Hello new year, we are hereeee!

We are here and ready to bless these new beginnings, to reframe our obstacles as opportunities, and to welcome this year feeling soulful, strong and steady.

Are you with me?

Great, because I’d love for you to meet Ganesha, one of my favorite Hindu deities.

Ganesha is a well-loved, highly revered, elephant-headed deity that’s called upon for various reasons, but most notably to be the remover of obstacles and to bless new beginnings.

Related: Celebrate your new beginnings + all your hard work with a full body vinyasa yoga flow!

I first learned about Ganesha & the Hindu pantheon through my 300HR YTT with Ashley Turner, and it was through this training that I came to love and lean on Ganesha’s myth and teachings.

(so much so that I have a statue of him in my office always staring back at me!)

Ganesha is known to be clever, wise, skillful, patient, supportive and steady. He’s associated with the muladhara (root) chakra which represents initiatory energy, or the same energy we’re currently experiencing (hello new year).

Because of the above, it’s especially favorable for us for us to call upon him & what he stands for as we enter into the new year.

The new year brings a lot of excitement, angst and uncertainty, and as holistic yoga students, we want to welcome all of this while staying grounded, strong and steady (just like Ganesha would).

To help us do this, I’ve got two new YouTube classes that center on Ganesha & these teachings. I recommend starting with the asana class and following it up with the pranayama & mantra practice.

Related: Set your intentions on the mat with a goal setting power yoga flow using the chakra system!

After either of these practices, I recommend taking time to journal about the below questions:

🐘 What do you want to begin this year? What ideas, projects, goals or dreams are at the initiatory phase? How are you feeling about these new beginnings?

🐘 Name 1-3 obstacles you’re facing, then brainstorm how you can shift your attitude or perspective towards them? If Ganesha was speaking through you, what wisdom would you hear with those big, receptive ears?

🐘 What do you need to feel steady & strong so you can start the new thing or reframe a current obstacle as an opportunity? What practices are most supportive?

I hope these two holistic practices combined with the journaling questions provide the supportive energy you need in the new year.

May we all have a blessed new year 🙏

I’ll meet ya on the mat to keep practicing holistically,

Allie, xx