It’s New Year’s Eve, a time to reflect on the past year—maybe with happiness, maybe with regret, or maybe with gratitude for all we received. It is also a day to look forward to the New Year, maybe fearful of what is to come or perhaps hoping for a fresh start. That’s a lot of emotion swirling around, so I thought it might be helpful to hear what some famous and historical figures had to say about New Year’s Day.

“Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.” —Oprah Winfrey

“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.” —Henry Ward Beecher

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” —Ellen Goodman

As part of my yoga-teacher training, I got to spend a lot of time studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. These ancient techniques are basically the operating manual for the study and practice of yoga, and, thankfully, Sri Swami Satchidananda has lovingly translated them into practical down-to-earth advice. I’d like to share with you a small portion of the translation on asteya (Sutra #37), which is the practice of nonstealing. I am taking it a bit out of its original context, because I feel the message is apropos for New Year’s Eve.

“Richness has nothing to do with monetary wealth. The richest person is the one with a cool mind, free of tension and anxiety. Changing all the current situations in our world is not in our hands. We are not going to stop all these things. But what is in our hands is the ability to find joy and peace right here and now. If we live in the present, even though the whole world might blow up in a minute, it won’t bother us. We can be happy in situations of tension. If we have decided to be happy, nobody can make us unhappy. Anything might happen. An earthquake might decimate the entire world, but we need not bother about the future. Nor should we worry about the past. It has already gone. To be happy this minute is in our hands.

“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?

“But a carefree life is possible only with a well-controlled mind, one that is free of anxiety, one without personal desires or possessions.” —Sri Swami Satchidanananda from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

So, what are my key takeaways from all these quotes?

1. We should not worry about the past; 2010 is done—put a fork in it.
2. We all have the power to find joy and peace right now. I don’t know about you, but I’m choosing to be happy in 2011, to have the time of my life, and look for the potential in all things.
3. I’m going to smile a lot and make myself and others laugh, and, hopefully, it will be contagious enough to start a plague of joy!

Wishing you a year filled with serenity, laughter, joy, and lots of yoga!

Start the New Year with a Gift of a Yoga Retreat

Join Maria & Dr Sharon Stills in Sedona – Feb 5-8, 2018