Happy 2^nd Thursday of the New Year!

Some of you may still be in holiday mode through this week. Others have already made the jump into 2026. I fall somewhere between both. Baptized as a Greek Orthodox Christian, our Christmas holiday festivities come to an end on the sixth of January with the Epiphany, the festival of light — ton foton — in Greek. Also called the Theophany, it marks God’s appearance on the day of Christ’s baptism.

This day is my favorite of the year. It is a celebration and an annual remembrance of something we all share, regardless of our spiritual or non-spiritual beliefs: an inner light, a wisdom that guides each of us when we slow down enough to notice it.

That wisdom often reveals itself through your thoughts and the way you live alongside them. Over time, their quality — the tone and rhythm — influences how you feel in your body, how you meet your days, and how steady you feel inside yourself. This connection plays a meaningful role in health and wellbeing, and it is where I want to spend time with you this month.

As you begin filling your calendar and setting intentions for the year, you may feel a sense of starting again, even when much of life has not truly paused. In the midst of that activity, it can be easy to miss what is already present, nudging you for attention. Where does your focus rest? What keeps returning, even when the day moves on?

Consider how it feels to live in your own mind, body, and inner life from one moment to the next.

An Awareness Practice for the New Year

At some point during your day, pause for a brief moment.

Notice where your attention is resting.
Notice the pace of your thoughts.
Notice how your body feels as you observe them.

Even brief moments like this can help settle stress and bring a steadier emotional tone.

Our thoughts register in the body more quickly than we often realize. When attention eases, the body tends to respond first — breathing softens, muscles release, the heartbeat slows. Writing down a few words can help you notice that shift and recognize it again when it shows up.

This kind of awareness supports calmer energy, clearer choices, and a more sustainable sense of wellbeing — one that touches your mind, body, and spirit.

Write down a few words that describe what is present for you.

Later in the day, return to those words and ask yourself:
What feels needed right now — more space, more movement, more rest, or more focus?

Let this be an act of simple awareness.

Personal Reflection

This reflection is inspired by the practices in Take a Shot at Happiness. You are invited to use the moments you notice this week as small signals of your own inner wisdom coming forward.

Photo Op

When the moment strikes you, take a photo of what you were noticing when your attention naturally slowed or settled.

The image reflects moments when you recognize your own inner light at work.

Action Opportunity

Look at your photo and recall what you were aware of in yourself at that moment. Write one or two sentences describing what that moment revealed about how you were thinking or feeling. Save your words with the image in your Take a Shot at Happiness App or in your journal.

This helps you recognize how your inner wisdom shows up in everyday life.

There is more to explore. ⬇️

My latest Best Holistic Life article, a recent podcast conversation, the Take a Shot at Happiness App, and my transformational travel journeys are all here to support your wholebeing in mind, body, and spirit.

May your light continue to guide you in the months ahead.

With love,
Maria
Your Fellow Happiness Explorer

P.S. ✨If this reflection feels worth sharing, you are welcome to pass it along.
If you are that friend, welcome — you can sign up to receive these reflections each month:

P.P.S. 💖 My Insight Timer meditations — live and recorded — remain available whenever you want space to pause and reconnect.

Wellbeing Travel Experiences

My Sojourn Explorers journeys are designed to support your health and wellbeing in its fullest sense—how you think, how you feel in your body, and how you relate to your inner life. These places offer room for the body to settle, for thinking to ease, and for awareness to return.

Breathing deepens. Attention steadies. You begin to notice what supports you, and that awareness carries with you when you return home.

Take a Shot at Happiness Retreat:
Dwarika’s Sanctuary, Nepal

Feb 20–27, 2026 | Group Size: 16 Seekers | Inquire About Cost​

In Nepal, the day begins with mountain light and ends with ritual. Prayer flags move with the wind. Bells sound in the distance. Life unfolds with intention rather than urgency.

Your days move between sacred sites and quiet spaces, guided by the land itself. Walking temple grounds, sitting with monks, sharing meals prepared with care, you begin to notice how differently your body responds when the mind stops racing ahead. Breathing slows. Attention becomes steadier. Thoughts no longer compete for space.

