A DIFFERENT WAY TO BEGIN THE NEW YEAR (WITHOUT REINVENTING YOURSELF)
- Helen RootsandReeds
- Dec 28, 2025
- 4 min read
As the New Year approaches, there’s often a familiar pressure in the air.
New year, new you. New routines. Big goals. More effort.
Gym memberships, strict plans, and the idea that January is the moment to completely reset your life.
For some people, that energy feels motivating. For others, it feels exhausting before the year has even properly begun.
My approach is a little different.
Rather than seeing January as a time for big change, I see it as part of winter — a season that still asks for rest, steadiness, and care. More meaningful change, for me, arrives later, around Imbolc and the Spring Equinox when light, energy, and growth begin to return to the world.
That doesn’t mean January has nothing to offer. It just means it doesn’t have to be about pushing harder.
JANUARY ISN'T A FAILIURE IF YOU'RE STILL TIRED
Winter is still very much here in January. The nights are long, the mornings are dark, and many people are carrying fatigue from the end of the year.
When we try to force big changes during this time, it can feel like swimming against the current. Motivation is inconsistent, energy is low, and routines that look good on paper are hard to sustain.
Instead of treating January as a dramatic reset, it can be more supportive to see it as a gentle clearing — a chance to make small adjustments that help you feel a little more settled and resourced.
SMALL, GROUNDED WAYS TO RESET AT THE START OF THE YEAR
If you like the idea of marking the New Year without overhauling your life, here are some simple, realistic ways to do that.
1. LET FRESH AIR IN
On New Year’s Day (or any day that feels right), open the windows, even briefly. Let stale air move out and fresh air move through your space. It’s a small act, but it can help signal a shift without demanding anything from you.
TIDY & REORGANISE
This isn’t about deep cleaning or decluttering everything you own. It might simply be:
Finding a proper home for Christmas gifts
Clearing one surface
Putting away decorations when you’re ready
Small order can create a sense of calm.
3. RETURN TO FAMILIAR ROUTINES
Rather than starting something brand new and demanding, consider returning to what already supports you:
Regular mealtimes
Going to bed at a consistent time
Gentle movement you enjoy
This is often more sustainable than building a completely new routine from scratch.
4. MAKE ONE SMALL CHANGE
If you’re craving a sense of renewal, choose one thing:
A short daily walk
Five minutes of stretching
A simple breathing practice in the evening
Change doesn’t have to be dramatic to be effective.
5. LOWER THE BAR
Perhaps the most important reset is letting go of the idea that January has to look a certain way. Resting, moving slowly, and conserving energy are not signs you’re doing the New Year the wrong way.
WHEN THE BIGGER SHIFT COMES
For me, the energy for bigger changes arrives later.
Around Imbolc (early February) and into the Spring Equinox, the days begin to lengthen, light increases, and the natural world starts to stir. That’s when I feel more able to grow, expand, and try new things.
Honouring the seasons in this way allows change to come from a place of support rather than pressure.
PRACTICES TO SUPPORT YOU THIS TIME OF YEAR
This slower approach is reflected in the practices I offer at Roots & Reeds in Burton-on-Trent:
Gentle yoga, yin, and restorative yoga to support rest and nervous system regulation
Breathwork and meditation to help you settle rather than strive
Sound baths and Reiki for grounding and deep relaxation
These practices aren’t about fixing yourself. They’re about creating space to reconnect and feel more steady.
WAYS TO JOIN ME THIS WINTER & EARLY SPRING
If this approach to the New Year resonates, here are some upcoming ways to take part:
NEW YEAR'S DAY RESET
1 January, 4pm - online
30 minutes of gentle yoga followed by a guided meditation — a calm way to mark the start of the year.
EASE INTO THE NEW YEAR
18 January, 3pm at Breedon Priory
Yin yoga, breathwork and sound bath to help you ease into the New Year.
EMBRACE THE SEASONS
7 February, 4.30pm at Knights Health & Fitness
An Imbolc celebration as part of Embrace the Season, returning in 2026 after a very popular run in 2025.
SELF-LOVE SLOWDOWN
15 February, 3pm at Breedon Priory
Give yourself something even better than chocolates this Valentine's: restorative yoga, yoga nidra and a sound bath.
And if you’d like to wait until your energy naturally begins to rise:
15 March, 1-5pm at The Gasworks, Sudbury
A half-day Spring Equinox retreat, designed to help you step into spring with clarity, nourishment, and steadiness — supporting change when the time feels right
A NEW YEAR THAT WORKS FOR YOU
You don’t need to reinvent yourself in January.
You can begin the year by resting, clearing gently, and tending to what’s already there. Bigger growth can come later — when the light returns and your energy does too.
If you’d like support moving through this season in a calmer, more grounded way, you’re very welcome to explore my classes, workshops, and retreats here in and near Burton-on-Trent, or online.
Winter still has something to offer. You don’t have to rush past it.
Helen
Helen is the founder of Roots & Reeds - Yoga and Wellness. She is a yoga teacher, breath coach and wellbeing practitioner based in Burton and Derbyshire. She specialises in restorative practices that soothe the nervous system and support people in slowing, reconnecting and finding calm in everyday life. Through yoga, breathwork, meditation, Reiki and sound, she helps people build grounded, sustainable wellbeing that feels accessible and real.
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