New Moon Reset: Easing into the End of the Year

November often carries a weight that many of us feel before we realise it. 
The days grow shorter, darkness settles earlier, temperatures drop, and there is a collective sense of slowing down around us. Yet paradoxically, this is also when many people feel the urge – or pressure – to push harder, finish everything before year’s end, and squeeze out the last bits of productivity.

For me, November tends to be the month my body would tap out before my mind.
I would fall ill, my eczema would flare up, or my immunity would dip just enough to force me into rest. It took time to understand that this was a pattern – my body’s response to a mismatch between seasonal rhythms and modern expectations. 

While nature slows down, we often speed up.
While the external world becomes darker and quieter, we push for more results, more output.

This tension creates fatigue, both physical and emotional.
And it’s precisely here that the arrival of the new moon can be a powerful ally.

New Moon

The new moon marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle.
Similar to how menstruation marks the beginning of a new menstrual cycle.
It’s a moment of pause, rest, stillness, and … potential.
Nothing is illuminated, so we can sit with what is, recharge and make space for clarity & direction.

In Vedic wisdom, the moon is intimately linked to our inner world. 
The world of our mind, moods, perceptions, and emotional tides. 
As such, the moon becomes a nice anchor for observing ourselves.

When the moon wanes into its darkest phase, we are offered a chance to meet ourselves,
find the stillness that lives beneath noise and expectation,
and reconnect with our inner voice.

When we pair this with November – a month that naturally asks us to slow down and gear back – new moon can be deeply supportive. Instead of bracing ourselves for the end-of-year push, we can shift toward intentional slowing. Not giving up, not withdrawing, but recalibrating and realigning.

november intensity

December’s holidays and festivities are around the corner, professional deadlines need to be met, and social obligations pile up.
Meanwhile, days get darker, shorter and cooler.
The body begins to whisper: rest, exhale, ease into the winter. But the mind often says the opposite: keep going, finish strong, don’t fall behind.

This internal conflict shows up in increased stress levels, lowered immunity, irritability, lack of focus, or emotional heaviness. When we ignore our cyclical nature, we feel it.

Cyclical living teaches us that not all phases are meant for producing, performing, and pushing.
Some phases are built for restoring, receiving and listening.
So that we can show up with more energy, creativity and drive again and again.

Building on today’s dark Moon

That’s why today is an ideal moment to interrupt autopilot and take a breath.
The quiet, dark sky lends itself to checking in and realigning.

Instead of pushing ourselves through fatigue or stress,
slow down and gear back
to reconnect with your internal rhythm – not just where the calendar tells you to be –
and to zoom out and consider if you’re doing what you want to be doing, the way you want to. 

Here’s a gentle, grounding practice you can use as a reset point (and yes, you can still do this over the weekend!):

1. Take a Breath

Take a moment to sit quietly and get comfy; light a candle and/or a nice smell, pour your favo warm drink, take a couple of deeper breaths, put on soothing music, and notice: 

• What does November feel like this year?

Not last year, not in theory – right now. 
Heavy? Fast? Tender? Chaotic? Spacious?

• Where do you feel this in your body?

 Any tensions, any blockages, any pressure points in specific places of your body? 

Let whatever is there be there. Don’t judge. 
If things feel heavy, know that this shall pass. 
Life moves in continuous cycles. 

2. Center yourself

Warm your hands by rubbing them together. 
Place your warm hands onto your heart and pelvis 
and ask yourself:

• What do I need more of right now?
• What truly needs my energy?
• What can I let go of or do different?
• What can be simplified or softened?
• What would make the next weeks feel more spacious?
• How can I enter December steady rather than depleted?

Compassionately journal about the answers that come to you.This reminds your system that you are part of larger rhythms—not isolated deadlines.

3. Set intentions

Based on your reflections, formulate intention(s) for the upcoming cycle. 
Not resolutions. Not performance goals. But intentions rooted in how you want to feel and move through the next 28 days.
Choose 1–3 intentions. Keep them simple.

For example:

• Once a week, I create space for rest.
• Each weekend, I connect with nature. 
• I am kind towards myself.
• I prioritise my needs.
• I gear down at … to create space for myself.

Place your intention(s) on a meaningful / visible place. 

They will be your companions throughout this cycle, carrying you into December with more clarity and softness.

Easing Into December

With love,

Stéphanie 🌞🌙
Awareness. Embodiment. Alignment. Transformation.

PS: If you like this practice, write the new moon of 20 December in your agenda, so you can repeat!