I haven’t done resolutions in years, in part because I don’t like that word. Resolution. Squared shoulders, jutting chin, pole up your…spine resolution.

But coming into 2012, the year of much prophecy, the year of the Fire Dragon, I wanted to mark this year, so I created intentions.

Intentions are softer than resolutions. Intentions invite us into a dialogue with ourselves. Intentions honor our imperfection and humanity.

You can break a resolution, but not an intention. Intentions bend.

So, in the spirit of gentle yogic flexibility of the mind, here are my intentions for 2012. Maybe they will ring a gentle chord in you, and you can join me in them.

Have a blessed New Year.

#1: I vow to open my heart of compassion to myself and to others.

#2: I intend to spend 10 minutes twice daily in meditation and/or relaxation of body and mind.

#3: I will start a new diet of the mind, cutting back on the calories of unkindness and judgmentalism.

#4: I will feel all my feelings honoring their messages and their wisdom.

#5: I will give my body enough rest this year recognizing that it is of Earth subject to the laws and cycles of nature.

#6: I will honor creation by not defiling or polluting Earth. I will recycle and reuse to the best of my ability.

#7: I will bless my food before every meal maintaining awareness of its origins. I will not eat food produced with harm.

#8: If there is a problem with others in my life I will search inside myself for the cause setting boundaries as needed.

#9: I will become conscious of the blessings and limitations of money. I will give thanks for every show of abundance.

#10: I will work out my sense of humor on a regular basis learning not to take myself so seriously and to enjoy life!

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Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW is a Harvard trained psychotherapist who has studied, taught and practiced yoga for over 20 years. She is the Board Chair for Street Yoga and maintains a private practice in Portland, Oregon. Her first book, The Trauma Toolkit: Healing PTSD from the Inside Out is being released on May 15.