A New Year begins when we decide to make a change.

Atha Yoganusasanam

And Now Yoga

So here we are in now 2020, somebody somewhere told us the year, that there are 12 months in one year and 24 hours in one day.  It seems at this stage people begin to make lists of all the things they would like to change for a new year.  Swami Chinmayananda explains beautifully that only when we as a human being make a choice for a change - a dedication for a change for a better self then a new year will begin.  Why wait for a number - this can happen at any moment throughout your day, month, year - life time - when the time is right make a conscious choice to change from a less meaningful way of life to a meaningful way of life.  And this means taking care of yourself in the right ways, of evolving away from materialism and moving toward knowledge - that you are not this body, this mind, these thoughts, and to reconnect with supreme satisfaction and contentment.  As one moment dies a new moment is born, in death of one thing there is life.  Where there is opportunity for the individual soul to merge with the whole universal spirit.

The great sage and compiler of the Yoga Sutras starts with the first thread - Atha Yoganusasanam - meaning and now you are ready - you have come to this point and now you are ready to make an integral change within you.  To come to start your journey working towards awakening through Sadhana - spiritual practice and Sadhana leads to knowledge and ultimate freedom.  To start to look within to nurture and clean internally, to maintain your inner landscape to begin to find the stupendous capabilities that you hold within you.  Or as Sadhguru says to engineer inwardly, to scientifically observe and analyse ourselves.  To put an end to a meaningless search and begin with a meaningful one, or to stop the searching all together and let things unfold in the 'way.'  To put an end to paddling up stream with a struggle and a beginning to surrendering to the flow of the water and allowing it to take you without effort.  To live a more creative life full of vitality and intrigue, a magical lust for the beauty of every leaf of every tree you pass on every day, for every bird and every ant that crosses your path, for a pure joy of all aspects of life.

Take a simple step forward to a profound way of life - creating your own sense of happiness and fulfillment and in doing so you will also be creating the same for others.  By helping yourself alone - you will become more and more proficient in helping others.

Only you can choose to start a new year only you, nobody or anything else can do it for you - no higher consciousness will do it for you - only you.  As Swami Chinmayananda says 'The day you decide to make that choice to live a higher life, that will be the new years day, it need not be January 1st, any day can be January 1st, new years day is the day that you decide to change yourself.'

So when you are ready if you haven't already done so - make it a new year - a beautiful new year.

AUM Shanti Shanti Shanti

Mangala / nicky