Hello my beautiful friends!!! I can’t believe 2019 is coming to a close in just a few short hours… where does the time go?! PS: yes, that is a green juice in my hand, and YES I am wearing pink sparkly jammies . I’ll get to this in a moment, but first…

2019 has by far been the most transformative and rewarding year of my life, and I can honestly say I have NEVER been happier than I am right now. It definitely came with its own set of challenges but I am exiting 2019 feeling better than ever and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. Before I get into this post I want to thank each and every one of you for your amazing support and friendship – thank you for taking the time to read my blog, follow me on Instagram, engage with me, write to me, connect with me, share with me…..this little tribe of like-minded people I have created here on Namastshay means THE WORLD to me, and it wouldn’t be the same without you in it! ILYSM! ❤️

Alright, so New Years eve.. it’s an interesting occasion isn’t it? I feel like there is this societal pressure to go out, celebrate, do it up big, go wild etc. and this is something I have always struggled with because… well, I honestly don’t find that appealing… at least not in this stage of my life I don’t. Hence why I am home by 8pm on NYE with a green juice in hand in my sparkly pink jammies lol.. AND PROUD OF IT BABY! I used to feel really… guilty? for not wanting to go out and party like my peers but the older I get the less concerned I am with what everyone else is doing and the more tuned in I become to what I need and want.

For as long as I can remember, New Years Eve has always been all about the parties and alcohol; getting all dolled up, staying out late, champagne toasts and raging.. when I think of New Years eve, I think of a party. And while there is nothing wrong with that, when I got honest with myself it was very clear to me that that just isn’t fulfilling for me personally. Even though I worked in nightclubs doing bottle service for nearly 5 years, going out has never been on my list of top 5 favorite things to do (ironic, huh?) Yes, there were aspects of it I sort of liked.. I guess.. but it always felt out of alignment for me… and the reality of it for me is I have more fun and feel better engaging in other activities that are much healthier for my body/mind/spirit and exponentially more fulfilling for my soul.

Working in a nightclub definitely changed my view of alcohol, along with having my fair share of alcohol filled New Year’s eve parties. The truth is I rarely drink anymore (and when I do it’s usually a hard kombucha or a glass of red wine… but even those are few and far between) because I want to be present for my life and I want to feel good… plus #health .  It wasn’t until I started to make the shift away from toxic behaviors and people in my life that made me want to escape (through alcohol or other soul sucking behaviors) and started to live a more passion-filled ALIGNED + TRUE TO MYSELF life, that the craving to be as present as possible in my life began. Through small changes and actions each day, I started to create a day to day life that is far better than any escape that had previously brought me relief…which is why I started drinking a substantial amount less in general (sometimes not at all for months at a time) and more specifically, I adopted a mindful NYE ritual, even when I had to work those late nights in nightlife.

Why a mindful NYE ritual instead of going out ands getting loaded? Well, for me there is no better feeling than waking up on the 1st day of a new year rested, balanced, clear minded, clear about my intentions for the year ahead and ready to make my dreams and desires my waking reality! It is the best feeling EVER!! I feel like I am setting the tone for the rest of the year, and setting intentions through my actions for the year ahead!

This New Years eve ritual that I am sharing with you this evening can be done on New Years eve, New Years day, or ANYTIME of the year really because the truth is an opportunity lives in every single moment we are given on this earth for us to make a new choice. Fresh starts, self-reflection or a positive shift doesn’t have to just be saved for the end of the year . You can change direction any time you choose to. But, since it is NYE, we will chat about this little ritual as it pertains to ending the year in a mindful way!

Feel free to try out one or all of my New Years eve ritual; there is no right or wrong way to ring in the new year. At the end of the day you have to do what feels best for you.. no judgement! If that’s going out and living it up THEN YOU DO YOU BB! And maybe one day I’ll decide I want to do something different on NYE, and that’s ok too. But for the past few years this has been how I like to ring in the new year .

PS: I made you some fun graphics to guide you through your New Years eve ritual that you can totally print out or type on on your phone! yay! .

. NEW YEARS EVE RITUAL .

