I’ve been reflecting on the festive season and would like to to share with you how I experienced recent Christmas. It felt very rich on the inside. For the first time, I wasn’t exhausted by the preparations, including the cooking that usually consumes two-three days before Christmas Eve, which we celebrate here in Poland. Each day, I woke up feeling energized and refreshed. During the family visits, I was truly happy to spend time with my mum, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children. For the most part I was present, in a state of acceptance, and joy.

Meeting with family often stirs up emotions in many of us. In the past, I believed it was their actions that caused my discomfort, thinking they were the ones who needed to change. Perhaps it sounds familiar to you? Now I know that whatever knocks me off my core shows me what needs to be embraced to build new circuits.

I did encounter those ‘not so liked’ moments during the Christmas days, but whenever my mind felt wobbly, I gave it attention and brought it back to the body. I noticed where I felt heat, tension or knots. I always directed myself into that feeling that I love to feel. To the caring love and the sense of okayness that everything is perfect just as it is.  I focused on the centre of my belly and the breath.

There was a particular moment when my mind felt completely puzzled by what had happened, and I couldn’t respond in a centred way straight away. Although it took me time to stabilize the mind, I didn’t judge myself for not being clear and relaxed in the moment. That was a significant step in my personal growth!

I’d like to invite you to reflect on your own experience of the festive season. Did you respond to situations differently compared to a year ago? Did you feel more at peace, or was it the opposite? Whatever arose for you was exactly what needed to happen at the time. Every insight you gain helps expand your consciousness—and, in turn, the consciousness of the world.

Celebrate the moments of change, and also the moments of rigidity and tightness. When you notice them without judgement, you create the opportunity to transform them.