The energy of this New Year is palpable. I had one of the most exuberant and truly powerful year transitions of my life. I went with 2 million other people to the shores of the mighty (and salty) Atlantic- Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro. I waited til the countdown- I love counting down. I like to do it lots of times throughout the day and night and following day. Then there were flaunty fireworks and en masse all dressed in white, we turned to our neighbors, wished them peace, tranquility, love (paz, tranquilidade, amor) and jumped seven waves, making wishes as we went. I jumped a lot more than seven. And following an elegant woman in a halter jumpsuit (Brazilians really work the one piece) and dangling jeweled earrings who dove all the way in, I went for it and submerged myself in the dark waters. It was so powerful to be alone and in this sea of people in white, all with the common positive intentions of bringing in the New Year open to what it may bring.

I love the group swell of devotion- lighting candles, sending out gladiolas and roses to the goddess of the ocean, Iemanja, and sending out boats full of goodies for her.

The truth is though, this opportunities to start anew are with us at every moment of every day. It is so wonderful to be swept up in the group energy of newness, but it is also wonderful to rest back into deep self-acceptance of who and how we actually are.

That is the ground of resolution. A dear friend sent me a list of her resolutions- here is a taste:

“Things I am leaving behind in 2011:
Talking about how tired I am
Complaining as a way of venting fatigue and stress
Obsessing over every project detail (and life detail, for that matter)
Making hasty decisions that conflict with my gut instincts due to fatigue or internal or external pressure”

This is just the beginning, we haven’t gotten to all the ways she IS going to be.
I felt tired and overwhelmed just reading this list. At the end she asked that her friends hold her accountable. I was like, “NO WAY.” The only thing I want to do is cradle her with a strong
dose of self-love and self-acceptance.

Why? Because ever since I have known her, she has been tired. She is a creative juggernaut, always actively involved in tons of projects, and now she is a single parent. Maybe she needs to talk about how tired she is, maybe she IS tired. I love her just as she is. And all those big changes, they might happen. I am open to her having more time, etc. But those have to be small lived choices, one at a time.

I notice that we are so quick to jump to everything we need to stop doing, based on a person who we want to be or who we think we should be, but not who we really are. Then the cycles of disappointment and shame begin, and nothing has even happened! Read here if you want more about metta as the basis for resolve.

This year, instead of resolutions, I decided to choose guide words. That way as life offers all the twists and turns and choices, I can come back to those words and see what direction most reflects those intentions.

Small words are also easier to post in places, since it is so easy to forget what we even resolved in the first place.

SHINE unapologetically
take a STAND up
pathways to SPIRIT feed her more

(how can i make it all more fun?) means how can i make everything i do more fun? music? lipstick? corny joke?

What about you? Any resolutions or guide words this year?

** Special contributors- Alex Forman for the photos and Naomi Ehrich for the shamanic guidance with the 2012 visioning.

Kimberly, Mel Vieira e Anita Camargo as três musas da capa da edição sobre o Divino Feminino do Yoga Journal Brasil. Cada uma fala sobre a sua visão da Beleza. Confira também os outros videos das entrevistas.

Como parte de sua participação na edição especial sobre o Divino Feminino da Yoga Journal Brasil, Kimberly realizou uma série de entrevistas para o site. Confira no video dicas para mulheres e homens sobre a conexão com a feminilidade.