Stay Balanced
A silhouette of a hand holding a perfectly balanced piece of wheat
Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17, 2026 is the Lunar New Year, and we enter the Fire Horse Era. Unlike the Wood Snake of 2025, which was about reflection and shedding, Fire Horse brings with it an intense movement energy. You may feel compelled to get more done, crave freedom, or break away from things that aren’t authentically you. Suffice to say, there will be times this year that may make you feel overwhelmed or out of balance.
Luckily, there are some easy, peasey things we can do to get through this year with grace. These are a few of my favorite tips for getting through wild times:
Try controlled breathing. Breathe in quickly and deeply through your nose, and then exhale through your mouth as if you had a straw in your lips--really purse your lips! This will naturally slow down your exhalation while you can imagine blowing away the stressful thing/situation.
Don’t skip yoga or any other self-care routine. When we get very busy (wanting to do ALL the things), we tend to leave out our self-care. It may seem selfish to prioritize your yoga or other self-care rituals especially with seemingly more important tasks looming, but it’s not! Self-care is essential in keeping us calm and ready for whatever comes next.
Take it one day (or hour, or minute) at a time. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when the “to do” list gets long. Fire Horse will make you want to do everything, so make a realistic plan of how much you can do. Then use mindfulness to focus on each task as you complete it. Staying in the moment will help you feel better overall, and you’ll avoid the pile on effect.
Ask for help. You’re human. You can’t do everything, nor do you want to. If there are duties that you are avoiding on a regular basis, call in the reinforcements. For example, like to cook, but hate dishes? Set up the cook/clean agreement with your significant other. No time or interest in cleaning? Hire someone to do it for you.
Remind yourself that this, too, shall pass. It’s an old adage, but it still rings true. The only thing permanent is change. Know the hard stuff has a time limit, and the good stuff does too. Appreciate both by staying in each moment.
If you want to dive deeper into the Year of the Fire Horse, I recommend this article. In it, the author describes the shadow and light sides of the Fire Horse energy, and gives even more information about how to work with its strong medicine.