Happy New Year!

Dear Ones,

We made it to 2026! For many of us, that alone is celebration-worthy.

This is your LAST CHANCE To sign up for my mini-retreat this coming Sunday, January 4, from 3-5pm ET: Reflect, Renew, Reveal. Sign up to reflect on 2025 and all its lessons, renew through meditation and "wisdom whispering" (h/t to my friend Ali Cohen for this practice) and reveal our intentions and plans for a powerful and joyful 2026.

I have been working on custom-made worksheets, prompts, and even a playlist to make this an extra special experience-- claim your seat now and take charge of your year.

And if you can't make it live, you can sign up and get the recording and have an on-demand new years workshop that works for your schedule!

And Now, My 2025 Favorites Round Up!

BOOKS:

FICTION:

• The Wedding People by Allison Espach
• And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens
• Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane

NONFICTION:

• Strange Situation by Bethany Saltman (one of my beloved book agents at Wave Literary!)
• Write Useful Books by Rob Fitzpatrick
• Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• The World Could be Otherwise by Norman Fischer

ON THE NIGHTSTAND FOR 2026:

• All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
• I'll Tell You When I'm Home by Hala Alyan
• ​You Are Good, You are Enough by Lodro Rinzler* (pre-order yours today!)
• ​Practical Guide to Toddler Parenting by Zoe Chiel* (pre-order yours today!)

YOUTUBE SERIES:

Slightly biased here but the conversations with brilliant meditation teachers on Desire and Dharma are SO GOOD! And each episode - about 20 mins long - ends with a practice. More amazing teachers, including Koshin Paley Ellison, Tara Schuster, and Adreanna Limbach will be joining future episodes!

DHARMA TALKS:

As you may know, I am obsessed with the intersection of mindfulness and the erotic/desire. Over the past year, I have become a HUGE admirer of the work of Rob Burbea who was a brilliant teacher with some of the most exciting teachings of this work that I have ever heard in a Buddhist context. This dharma talk in particular has really rocked my world.

EXPERIENCES:

I LOVE dancing. But I hate staying up as late as required to go to a club, and I think I hate clubs, too. Enter Matinee Social Club, which has full on dance parties geared for people older than 30, who like to get home at a reasonable hour. These have been some of my favorite experiences of 2025.

TOPIC:

Desire and Meditation! Specifically: How to experience the exciting, energizing, life-giving force of desire, regardless of whether we get what we want. This is the heart of what I'm interested in investigating and teaching in 2026, and I hope you stay with me for the ride!

How about you? How are you ending 2025? Biggest learnings? Biggest dreams for 2026? Hit "reply" - I'd love to hear from you.

Most of all, I am so grateful to be going on this journey with you. May this next year hold blessings for you, your loved ones, and our whole world.

With love,

Yael

PS: ONE LAST PLUG for my event THIS Sunday, Reflect, Renew Reveal: A New Years Mini Retreat! Sign up today.

Yael Shy is the CEO and Founder of Sefira Wellness with over two decades of supporting others in uncovering their inherent worth and capacity for deep joy through mindfulness. She is the author of the award-winning book What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017) and teaches at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. You can find her on Instagram at @yaelshy1.

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