1. Unplugging – Modern technology, as wonderful as it can be, has taken all the breathing room out of our lives. The natural pauses we used to have built into our day – walking to work, waiting for the kettle to boil, standing on an elevator – are now filled with texting, cell convos, and checking email. Try reclaiming some space by observing an unplugged period daily (no looking at your smartphone, computer, or TV)…perhaps an hour first thing in the morning or right before bedtime. Another idea is to unplug for a whole day every week. Sundays can be a great day for this. Energy cultivated: PEACE

2. Appreciation List – Resolutions often focus on all the stuff you don’t have. How about waking up to the awesomeness of what you already do have? Try making a list each day of 10-20 things you are appreciative from the day past or to come (ie. the nice man who held the door open for me, being able to pay my bills on time, the YouTube video that made my laugh-cry, living in a democratic country, seeing a brilliant red cardinal, dinner with my best friend tonight). Just be sure to focus on very specific current things to keep the practice fresh. The powerful thing about a gratitude list is that you start noticing the gifts in your day as opposed to just obsessing over the crappy parts. And, as they say, what you focus on in life expands. Energy cultivated: ABUNDANCE

3. Morning Stretch – We spend so much of our lives in our heads that sometimes we forget we even have a body! Even just one minute of stretching every morning when you get up can get you so much more in tune with your precious body, which often leads to better choices for it throughout the day. A few rounds of raising your arms above your head and folding over towards your toes will open up your physicality and help you approach the day in a much more relaxed, expansive, and powerful way. Energy cultivated: VITALITY

4. Daily Service – Sometimes the best way to shift the energy in your life is to help shift the energy in somebody else’s. Try taking one small action each day to be of service (ie. phoning an elderly aunt or uncle who would be delighted to hear from you, signing an online petition, smiling at people you pass on the street, spending some extra time playing with your human or fur kids). To stay accountable to this practice, write down at the beginning of the day how you plan to be of service or record at the end of the day the service action you took. As Anne Frank said:  “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world.” Energy cultivated: GENEROSITY

5. Laugh Break – Laughter elevates our mood, increases our stamina, fights illness, and reduces food cravings. In other words, instead of a dieting resolution, how about finding a way to LAUGH daily? You could resolve to set aside 5 minutes a day to watch funny YouTube videos, tell your co-workers a daily corny joke (and ask them to return the favour), or get a close someone to tickle you every morning…tee-hee. You know, we used to laugh 100 times more as kids than we do as adults… Let’s resolve to change that. Energy cultivated: JOY

6. Meditation – Daily meditation is soul resolution I’ve recently made that’s been really powerful for me. It can help shed anxiety and be more alive and relaxed in the life you’re living. If you’re just beginning, guided meditations are a great option. I love author/Buddhist teacher Tara Brach’s simple but soulful (and FREE) guided meditations. There are also a host of an online meditation apps including: Headspace, Stop, Breathe, and Think, and Calm and they’ve all got free starter programs. Or you could just try sitting for a few minutes and silently repeat the mantra “letting go” with your out-breath. Meditation can be really hard when you’re starting, but if you’re willing to be with the discomfort, the benefits are so worth it. Energy cultivated: PRESENCE

7. Daily Dance Break – Choose a song a day to shape your energy. Feeling stressed or low? Put on an intense song and literally shake off the overwhelm, frustration, or blues. Think of the emotional heaviness as something tangible and stomp, jump, punch, shake, and move through it until you’ve broken out of the energy that’s been keeping you stuck. If you have nothing to shed, choose an expansive or energizing song and dance in the energy of a quality you’d like more of in your life (ie. love, power, playfulness, grace, joy, sensuality). Energy cultivated: FREEDOM (or change it up each time!)