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A calendar new year has just begun. We spend time and energy deciding how to celebrate and who to celebrate with and hopefully we have fun or find joy in whichever way we celebrate. As well we often set resolutions for the year with gusto but often we have not really taken the time to reflect on what would we really like do differently, and when does it make sense for us to make these changes. Every 12 months we go through the season changes, work reviews, budget planning, our children`s school year calendar or our own school year calendar, wedding anniversaries, moving anniversaries, possible passport renewals and we have birthdays. So where exactly does YOUR personal new year begin?
he sun sets on 2014 we look back on the year and forward to the new one. Besides the usual revelry, gatherings with family and friends,traveling and the making of resolutions to do things differently next year, this is the time of year for some rest and recuperation. In nature these colder, darker months are meant for the earth to rest. It becomes covered in a blanket of snow, or possibly more rain. Refilling natures water reserves. Many animals have completed their long migrations and are in their breeding grounds, some animals hibernate. The bulbs we have planted in our gardens are lying in wait. When they are rested and have gained enough energy, they will begin to show through the soil, in time to bloom when the days become longer. Springtime waking the animals so they can give birth and start anew. 
For those of you that know, I am a certified Louise Hay Practitioner. Louise started "You can HEAL your LIFE" and so much more. She is world renown and I would say the GURU of Self Affirmation and linking emotions to illness.
Affirmations help us overcome fears, change thinking habits and change the beliefs we have that limit us in our endeavours. These can be small or big. I used affirmations all day long when our Architect walked off our construction site almost three years ago, leaving us with nowhere to live, rain and snow coming into our house and a construction site riddled with errors.
One of the 3 principles of a Sophrology practice is to explore things with curiosity and wonder. Some exercises have us focus the curiosity on our body, experiencing our body for the first time. Other exercises have us explore and experience gravity for the first time, or our emotions.
The practice of curiosity, when we are in a meditative state, enables us to go deeper into our understanding of who we are and how we interact within our own mind; our bodies and how we relate these to the outside world. It also gives our mind and nervous system a REST from the stress of always being switched on - the opportunity for us to explore in a safe environment.
When I took this photograph along the Coogee to Bondi walk in Sydney Australia I was curious as to why someone put this sticker on this rail, at the particular place that it was. I was in a curiose mode as I observed the surfers out at sea along this particular coastline. Curious as to why someone would surf where sharks are known to frequent. We tried surfing a week earlier and when we were finished our lesson the shark sighting sign went up on the beach! That was likely the last time I will surf on Manly beach! So why are all these people out there, surfing in these waters? Is it the adrenal rush, do they think about the sharks? Or are the waves too perfect and the risk seemingly small? I then thought about what risks that I take in my life in order to enjoy the outdoors and engage my body - mind - spirit in challenging physical ventures.
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I had the pleasure to join some women last week on what I call a “back-to-rhythm” hike. It was a group of moms that I know through various friends and it was a quick little jaunt up and down La Dôle. A morning out to signal to our mind and body that the school year had begun again and it was time for us moms to get back to more of a rhythm.This group was of course a group of expat women, some have been here for a long time, others not so long. We managed to cover many topics, and several in depth, as one does when you live this sort of transient life. We were quick to get to the good stuff in a conversation rather than stay on the surface. In this lifestyle we are never certain how long our friends will be living in the area so we make the most of every conversation.
GIVING BACK TO MY COMMUNITY
trulyBalance supports ESCA at the 2014 Dragon Boat Races
