New Year’s Day has a way of making us look ahead.

We think about goals, intentions, resolutions. We imagine who we might become twelve months from now. But today, I want to invite a different reflection. One that may feel a little uncomfortable at first, yet deeply clarifying.

Every year.
Every month.
Every day.

We are one day closer to the moment when this body, as we know it, will no longer be here.

That thought can land as unsettling. Or it can land as awakening.

When judgment creeps into my mind, when I catch myself sensing irritation, or self-doubt, I sometimes pause and remember: I am one minute, one hour, one day closer to the end of this physical chapter.

And then I ask myself quietly:
Does this truly matter?

I think about my death daily. Not with fear. Not as something dark. But as a practice of surrender and awareness. This practice is leading me to see that what looks like a 'death', is more of a transformation or transition of form.

Holding this awareness doesn’t shrink my life. It expands it. It sharpens what matters. It softens what doesn’t. It brings me back to how precious this time really is.

This awareness can create dread…
or it can invite us to live more fully awake.

Why This Matters at the Start of a New Year

The New Year often comes with pressure to do more, be more, fix more.

But when we remember that time is not endless, the question shifts.
It’s no longer What should I achieve this year?
It becomes How do I want to live today?

And that’s where intention becomes more powerful than resolution.

Intentions aren’t about perfection. They’re about presence. They invite us to meet each moment with care, honesty, and attention. When we live with an awareness of impermanence, we naturally become more mindful of how we spend our energy, our words, and our time.

Just Take Two Steps

So how do we live this awareness without becoming overwhelmed?

We start small. Very small.

This is why I keep returning to the simplest invitation I know:
Just take two steps.

Two steps onto your yoga mat.
Two steps into breath.
Two steps into showing up exactly as you are.

Those two steps are not insignificant. They are an act of remembering. When you step onto your mat, you step into your body. When you step into your breath, you step into the present moment. And presence is where life is actually happening.

Your intention, your goal, your New Year’s resolution will serve you far better when it’s rooted in awareness, not pressure. When it’s born from the understanding that this life is precious, fleeting, and worthy of our full attention.

Yoga as a Practice of Remembering

Yoga quietly teaches us about impermanence every time we practice.

A sensation arises.
It changes.
It fades.

A breath begins.
It ends.

Nothing stays exactly the same, and that’s not a problem to fix. It’s the lesson.

When we practice with this awareness, yoga becomes less about performance and more about presence. Less about achievement and more about relationship: with our bodies, our breath, and our lives.

A New Year Invitation

As you move into this new year, I invite you to hold this gently:

Let the awareness of impermanence not weigh you down, but wake you up.
Let it soften what doesn’t matter and illuminate what does.
Let it guide you back to the simple, powerful choice to show up.

One breath.
Two steps.
One day closer — not just to the end, but to life itself.