Let's Talk About New Year's Resolutions (The Real Story)

It's January 1st, and somewhere right now, someone is promising themselves this will be the year everything changes. The year they finally stick to that morning routine, lose those last pounds, or show up to yoga class three times a week without fail.

I'm not here to tell you that's wrong. But I am here to tell you the truth about why most resolutions don't make it past February—and what to do instead.

The Problem Isn't You

Here's what we're rarely told about New Year's resolutions: they're designed to fail.

Not because you lack willpower or discipline, but because they're usually built on a shaky foundation. We set big, sweeping goals based on who we think we should be, rather than meeting ourselves exactly where we are. We promise ourselves we'll suddenly become morning people, gym enthusiasts, or meditation masters—overnight, on January 1st, as if the flip of a calendar page rewires our nervous system.

But our bodies don't work that way. Our minds don't work that way. And honestly, sustainable change doesn't work that way either.

The resolutions that crumble aren't the ones that are too ambitious. They're the ones that forget to account for something crucial: you're a human being with a nervous system that craves safety, a body that needs rest, and a life that includes hard days, unexpected setbacks, and moments when showing up looks completely different than you imagined.

What You Actually Need

Real change doesn't happen in the drama of January 1st. It happens in the quiet repetition of February 12th. It happens when you roll out your mat even though you're tired, and you do a gentler practice than planned. It happens when you listen to your body instead of forcing it into compliance.

You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need iron willpower. You don't even need to have it all figured out.

What you need is someone in your corner who understands that healing isn't linear, that progress looks different for everyone, and that some days, simply breathing with intention is enough.

I'm Here with You Every Step of the Way

Here's what I want you to know as we step into this new year: you don't have to transform overnight. You don't have to be perfect, or even particularly disciplined.

What matters is that you're not doing this alone.

I'm here with you—not just on January 1st when motivation is high and everything feels possible, but on January 23rd when it's raining and your back hurts and getting out of bed feels like enough of an accomplishment. I'm here on March 8th when you've missed a week of practice and the voice in your head is telling you you've already failed. I'm here on July 15th when you're rediscovering what consistency actually means for you, not what some fitness influencer says it should look like.

This is what SAAL Yoga is built on—not pushing through pain, not forcing your body into shapes it's not ready for, but meeting you exactly where you are and helping you build from there. With modifications that honor your needs. With practices grounded in medical science and deep respect for what your body is telling you. With someone who won't judge you for being human, for having setbacks, for needing to rest or modify or start over.

Because this isn't about perfection. It's about presence.

It's about showing up for yourself with the same kindness you'd offer a good friend. It's about building something sustainable, not because you've mastered willpower, but because the practice itself becomes a place of refuge rather than another thing on your to-do list.

The Practices That Actually Stick

The practices that last are the ones that make room for being human. They're flexible enough to bend when life demands it. They're rooted in self-compassion, not self-criticism. And they start small—so small that your nervous system doesn't sound the alarm bells of "this is too much, abort mission."

If you want to build a yoga practice that lasts, don't ask yourself, "What's the most I can do?" Ask yourself, "What's the smallest version of this I can commit to, even on my hardest days?"

Maybe that's five minutes of breathwork. Maybe it's one pose that feels good in your body. Maybe it's simply sitting on your mat and acknowledging that you showed up, even when everything in you wanted to stay in bed.

All of that counts. All of that matters. All of that is building toward something real.

Begin Where You Are

So if you're reading this on New Year's Day with big hopes and a long list of resolutions, I'm not going to tell you to abandon them. But I will invite you to soften around them. To release the expectation that change happens all at once. To remember that the body heals in layers, that the nervous system needs time to feel safe, and that real transformation is built in the small, unglamorous moments of simply choosing to begin again.

You don't need a dramatic overhaul. You need a sustainable practice. You need tools that work with your body, not against it. You need someone who sees you—really sees you—on the good days and the hard days and every day in between.

That's what I'm here for.

Let's build something real this year. Not perfect—real. Not rigid—sustainable. Not punishing—nourishing.

Welcome to the practice. I'm walking beside you.

P.S., Look out for a special email arriving in your inbox at 11AM on New Year’s Day (Secret: it’s a special discount to kickstart your 2026)

P.P.S, Ready to begin? Start with a 1:1 call with me and let's create a practice that honors exactly where you are today.