It feels strange to use the word “autumn” when it’s still 35 degrees celcius in Dubai, in a year that has gone by faster than any other but where it also feels like we are forever stuck in mid-March where our plans, hopes and aspirations for this year got turned upside down.

But, here we are, October 2020, a new season ahead of us with shorter days and longer nights. The last quarter of a year that, for all of us, has been sad, challenging and totally different from anything we have experienced. I know from just my small friendship circle that our experiences this year have been diverse: intense grief, justifiable anger, collective and individual sadness and at times immense frustration, but also gratitude, a new perspective, a sometimes much-needed slowing down and the discovery (or rediscovery) of new passions, hobbies and pursuits.

One of the most helpful things I learned during my year studying with The Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) was to frequently check in on myself. During good times and harder times, a check-in can be so helpful to plan next steps, set goals and make changes. IIN uses a tool called the “circle of life” which breaks life down into twelve segments. This helps to assess where life has become out of balance, and formulate ways to address this.

Every time I use this tool personally, I find that different issues and solutions come up, and as my life changes the tool continues to serve me in finding balance. If I’d completed this exercise back when I was a lawyer I’d have a very different result but would still have found small ways to make life feel more aligned.

This exercise can be done solo, or with a friend for accountability. It’s an amazing tool to use with health coaching clients in their first session to provide the basis for goal-setting. I thought I’d share my self check-in today to see were I’m at and how I want to see this year out:

Creativity

I started making macrame yoga mat straps a few weeks ago and I’m really enjoying making something which is pretty and also useful! I also feel creative everyday when I teach yoga so really happy with this area of my life at the moment.

Finances

I was very frugal during lockdown (not difficult when there is nothing to spend money on) but recently I’ve found myself making some less-than-necessary purchases just because I can go to stores again… I need to sit down and write a list of what I actually need to see this year out, and then only buy these items. I am still following the guidance in this post to reform my former fast fashion ways.

Career

 A slightly less positive one, I lost my full-time yoga teaching job back in April and there aren’t a whole lot of new opportunities at the moment. I’ve had a few options come up but they’ve all fallen through at the last minute which has been disappointing but I’ve also been sure to not get my hopes up too much. I’m teaching online but I’d love to secure a regular studio class

Education

I recently finished my meditation teacher training and have signed up for my yin teacher training in December. I love learning new things but also feel an inkling to get stuck into something a little more challenging. I’m feeling very inspired at the moment by friends who are going back to full time education but I’m not sure if this is the path for me.

Health

Somewhat ironically for global pandemic year, this year I’ve probably felt my healthiest yet. Even as a full time yoga teacher I often felt rushed and tired (I often taught until 10pm and had to be up at 5am the next morning) but now sleep, taking time for meals and making sure I’m getting all the nutrients I need for health and immunity are a priority.

Physical Activity 

I teach ten yoga classes a week…! But a girl can’t only do yoga so I’m also focusing on walking now that it’s cooler outside and returning to the gym for weights/resistance training. Daily walks have been such a game changer, even if we have to wear a mask outside.

Home Cooking

This is probably my “worst” area… I’m not a big fan of cooking and while I did experiment more at the start of lockdown I quickly lost momentum. I think this is one where I have to accept that it’s not really something that I am going to enjoy in the short-medium term? 

Home Environment

Even better since I purchased a new print for my home yoga studio (the room formerly know as “the living room”). I’d wanted to change the old photo collage since the start of lockdown and I’m so glad I found a print I loved, somewhere to get it printed and mounted and that I was able to re-use the current frame. You can see it on my Instagram here.

Relationships

Harry and I celebrated our three year anniversary back in July. This year has definitely shown me that I’m just as happy chilling out at home with him as I am travelling and doing new experiences together. I’m grateful that we were able to travel so much in the last few years and make great memories, but happiness in day to day life is so much more important.

Social Life

This is the area that I’ve struggled with the most since moving to Dubai but, despite lockdown and a pandemic, it’s one I’m currently pretty happy with! My first year in Dubai was spent feeling “socially distanced” before that term existed but this year it’s been really nice to develop my friendships, for Harry to spend time with my friends here and to make new connections. To quote Pinterest.. “your vibe attracts your tribe” and I wholly believe that being balanced in other areas of my life, and being in an industry that is all about feeling good makes it so much easier to find like-minded friends.

Joy

Oh, this is always a tricky one! Joy is a hard concept to grapple with and for a long time I sought joy in things that were actually short-lived pleasures like shopping and drinking cocktails. These days, I find joy via my yoga practice when guided by a teacher with the right energy, through spending time with animals and through moments of silliness (which is a side to me that many don’t see!).

Spirituality 

Again, I find this through yoga, meditation and learning from my teachers in these fields. I did a wonderful course at the start of lockdown with Jafar Alexander on yoga philosophy which was expertly woven in to real life examples and this really opened my mind to thinking in a different way. I’ve also been getting more into astrology and need to book in another card read with Laila soon!

Goals for autumn…

My goals for the rest of this year are:

Find more ways of earning an income…getting more online yoga students, using my network to find studio teaching roles (as rare as they are right now), following up on some paid writing opportunities that have come up, maybe even finally starting my health coaching practice…!

Start running again and train as if the Dubai 10k will take place in January. If it doesn’t then I will run my own 10k around my neighbourhood, it’s been part of my routine for the last four years and I’ll be really sad if it doesn’t happen this year.

Continue to work on small things that bring joy, daily laughter, dancing and curling up with a matcha latte and a good book are so easy to do but often overlooked in the day-to-day.

What areas of the “circle of life” are you focusing on improving? I like to pick 2-3 goals and then plan to check-in again in a 3 months to see what has changed. What areas do you feel balanced in? If you liked this exercise, you can find out more about my experience of studying with IIN here!

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