‘New year, new you' is a hamster wheel. Here's the REAL invitation for 2026…

I’ve been reflecting on what this new year brings up for me - not in terms of resolutions, but in terms of how I want to feel.

The heart of yoga offers this timeless Truth: through regular practice - asana, breath, stillness - we cultivate mental and emotional balance. Of course, yoga supports physical balance as well, but for me, the most precious result of committing to the practice is fostering (and nurturing) one of the most elusive states of being I can think of in this modern life: Ease.

Cultivating ease is not simple. With so much happening in the world around us - and in our own lives - it can feel nearly impossible to stay grounded and steady. Stress, grief, uncertainty, and overwhelm are real, and they don’t disappear when we step onto the mat.

This practice isn’t about bypassing hard feelings or pretending life is without challenges; it’s about providing ourselves with a safe space to turn toward - even when life is good, and especially when life is difficult.

Heading into the new year, Breathing Room Collective remains devoted to this same philosophy.

Every January, we’re inundated with messaging that is literally designed to keep us feeling stuck - wading in circles through anxiety, perceived imperfection, lack, and self-loathing. “New year, new you!” invites us to begin the year already convinced that we haven’t been enough, that we need fixing.

The real invitation this year?

Breathe.
Long, slow inhales.
Long, slow exhales.

Ask.
With genuine curiosity, ask yourself... How do I feel?
Then ask again... How do I want to feel?

Cultivate.
Seek what regulates your overwhelmed nervous system.
Sink deeper into anything that brings you ease in body, mind, and spirit.
Let go of anything that doesn't.

Practice.
Just you, connecting breath to movement.
So simple.

XO
Tess