The New Year is just around the corner and as we look ahead at the potential of what it might bring, we also look back on the things which we hope it won’t bring. Before the noise and festivities of Christmas and the days leading up to the new year start to blend in to one big rush towards the finish line, now is the perfect time to reflect and to set new goals; a time to get out a pen and paper and take the first step towards the achievement of your wildest dreams.

Setting goals or ‘new year’s resolutions’ can be quite a daunting task. Firstly, there are usually so many to pick from it is hard to know which are the best ones, secondly not all of them are achievable in the current time and place, and thirdly, writing down fresh new goals you have set yourself means you then have to work towards reaching them. But having the list is the first step and the biggest one, so do not be afraid to go wild and dream big.

Think back on the year 2014 and honestly ask yourself, ‘how did I do?’ Did you do enough good stuff for yourself? Did you feel like you could have been doing more? Or maybe you felt times when you were doing too much of something; eating unhealthy food, doing unhealthy things to your body, feeling stressed and tired too much, not sleeping enough. Once the questions are asked, the answers start to make themselves a little clearer, and with more asking there will be more answers.

Ultimately we all want similar things from life (love, friendship, money) but health - both physical and mental – is the most important and therefore popular on our ‘to do’ lists, and understandably so. We all know that a strong and flexible body and mind are the required ingredients to any other of our goals being achieved – so starting with our bodies is a very good idea.
The documented health benefits of Bikram Yoga are not far from our fingertips online and through the experience of friends and colleagues, but the best way to find out about Bikram Yoga’s positive health effects is to do it yourself!

This week’s article is not designed to highlight the domino effect of positive changes and decisions our lives start to experience on our Bikram yoga Journeys as most Yogis do, but it is intended at motivating you to push the envelope of good health and vitality even further in the new year. Go deeper.

As Bikram Choudry said himself – ‘It is never too late, it is never too bad, and you’re never too old or too sick to start from scratch once again.’ Keep these words close to your heart when writing out your new year’s resolutions and you will end up aiming higher and therefore achieving more than you ever thought possible.

In February everyone will have the opportunity to embark on another 30 Day Bikram Challenge which is a class of Bikram yoga every day for each day of the month. Our regular yogis have been enjoying and reaping the rewards of the personal challenge for years. Is it your turn to start a new personal challenge? There is over a month to prepare and get organized and set the intentions. Are you ready? Get out a paper and pen and see for yourself.