Begin Again: The Power of Starting Fresh
There’s something about September. Even if you’ve been out of school for decades, it still carries that quiet “new year” energy. The sharpened pencils, the fresh notebooks, the sense that something is resetting.
Maybe it’s the crispness in the air, maybe it’s the tilt of the earth toward autumn - but September whispers: you get to start again, what a gift that is!
The Breath Knows This Truth
In yoga, the breath is our first teacher of renewal. Śvāsāprśvāsa - the inhale and exhale - offers a built-in reset button.
Every inhale is a beginning.
Every exhale is a release.
And every cycle says: start fresh, start fresh, start fresh.
It doesn’t matter how distracted your last breath was. The next one is always waiting, patient and new.
Falling Off, Getting Back On
Let’s be honest: most of us “fall off” something regularly. Our yoga practice, our sleep schedule, our best intentions around food, the bandwagon, screen time, meditation - you name it.
The mind loves to shame us for this. “You’re behind.” “You ruined it.” “Why bother now?” bla bla bla
But yoga flips the script. You are never behind. You are always exactly where you are. And from here - you can begin again.
One sun salutation after a summer away still counts.
One mindful breath at your desk still counts.
One kind word after an argument still counts.
Everyday Resets
In the middle of an overwhelming workday: pause for three breaths. Begin again.
After snapping at someone you love: soften, apologise. Begin again.
When your body feels tight and stiff: unroll the mat, move gently. Begin again.
The reset doesn’t erase what came before - it just reminds you that you don’t have to stay stuck there.
The Power of Permission
Maybe the real yoga is permission: permission to wobble, wander, lose track - and then to return.
Because every time we begin again, we strengthen the muscle of resilience. We remember that renewal is not a once-a-year event. It’s a daily practice. A breath-by-breath practice.
Listen: Three Little Birds” – Bob Marley
Read: Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better” – Pema Chödrön
So here’s your September invitation:
Put down the guilt, the “shoulds,” the “I’ll start Monday.”
Take a breath.
Begin again.
And again.
And again.
We’ll be right here doing the same.