As the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, many people welcome a fresh start with a sense of hope and anticipation. You may feel like you have a clean slate, a chance to start over and create something new. Instead of making a list of resolutions, I have a ritual that helps me navigate the year ahead with purpose and intention: choosing a single word to guide me throughout the year.

Sometimes, you just need a fresh start. While it’s never a bad time to pick up a new hobby, build a new habit, say goodbye to the things that no longer serve you, or completely overhaul your life, there’s something about making big changes around the new year that just feels right. 

This time of year, take time for yourself and your family. Unplug and recharge over the holidays to stay healthy, reduce stress and recharge to start the new year rejuvenated.

The difference between happiness and joy is that happiness depends on external circumstances. Joy is a deeper upwelling that comes from within ourselves and is not limited to what is happening around us.

Summer is the pitta time of year—when pitta dosha, consisting of the fire and water elements, rules. Pitta is one of the three Ayurvedic doshas, or qualities, and each person’s unique constitution contains all three—although typically one quality predominates.

Honoring summer solstice is an act of reciprocity and gratitude: what you nourish in your life will flourish. Summer Solstice is the precise planetary moment when the earth’s tilt reaches its zenith, bringing us the longest and lightest sun-powered experience of the year.