Every New Years eve and New Years day I make sure to do all the things I love! For me that’s going to a workout class, maybe going on a hike with my pups, getting on my yoga mat, eating yummy nourishing foods, maybe getting that special coffee or matcha I love and most definitely spending time with loved ones before I give myself some solo time on NYE night to dive into my New Years eve ritual ✨ The goal here is to end the current year and begin the new year with JOY! So do all the things that bring you joy and get those feel good vibes going bb!

Like I mentioned above – ENGAGE IN JOY INDUCING ACTIVITIES! Joy raises your vibration, and high vibes = good feelings and a happy life. End the current year and start the coming year off engaging in all the things that make you feel good and happy!

Take some time to reflect on the past year.. what does your current day to day life HONESTLY look like? Is that working for you? If you had to give yourself an alignment rating from 1-5 (1 being misaligned and 5 being very aligned) for the main areas of your life right now, how would you rate them at the present moment and why? // Areas of focus in this self-reflection question might be relationships, careers, physical health, self-care, mindset, spiritual health etc. What worked for you this past year? What didn’t? What challenges did you face? Were there certain challenges that kept appearing? What do you think that means for you? What wins did you have? Did you stick to your goals you made for the year? How have you possibly stood in your own way?

Get honest with yourself and really think about what you are currently engaging in (or who are you currently engaging with!) that is not serving your highest good… what can you let go of or leave in 2019?

Cleanse the space and set the vibe to set intentions and goals // use Palo Santo sage or crystals to add good vibes back into your space and energetic filed. I also love lighting incense and using candles as a way to cleanse the energy in my space… ENERGY IS REAL PEOPLE!

Burn palo santo to welcome creativity, love, and good fortune into your space. This holy wood can help brighten energy and promote feelings of positivity and joy. The scent is also shown to reduce stress and anxiety, and enhance clarity and concentration.

Burn sage to purify and cleanse your own personal energy field, your space or objects of negative energies or influences! I love using sage on a regular basis to just sort of it the reset button on the energetic filed around me!

Take some time to sit in stillness and really think about what you want this upcoming year to FEEL like.. ask yourself: how do I want to feel? What words of wisdom would my ideal future self give me right now? How do I visualize myself in the future? How can I bridge the gap between the life of my dreams and my current situation? Meditate and reflect on these questions and then journal what comes up.

Set intentions and goals for the year ahead // there is a big difference between setting a goal and setting an intention. Goals are tangible, while intentions are from the heart. An intention isn’t something you attach an expectation or evaluation to, it’s just something you want to align with in your life. It’s an aim, a purpose, or attitude you’d be proud to commit to.

When it comes to setting intentions I think the most effective way is to start small and get really specific! It’s also incredibly powerful to have a WHY with strong emotion behind the intentions that you set! I also love the idea to set monthly intentions for the year ahead to keep you on track with your overall intentions. I think it’s fun to come up with a separate list that you refer back to at the start of each month as a jumping off point, you can always readjust/add intentions as needed as the year progresses. 

When it comes to setting goals I like to come up with a manageable list of things that I deeply desire to accomplish that are big and exciting while still being within the realm of possibilities for where I am at right now.

PRO TIP: don’t set goals that you know you aren’t going to keep. Every time you break a promise that you make to yourself you condition yourself to break the commitments that you make to yourself and ultimately weaken your self-trust, self-respect and self-worth….it’s far more effective to set SMALL and management intentions and goals that you know you will follow through on!

Once you’ve gotten clear about your vision for the year ahead light an intention candle or meditate with your favorite crystals to really seal the deal! Create your own little ritual that feels good to you! Take a moment to intentionally make a promise to yourself to fulfill these goals and intentions!

Practice some self-care and drift off to dream land creatively visualizing the coming year! Creative visualization is an amazing tool (I share all about it in my 12 week program The Yoga Inspired Life) Creative visualization is a manifestation tool where you visualize what you want and experience the emotions or feelings you would have if it were your reality right now… we do this because like attracts like. This can then help you to put your goals and desires out into the Universe and start to feel motivated to achieve them.

Alright my friends, that’s all I’ve got for this year . I hope this blog post inspired you to bring a little more mindfulness into however you decide to celebrate the end of this decade. Wishing you a safe, mindful and lovely NYE!! LOVE YOU ALL!! See ya next year!