Practices woven through the journey — reflection, photography, ritual, time in silence — offer simple ways to observe your inner life as it is. Perspective widens. What matters becomes easier to recognize.

At the edge of the Himalayas, health is felt through connection: to place, to tradition, and to yourself. You leave with a clearer sense of direction, informed by a land that has carried spiritual wisdom for centuries.

Take a Shot at Happiness Retreat:
Vermejo, New Mexico

April 8–12, 2026 | Group Size: 10 Seekers | Inquire About Cost​

At Vermejo, mornings arrive with light stretching across open fields. Paths lead through forest and meadow, often crossed by elk and other wildlife. By evening, the day slows around the fire, and the body settles into rest.

The practices from Take a Shot at Happiness unfold throughout the day — reflection while walking, photography as a way of noticing, conversations that arise from what people are experiencing rather than planning. With fewer demands on your attention, listening becomes easier.

Here, health is felt through space and presence. You begin to recognize what supports your energy, focus, and steadiness when the pace of life changes. You leave with a clearer understanding of what helps you feel well and what no longer needs your energy.

Botswana Untamed: A Journey Into the Wild

March 7 - 19, 2026 | Group Size: 8 | Inquire About Cost​

In the Okavango Delta, life follows the movement of water, light, and wildlife rather than schedules. You travel by mokoro through narrow channels, watch elephants move across open floodplains, and begin to notice how little effort it takes to stay present when nothing urges you to rush.

With fewer demands on your attention, thinking becomes simpler. The body responds to the natural order around you — your breath settles, the senses open, and rest comes more easily. Time spent observing the land brings a steady sense of orientation. You are seeing more clearly.

Here, attention has room to settle. Thoughts that once felt urgent lose their grip. What remains feels essential and true. Health is experienced through alignment with your own pace and with a landscape that does not compete for your attention.

You leave the Delta carrying that steadiness with you, long after you step away from the water.

Book

​Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct & Produce the Life You Want is a creative guide to paying closer attention to how you live your days. The companion app offers a simple place to record reflections, save images, and revisit moments that help you understand what supports your wellbeing.

Used alongside the practices shared here, it becomes a way to track your inner life over time — what steadies you, what drains you, and what brings you back into alignment with yourself.

Book Endorsement

If this work has supported you in any way, I would appreciate you sharing your experience with others on a platform you trust.

Article

In my first Best Holistic Life article of the year, I explore How Thoughts Shape Your Health and Healing. As January invites many people looking to change their habits, this reflection offers a different starting point. Look beyond goals and routines to discover a deeper relationship between your mind, body, and the life you are living.

Podcast Highlight

Speaking of healthy habits, walking remains one of my simplest and most meaningful practices. I use the Charity Miles app to track my walks and turn each step into something that gives back. I joined their Extra Mile podcast to talk about happiness, health, and how small, consistent choices can create lasting impact.

Giving Back

Explore projects that heal communities, protect wildlife, and restore hope.

Support a cause you care about: → Charity Checks | Great Plains Foundation | MicoAid | Stand Up To Cancer​

Likeminded Creators

If you like my content, learn more about these other creators.

Results-focused practices for people who want to actually do better, not just make numbers look good. Hosted by Sara Lobkovich I work with leaders, chiefs of staff, and other force multipliers focused on improving human experiences and outcomes, who need efficient, effective ways to quickly align and measurably improve performance. Subscribe​

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Unlock what is possible with the Sukha community. Connect with a like-minded circle of motivated individuals, gain clarity, and stay on track in our inspiring virtual co-working space. Begin your 14-day free trial and see how focused support can help you thrive.

Maria Baltazzi​
PhD, Conscious-Centered Living | MFA, Film
​Emmy-winning TV Producer | Award-winning Author | Happiness Explorer​
​Conscious Luxury Travel Designer​
​Transformational Travel Council Advisor + Herald​
​Explorers Club Fellow National Member​
Seven Continent Marathon Walker

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