said:
    Imbolc's my favourite festival

    Mine too. 

    I love looking at the new shoots that have pushed through the ground. Even if the weather is poor, the days get longer at an increasingly fast rate at this time of year and the new growth always makes me feel hopeful.

    i can understand you missing your silent retreat. I would love to get away somewhere at Imbolc, just to spend a few days without the things that need attended to during my normal routine. Most retreats near me are from Easter to the end of summer, and then some are on over Christmas. And as I’ve said before, I wouldn’t want to participate in some of the religious retreat content.