As the new year approaches, we often feel the pressure to make resolutions or finalize closures. This period brings a sense of completion: one year literally ends, another begins. It also signals that something in our lives may be ending or changing, and we find ourselves sitting with decisions and grappling with choices about what to surrender in order to move forward.
Making resolutions and attempting to stick to them at the start of a new year can feel overwhelming or too demanding. Change requires accountability and a willingness to release resistance. As we transition from the energies of 2024 into 2025, we may feel uncertain or hesitant. As I highlighted in my most recent blog: https://www.customdesignedwellness.com/post/we-are-all-unicorns 2024—an 8 year in numerology—was bold, big, chaotic, and outwardly focused. It was a year of building and creating, often requiring us to break something down to pave the way for the new. In contrast, 2025, a 9 year, invites introspection. It asks us to take responsibility for our actions and consider how they affect the collective. The shift moves us from "me" to "we," from outward expansion to inward exploration. On the cusp of the new year, let’s frame this time as an opportunity for evolution rather than resolution.
Why Evolution?
By definition, resolution means to “focus on the intent or desired outcome,” often conveying an “all-or-nothing” mindset. Resolutions are results-oriented and may not acknowledge the small steps and successes along the way. In contrast, evolution is “a gradual, consistent change over time,” celebrating the journey as much as the destination. It prioritizes progress over perfection.
I know I might sound like a broken record when pointing out ideas that connect to yoga, but I truly enjoy linking the practice I love and teach to the themes I bring forward in my writing or client work. Do I intend to connect yoga to everything? No, but it often does, and when it does, I can’t help but highlight it—it makes me smile. The concept of evolution versus resolution is one such connection I didn’t initially anticipate. In yoga, we embrace the journey more than the destination, understanding it as a practice that asks little of us in terms of perfection. As Jason Crandell beautifully says, “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.” Curiosity itself is a form of evolution, encouraging us to enjoy the process of discovery over time.
Shifting away from traditional resolution-setting won’t entirely diffuse the pressure to create goals, but approaching change as an evolution might. Some of us may not yet have clarity about what to release, embrace, shift, or adjust. Why not experiment? Try on choices for size. Notice how our energy responds: does one path feel lighter or freer? Embodying each option for a day or an afternoon can offer valuable insight. This multidimensional approach helps us tune into intuition and physical responses, providing guidance on what feels authentic. Evolution allows us time to practice new ideas before fully embracing them.
Closing the Year with Acceptance
The end of the year invites us to take stock. This inventory may highlight vulnerabilities and insecurities, introducing us to parts of ourselves we’ve tried to ignore. This raw work serves as a gateway to deeper self-love and acceptance. True self-acceptance involves embracing aspects of ourselves we’ve rejected or deemed unworthy. These are the areas most in need of love and acknowledgment as we step into a new year.
Integrating these previously abandoned parts fosters wholeness and authenticity. The Capricorn New Moon on December 30th—today—ushers in new beginnings. Coming so close to the energies of 2025, it invites self-respect and integrity. It’s a moment to reflect on challenges and set meaningful intentions for the future. We are called to ask: What do we want to build? What aligns with our soul’s purpose? Do our goals reflect the people we are becoming? This period invites self-reflection and growth, encouraging us to master habits, patterns, and thought processes. By noticing our inner workings, we can shift toward a more grounded, empowered state amidst life’s complexities. This self-awareness enables us to trust our feelings and make decisions aligned with our higher selves.
Forgiveness and Detachment
A key spiritual lesson during this time is the evolution of forgiveness. Forgiveness begins with accepting ourselves and then extends to others. Acknowledging what has happened, who people are, and where they are on their journeys lays the foundation for forgiveness. Similarly, self-forgiveness requires us to accept our actions, take responsibility, and continue forward.
Detachment plays a vital role in this process. It doesn’t mean indifference, and forgiveness doesn’t indicate weakness. Both concepts teach us to release the need to save or fix others and to move on from personal stories that no longer serve us. When we focus on our healing, we honor the healing paths of others, creating space for everyone to find peace and neutrality.
Embracing a New Chapter
In my yoga classes this past weekend, I invited students to consider this time—leaving one year, beginning another, and experiencing a New Moon. These energies encourage us to take inventory of what no longer serves us mentally, energetically, and physically. It’s a time to release with love, seal the gaps with gratitude, and prepare our energetic soil with fresh nutrients and intentions.
As this year ends, we may notice how much we’ve shifted, cleared, and grown. The New Moon offers a powerful moment to solidify this transformation. Grounding ourselves in self-love, integrity, and ambition, we can step boldly into the future with renewed clarity and purpose. With our boundaries intact and energy aligned, we are ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges of the year ahead.
Deepening Our Journey Through the Chakras
The new year is a time to reflect on all we’ve learned and explored. For some, this process of self-reflection, self-care, and self-mastery comes naturally and feels enjoyable. For others, it can feel overwhelming or even painful. And for some, it might seem unnecessary or like a waste of time. Delving deeply into our internal energetics requires courage, practice, and guidance.
Guidance comes in many forms, but one of the most transformative tools we have is the chakra system. Our chakras are like a personalized instruction manual, offering insights into our inner and outer energetics. Understanding how these energetic wheels turn helps us navigate life more effectively. They reveal limiting beliefs, hidden habits, and wounds that require healing. When we prioritize self-healing and self-understanding, we place greater value on our growth than ever before.
The astrological and numerological influences of 2025—beginning with the Capricorn New Moon—set the stage for a year focused on self-reflection, inner work, and personal accountability. The key lesson for 2025—and for any year—is this: when we do our own inner work and shine our unique light, we empower and inspire others to embark on their own transformative journeys.
It would be my honor—and truly my calling—to support you in your energetic wellness journey toward self-awareness, discovery, and acceptance. Through my business, I offer 1:1 client work, niche group sessions, workshops, while maintaining a regular yoga class schedule. Over the past eight years, I’ve often woven lessons on the chakras into my yoga teaching, but this year, I am beyond excited to offer a dedicated series at Reach Yoga!
Starting January 9th and running through February 27th, I’ll be leading a Chakra Yoga series every Thursday from 4:30 to 5:30 PM. Each week, we’ll explore a specific chakra through teachings, mudras, and more, accompanied by carefully designed sequences and curated playlists I have created to help integrate this ancient system into your body, mind, and soul. You can come for the entire series or drop in for sessions that spark your curiosity. Visit Reach Yoga for more details.
Let this year be one of curiosity, evolution, and growth, aligned with our higher selves and vast inner potential. By giving ourselves what we need, we create a meaningful path forward rooted in self-love, acceptance, and purpose.
I am wishing you a joyous New Moon and a happy, healthy New Year! I am deeply grateful for every class you’ve attended, every Reiki and wellness session you’ve experienced, every blog and newsletter you’ve read, and every podcast episode you’ve enjoyed. Your support humbles and inspires me. Thank you, namaste, and let’s make 2025 extraordinary!
xo Lauri
©Lauri Stern - Custom Designed Wellness
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