Welcome to 2022! For me, the new year brings a lot of anticipation about new opportunities. It feels like everything is possible and anything good can happen. Maybe you'll be promoted at your job, or fall in love, or finally quit smoking. Maybe things will really turn around on climate change this year or we'll see equity increase in crazy ways. Who knows, maybe the pandemic will really start to end. Like I said, anything is possible.
One thing I know for sure though, that whatever happens in the New Year, I want to be ready and fully present for it. For success to happen, reflection and rest are also needed. When the pandemic slowed down the world, this was one of the biggest lessons that I gathered. Self care and honest reflection on how I felt led me to peace. It improved my relationships and my performance on the things I cared about most. Heck, it even showed me what the things I care about most are! And I think it can do the same for you. That's why we've decided to kick off 2022 with a simple reminder to reflect and recharge.
Here, I'll share some of the ways that we are trying to stay mindful at Lucia's and in Lexington. Hopefully, this blog will help you find some tools or ideas for how to continue reflecting the whole year through.
Ways we Meditate
There are countless ways to meditate or reflect, all of them with great benefits. Prayer, yoga, mindfulness, chakra meditation, and even more. Of course, we won't be able to cover all of these, or even one of them here. Still, I want to dive into some tools that might help you get started.
For me, one of the hardest things about meditation or staying mindful is simply remembering to do it. Developing a habit may come easy to some people, but I might as well forget about it, and setting an alarm on my phone doesn't exactly put me in a relaxing mood. So, I've set up little reminders in my home, and even on my person, to remind me throughout the day to take a break and be mindful, if only for a second while I'm waiting in line.
Smell is a powerful agent of memory, and that's why my go to mindfulness reminder is incense. If I know that I'll be having a stressful day, I'll begin to burn a lavender incense, and throughout the day I'm reminded to try and relax. At Lucia's, we have one of the cutest incense holders you've ever seen - the Jalini Incense Holder.
Come Practice at the Warehouse Block
If you live in Kentucky, you can start of the new year and your new meditative practice with a live event at the Warehouse Block in Lexington. On January 14, a suite of businesses in the Block are hosting wellness classes and events, many of which are specifically geared at beginners. Loosen up with some yoga or take time to meditate in the Salt Cave. Events are happening all around the Block from 5-8pm. We can't wait to see you there!
