My Theme for 2021: Inhale + Exhale

Each New Year, I choose a theme. A word or two that helps to guide me throughout the year. I typically spend weeks in reflection, considering what feels right. This year, more than ever, I have gone back and forth a lot over the past month. A few days ago, I finally felt I had found the right words for 2021: Inhale + Exhale.

For me, these words are purposefully simple. They are a reminder to breathe. To stop. To pay attention. To allow things in and to let things go. To pause and to notice. To give and to receive. To slow down and simply be.

In 2020, I began a journey towards becoming a certified mindfulness and meditation teacher. In so many moments, I turned to breathing to find peace and grounding. And in so many other moments, I forgot. My body of course continued to breathe, but I didn’t pay attention and by the time the fall rolled around, I was completed burned out. Burnout is a hard place to be, and I saw so many people in my life and beyond in that same place.

A few days ago, as I was still trying to decide what my theme would be, I found myself reading a book about Signs from the Universe. A day or so later, a friend texted to ask if we were going to do the Yoga With Adrienne 30 Day Journey again this January (four of us did it together last year, and it was incredible). I had been thinking about it before that text, but put it in the back of my mind, knowing that January is going to be a difficult month and I have wrist tendonitis that makes many poses impossible. But that text was certainly a sign. What’s even cooler? When I went to the website to sign-up, I saw the theme for this January is Breath. The things that happen when we pay attention are amazing.

So as I look ahead, I’ll be using these words to ground myself, to find solace, and to help me remember. To continue to find my way out of burnout. To remember that it’s okay to take care of myself, not just so I can take care of others, but because I deserve it too (as does every single person). I invite you to choose your own theme for the year. I would love to hear what it is, so drop me a note anytime. Here’s to a kinder, more intentional, justice-focused, love-filled 2021.