Before You Set Your Goals for 2027, Ask Yourself This

4 Nov

***A new chapter begins with a moment for yourself.***
*Your own journal awaits you at EXPANSION—a space to reflect, explore your intentions and carry the possibilities of our time together into 2027. 🤍*

How do you want to feel and who do you want to become along the way?

As the year draws towards its close, you might already be thinking about what comes next.

Things you want to achieve. Habits you want to change. Dreams you’ve been carrying quietly, waiting for the right moment to begin.

Before you write another list, give yourself a moment with a different question:

How do I want to feel as I move through my life?

Perhaps you want to feel more present with the people you love. More confident in your choices. More connected to yourself. Or more willing to rest without feeling that you need to earn it.

These qualities can become the starting point for an intention, one that reaches into how you want to live, alongside what you want to accomplish.

An intention gives your choices a direction

A goal describes something you want to achieve. An intention expresses a quality you want to bring to the journey.

You might have a goal to attend yoga each week. Your intention could be to listen to yourself with greater kindness.

You might want to begin a new project. Your intention could be to practise courage while allowing yourself to be a beginner.

You might wish for closer relationships. Your intention could be to become more present, honest and open to connection.

Goals and intentions can support each other. Your intention reminds you why something matters and how you want to show up as you work towards it.

What if you began feeling the possibility now?

It’s easy to place the feelings we long for somewhere in the future.

“When everything settles, I’ll feel peaceful.”

“When I achieve that, I’ll feel confident.”

“When life changes, I’ll make time for myself.”

Our circumstances matter. Yet there may also be small opportunities to experience some of those qualities today.

You can practise confidence by taking one step before you feel completely ready.

You can explore connection by listening with your full attention.

You can make room for gratitude while acknowledging that something is still difficult.

Begin by bringing together a clear intention and a felt sense of what it means to you.

If you imagine a more fulfilling future, what feeling lives within it? Freedom? Steadiness? Love? A sense of belonging?

Give yourself a moment to explore that feeling now, however gently.

How might you meet today if you allowed that quality to guide one choice?

Begin with what truly matters to you

Before looking ahead, take a moment to acknowledge where you are.

What has this year asked of you? What have you learned? What deserves recognition, even if nobody else noticed?

You may have experienced joy, uncertainty, disappointment or unexpected growth. There is room for all of it as you consider the next chapter.

Find a comfortable place to sit. Let your breathing remain natural and notice the support beneath you.

Then gently ask:

When have I felt most connected to myself this year?
What would I like to make more space for?
What quality would I like to bring into 2027?

You don’t need an impressive answer. A simple word—steadiness, connection, courage, kindness—may be enough.

Choose something that feels meaningful to you.

Let your intention become an experience

Once you have chosen a quality, spend a few moments exploring it.

Imagine yourself in an ordinary moment: beginning your morning, having a conversation or responding to a challenge.

How would you like to meet that moment?

Notice how you might stand, breathe, listen or speak. What would you give your attention to? What might you choose differently?

If your intention is steadiness, feel your feet against the floor. Explore giving yourself a little more time before responding.

If it is kindness, try speaking to yourself as you would to someone you care about.

If it is courage, imagine taking one small, meaningful step while allowing uncertainty to be present.

You might notice a subtle change in your posture, expression or breath. You might find that the feeling is difficult to access today.

Either way, stay curious.

There is no need to manufacture joy or push sadness aside. Practising an intention can include meeting yourself with compassion when you feel very different from how you hoped to feel.

Becoming familiar with a different response

Think about a situation that often brings out an automatic response.

Perhaps you rush when you feel under pressure. Say yes before considering what you need. Or hesitate to begin because you’re afraid of getting it wrong.

Now imagine meeting that situation with your chosen quality.

What would steadiness look like in that conversation?

What would self-respect sound like in your answer?

What small action would courage invite?

This kind of reflection gives you an opportunity to rehearse a response you want to practise. As you return to it in everyday life, you can notice what helps and what needs adjusting.

Your intention becomes something you can recognise in your choices.

Why movement, breath and meditation?

Sometimes a question becomes clearer when we give ourselves time away from planning and analysing.

Gentle movement offers a way to notice how we meet effort, stillness and support. Breath awareness gives us something immediate to return to. Guided visualisation invites us to explore possibilities, while meditation creates space to listen.

Within EXPANSION, we bring these practices together so you can explore your intention through your whole experience.

A posture might become an opportunity to practise steadiness.

A quiet pause might become an opportunity to receive support.

A moment of uncertainty might become an opportunity to respond with kindness.

These small experiences give you something to return to when you step back into everyday life.

Give your intention one small action

An intention becomes more useful when you give it a practical expression.

Research on goal pursuit offers a helpful addition: pairing a desired future with an awareness of obstacles and a specific action plan can support progress. A meta-analysis found benefits from this approach, although results varied across studies. Read the research.

Ask yourself:

What might get in the way—and what will I do when that happens?

For example:

My intention: To feel more connected.
My obstacle: I often wait for others to reach out.
My next step: When I finish work on Friday, I will message a friend and suggest a walk.

Or:

My intention: To treat myself with greater kindness.
My obstacle: I criticise myself when I make a mistake.
My next step: When I notice that criticism, I will pause and ask, “What would help me learn from this?”

Choose something small enough to practise in your actual life.

You will forget sometimes. You can return. Your intention can develop as you learn more about what you need.

You can begin before January

You don’t need to have the coming year figured out to take a meaningful step today.

Perhaps the first step is giving yourself enough space to hear what matters.

That is the invitation behind EXPANSION — An Embodied Journey Into Your Future.

This special two-hour experience invites you to honour your journey, connect with your intentions and explore how you wish to feel and live in 2027.

Together, we’ll move through:

Guided reflection to acknowledge the year you’ve experienced.
Gentle, yin-inspired movement to reconnect with your body.
Breathwork to explore awareness and your chosen intention.
Future-self visualisation and meditation.
Journaling and an intention-setting ritual, with a keepsake to take home.

You’ll leave with a personal intention and a practical first step to carry into your everyday life.

No previous yoga, meditation or breathwork experience is needed. You are welcome to participate at your own pace, with opportunities to rest and choose what feels supportive.

What might become possible if you gave yourself two hours to pause, listen and connect with your next chapter?