by Mary | Dec 15, 2022 | retreats
‘Tis the season to start thinking about our grand self-improvement plans for 2023, right? It’s right around this time of year, when we’re eating too many Christmas cookies, spending too much money, and just generally feeling overstressed and under-rested, that we begin to craft the resolutions that we vow to begin on January 1 and continue through the coming year. But, as we all know, that’s a fool’s errand. If we’re being honest, we often make the EXACT SAME RESOLUTION every single year. Because resolutions aren’t effective. They don’t work, and, more often than not, they usually just make us feel bad about ourselves and our ability to stick with our promise to . (Name your poison: eat healthier, exercise more, drink less, put down our phone, etc.)
Does that mean we should just give up the whole idea of transformation? No. But it does mean we have to rethink what we’re really looking for when we make a resolution that goes only skin deep and doesn’t get to the stuff underneath that usually creates the need for a resolution in the first place. Enter my annual rallying cry: ReVolution Not Resolution! You do not need to make resolutions. In fact, I challenge you to go against the grain and refuse to make any resolution whatsoever. Instead, promise yourself that you’re going to do something more meaningful and more lasting, something that helps you blossom into the Self you were created to be. The journey of inner transformation is the only real way to make the “progress” we seek in our spiritual lives and in our lives in general.
To that end, I’ll be offering an evening retreat — both in-person and online — for those who would like to take up this exciting and fulfilling challenge. We will talk about all the ways we block our own path when it comes to making our daily lives more peaceful and joyful and learn some practical exercises for clearing away the obstacles and moving forward. You can’t fail at this plan. If you don’t do what you set out to do, you just begin again right where you are. No resolution broken, no plan to abandon until another New Year’s Eve rolls around.
Hosted by Christ the King Retreat House in Syracuse and available to anyone in any region via Zoom, this workshop will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Two weeks after the event, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 6:30 p.m., we will hold an hourlong Zoom follow-up session for all participants so we can check in, share progress or challenges, and just generally support each other in our efforts to keep on keeping on.
If you’d like to read more about this approach to starting the new year off right, you can head over HERE to read a previous post on this favorite topic of mine. If you’d like more info on the retreat or the registration link, click HERE to go to the CTK website.
Click HERE to read a recent story on my upcoming retreat in the latest issue of The Catholic Sun.
Photo by SOULSANA on Unsplash.
by Mary | Sep 23, 2022
Kick off 2023 with a plan for an inner revolution, not an outer resolution! We are not looking to drop pounds or start a new exercise routine. We are looking to go much deeper than that, to a place where we can dig into the fertile soil of our soul, a place where there are ideas and experiences and adventures trying to poke through the surface and blossom into the life we deserve, the life we’ve been dreaming of. Stop counting calories and counting steps and counting sheep, and start breathing deep, sitting still, looking inward, reaching outward, living life with attention and intention. This evening workshop will include a presentation filled with humor, inspiration, and practical exercises both in-session and to take home with you. It will also include a two-week Zoom follow-up program for those who would like some additional accountability and community. Offering: $30 includes light refreshments.
Mary DeTurris Poust will facilitate this retreat. She is a writer, retreat leader, and spiritual director. She is the author of six books on Catholic spirituality and six books of seasonal reflections. Mary writes about the spiritual journey in her award-winning monthly column, Life Lines, and hosts a podcast by the same name. She and her husband, Dennis, have three children and live in New York’s Capital Region. Visit her website at www.NotStrictlySpiritual.com
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by Mary | Jan 3, 2022 | Cravings Tribe
Hello, my lovelies! Were you wondering if I had forgotten about you and our plan to start a reVolution not a resolution? There is a method to my madness. As I said from the get-go, this is not a resolution that you make and, once you break, you give up until the next year. No, no. This is a daily decision. And I wanted to wait until we were a few days into this new year — past all the potential, “This feels like a resolution,” questions. Plus, I like the idea of a Monday post to jumpstart our week as we go. So expect Mondays to be the day you’ll see some new Tribe-ReVolution posts going up.
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by Mary | Dec 16, 2021 | Yoga
Regular readers of this blog know that I am not a fan of the standard new year’s resolution approach to life. Losing 10 pounds, exercising more often, drinking less wine might be good for you in general, but hinging your new year and your future happiness on a transitory goal, a number on a scale, or an activity ring closed is not the roadmap to real joy. We tend to set ourselves up for failure and then beat ourselves up until we get to the next year and repeat the process all over again. Never fear! There is an antidote to the madness, and it’s something you can do right where you are: meditation and mindfulness.
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by Mary | Feb 1, 2021 | Cravings Tribe
Okay, so we skipped Week 4 here on the blog. I have to apologize. I was not taking my own advice and was allowing myself to sink into a bit of darkness and poor-me thinking. I couldn’t motivate myself to write or meditate or even do my personal yoga practice. None of that wallowing did me a bit of good, but you know how it is sometimes.
I think it’s important to share that with you if only to remind you that it’s okay if you stray off the path or pull into a rest stop for a few days. When you’re ready, dust yourself off and begin again. The only thing you should try to continue to do no matter what else is going on is your gratitude journal. But always, always continue to be kind and gentle with yourself no matter how this journey is going for you.
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