Meditations and rituals are a good way to celebrate special occasions without making them all about the party. Instead, you can use these times to reflect on yourself and learn more about yourself, making memories and giving yourself a chance to grow as a person. Especially at the New Year, which is a date that already makes us want to take a break, think about what has happened in the past few months, and set new goals to keep moving forward on the path to becoming the best versions of ourselves.
When we talk about setting new goals, we’re not just talking about the resolutions people usually make at the beginning of the year, which can be hard to keep. We also talk about what we’ve done well and want to keep doing, as well as longer-term changes we want to think about but that don’t necessarily fit with specific goals like quitting smoking. Which, by the way, are important for making you feel like you’ve done something.
That is, the goal of meditations and rituals is to help you understand what this year might mean for you personally and in your processes, so that you can think about how you see the future.
Meditation and ritual to let go of the past
If you want to leave this year behind, you might want to try this meditation and ritual to close cycles. Write down the following on a piece of paper as your first step: How have you changed in the past year? What do you know now? What do you feel good about? What are you ready to give up?
Once you’ve written down your answers to these questions, you can burn the paper to let go of what you’ve written. You can also decide to throw it away. The most important thing is to pay attention to how you say goodbye to things that have already happened. Then, do a meditation where you think about your future and answer the question, “What do you want to bring into your life?” How do you want to change and grow? How do you want to live your life?
Meditation and ritual to receive the new year
If you want to feel emotional about the new year, you can do a meditation that helps you get ready to do so. For example, close your eyes and imagine that your intention is already happening. Feel the happiness, success, and joy that come with it. Let yourself enjoy all the good things that happen to you this year so you can learn to understand your feelings in light of what you already expect. If you have specific goals that you don’t want to give up, we suggest writing them down and giving each one a date for when you want it to be done, so you can keep them in mind while you meditate. And don’t forget to picture them when you do your exercise.
Meditation and the balancing ritual
You can do this stocktaking exercise if you don’t know how you feel about the year ahead. Set out two plates. In one, write down all the good things that happened to you this year. In the other, write down all the things you would have liked to change. So you can remember how important balance is in life, where good and bad things always exist together. Don’t stop giving thanks for everything you wrote down in your meditation, no matter which of the two dishes it’s on.
Meditation and body practices
Since the Covid pandemic is a part of our lives, we know a lot more about the body and how it works. So, it’s important to stop and thank you for all the work you do to keep us healthy and full of energy. A meditation can be perfect for this. You can try a method for beginners that always helps us get to know our bodies: going on a tour of each part of the body with our eyes closed and becoming aware of everything we feel. When you touch a part of your body, thank it for all the work it has done this year.
