Dear Friend,

Real Talk: January is not my favorite. I try every year to make friends, I really do.

Then inevitably I pick up a virus, can’t shake it for the life of me and then spend the entire month telling everyone person I see that I am never going to be well again. And coughing. THE COUGHING.

Sounds hyperbolic perhaps, but at some point early in every winter I am convinced I will never feel good again.

PS – I hate this part.

So I am hereby declaring:

Why am I telling you this?

Good question!

The first reason is to invite you to join me in January 2017 to just rest, hibernate and recover or staying well if you have managed to not pick up a virus.

Before you reject this idea because we’ve all been conditioned that January is the month to do! all !the! things! Please think about how you felt this January….

• Were you rested?
• Did you nourish yourself with food?
• Did you love your body through movement?
• Did you go to bed super early and wake up when it got light?
• Did you feel soothed and loved or were you frazzled and dry coughing like a wounded seal?

This is not to shame any of us if we were the later. This is to acknowledge that our culture tells us to resist nature -and millions of years of evolution- and we rush through the winter like crazy people despite there being evidence of nature telling us to slow down.

The other reason I am telling you is because I need to remind myself and ask for public accountability.

I declare MY January 2017 to be full of:

• excellent hand washing
• lots of napping
• 8+ hours every night of sleep
• restorative yoga at home
• endless cups of hot tea
• soup, soup, soup
• slow walking
• knit hats and warm socks
• reading books made of paper
• lots of screen-free time (esp at night)
• coloring books
• and so much quiet.

So again, consider this is an invitation to join me a year from now to enter the new year – the entire month of January – as one of complete rest.

Worried you’ll forget? No need, in December I will remind us all that January is a time of rest, restoration and recuperation.

So for I hereby declare:

I’d love to know what you think of my new January is month of rest and hibernation. I’d love to know how you were feeling this month. Be sure to leave a comment.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

xo,

Tami