As we arrive in 2025, I’ve decided I’m not setting any New Year resolutions (research shows these often fail anyway!) and instead I’m inviting in the quality of ease. I remember times when this was my default mode. I still had to be aware and intentionally invite it in, but it became so much part of who I was. Lately it’s a fleeting quality that if I blink, I miss it!

So, I’m remembering what ease feels like – soothing, calm, warm, light. My mind is spacious and still, I’m not rushing or thinking I don’t have enough time or energy. Everything happens as it should, and I trust in this. Lately, I don’t trust anything – the universe, myself, that everything will be okay.

Today I’m remembering ease, breathing it in, inviting it into my day and reflecting on what ease really means. Here are my thoughts:

The Essence of Ease

Even the word brings softness, a reminder to enjoy the moment, to take back control of where your attention and energy lie. When there’s unease there’s the feeling of not okay, not enough, swimming thoughts, contraction and tightness in the body. Unease lets the negativity bias have a field day! It runs away with everything that’s wrong and needs to be fixed. It clouds all experiences or thoughts of goodness and appreciation. It claims any moments of joy and puts them to the recess of the mind. They become unreal, unimportant, as if they never really existed.

Constant unease leads to dis-ease. The stress response stays in a perpetual state of alertness and everything feels harder.

The Comfort of Remembering Ease

But remembering that ease lives here brings some comfort and makes life worth living. Intentionally inviting in ease brings all the good stuff to the forefront of the mind. Ease reminds us that all is well in this moment. Ease helps us to see the goodness in ourselves and the world around us. It creates a softness in the body, where we can let go of contraction around the eyes, shoulders, or belly. We can enjoy and take in the moment.

Actually, nothing else really matters, ease is the answer!

Finding ease is possible when we stop thinking we’re so important and stop trying to make things perfect. Forgetting about the mess on the floor, the dishes in the sink, all the to-dos. Ease is always here if we listen with intention. It’s in the sound of the bird’s call, a puppy’s breath as she sleeps, the first sip of tea in the morning, climbing into clean sheets at the end of the day. It lies in our noticing; our ability to be aware that there is something more than the struggles and challenges we go through. Ease helps us through it all and makes the difficulties bearable.

A Practice for Inviting Ease

Here’s a practice that I’ve been using when I notice my body and mind are contracted to touch in with that peace of ease:

1. Notice – this is a moment of mindfulness where you become aware that you’re in a place of unease. Notice how the body feels, what the mind is saying, how the heart feels. We’re not trying to push this away; let it be there for now.

2. Create the conditions for ease – take 4-6 breaths where you equalize the breath with counting – breath in for 3 or 4, breath out for 3 or 4. This will bring the noradrenaline in the brain back in balance.

3. Remember or imagine what the peace of ease feels like – either recall a memory of a time when you felt at ease or imagine what that’s like. This might be stepping into a warm bath, being soothed by the sounds of nature, the first sips of your favorite drink, a slow morning where you don’t have to be anywhere…

4. Savour it, marinate in it, and really let it sink – stay with it for 10-20 seconds and use your breath to help draw it into your body and being.

Finally, take a few moments to notice what it feels like and make the intention to take it with you in whatever you need to do next.

Thank you for reading! If you found this post helpful, please share it with others who might benefit. Feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me directly. Let’s embrace ease together in 2025!

Louise Neicho is a dedicated yoga and mindfulness teacher based in Hertfordshire, UK. With a deep connection to nature, she weaves ancient wisdom and modern practices into her teachings, writings, and research. Follow her journey and stay connected:

Website: Woodland Yoga

Email: louise@woodlandyoga.co.uk

Instagram: @louwoodlandyoga