a great moment

It's Samantha in your inbox today, and somehow we are already in the SECOND week of 2025.

I'm not going to ask your New Year's Resolutions, partly because you've probably been asked a dozen times, but also because I didn't actually think of any for myself.

I don't know about you, but I haven't managed to find that same energy and buzz that usually comes at the start of the new year.

So if you are ALSO feeling a bit worn out from December (and 2024 in general)...

If you are still craving REST and have spent more time watching Gilmore Girls than enjoying the sun lately (or maybe that's just me)...

I just want to remind you, that is totally okay. 

It's okay NOT to start the new year with a bang. 

To move slowly. To listen to what your body needs. 

To focus on taking things day-by-day, rather than thinking of all 365 days looming ahead. 

IN FACT, we can find so much beauty (and practice yoga ) simply by paying attention to the present moment.

I recently read a beautiful poem by Kelsey Haywood Lucas on this topic.

In it, she writes:

"I'm not striving for a great year. Give me a great day; no, give me a great moment...

I just want to be where I am, to feel my feet firmly rooted to the floor where I stand and survey the absolute gift of what's happening right in front of my face."

Rather than focusing on the year ahead, I am trying to savour the everyday moments that bring me joy.

And so Jenny, I'll share my list with you – not my New Year's Resolutions, but a collection of moments that have made me smile recently.

Moments that might have otherwise slipped past unnoticed but felt like glimmers of  magic  simply because of the awareness I had as I was experiencing them. 

The lorikeets and crickets harmonise outside my window as the sun sets. 

The sunlight beaming through the gaps in my curtains, casting its golden glow on my family. 

 The delicious feeling of stretching my body first thing in the morning or after savasana in a yoga class.

The way my baby's eyes crinkle as he laughs.

The Gilmore Girls theme song (it's so nostalgic!)

The first sip of iced coffee on a hot day.

And please, reply to this email and share your list! We LOVE hearing about the things that bring you joy – the everyday moments that make you truly appreciate yourself and your world and all the beauty it contains. 

This all reminds me of another quote by my absolute favourite poet, Mary Oliver:

"Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it."

I might not have any particular goals to tick off my yearly to-do list, but I guess I could say this is an intention I am trying to live by. To pay attention. To open myself up to experiencing awe and astonishment.

And to share these moments, like I am now. And like I hope you do, too!

With love, 

Samantha

P.S. Castle Hill Community, we have a sharing circle to meet up and give some in-person love this weekend. 4pm at Heritage Park. You can RSVP on the Facebook event here.

P.P.S. Love poetry and moving slowly and talking about philosophy in a group setting? Yin Yoga & Meditation teacher training begins in THREE WEEKS! You don't have to be a yoga teacher to join us either, every Friday night for 3 hours, starting February 7th. Learn more here.