Trust the Seasons, Your Year Will Bloom in Time
Here is a brief excerpt from my newsletter dated January 7, 2025. In my newsletters, I share my personal stories and offer inspiration in the areas of personal growth, trauma-informed yoga, decolonized yoga, and more. You can subscribe here.
Every January, we’re surrounded by the hum of urgency. Set your goals, start fresh, do more… but let me offer you a different perspective: New Year pressure is NOT real.
For those in the Northern Hemisphere, January is not a time for blooming – it’s a time of stillness. Nature teaches us that the true new year begins in spring, when the earth stirs to life, the days grow longer, and energy begins to return. Winter is for rest, reflection, and quiet preparation. Nature’s message is clear: There is no rush. Things unfold when the time is right.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to act, I invite you to release that burden. Instead, ease into the year with softness and trust that your intentions will sprout when the time is right.
Time Out of Sync
Consider the rhythm of time we follow. The Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582, reshaped how we measure time. While it corrected inaccuracies in the Julian calendar, it also disrupted our connection with nature’s cycles. The months, named after figures like Julius Caesar and Augustus, are arbitrary – they serve the interests of empire, not the earth. This system creates an artificial urgency that pulls us out of sync with the natural world.
Imagine swimming against the current – it’s what it feels like when we push ourselves to act during times meant for rest. When we rush or force things, we tap into energy that isn’t aligned with the natural flow of the earth. It’s exhausting, depleting, and resistant. Our calendar doesn’t honor the earth’s rhythms, and we’ve been conditioned to ignore that truth. But nature reminds us that life follows its own pace, and each season has its time to shine.
Following the rhythm of Nature
Ancient cultures, such as the Kemetic civilization (Ancient Egypt), measured time in harmony with the cosmos. The Kemetic calendar was aligned with the heliacal rising of Sirius, marking the start of the new year and signaling the annual flooding of the Nile River. This was not just a practical timekeeping system but a deeply spiritual practice that mirrored the earth’s natural cycles of renewal and growth. By following the rhythm of nature and celestial events, the Egyptians understood time as cyclical, with each phase contributing to the larger cosmic dance.
The wisdom of the ancient timekeeping systems reminds us that time isn’t linear; it’s cyclical. Growth happens when we align with these natural rhythms, not by forcing progress.