Awareness in Party Season: How to Enjoy Yourself Without Losing Yourself

Before we dive in, I want to open the door for you to send in anything you’re working on with your health or wellbeing. I get asked all sorts of wellness questions: Should I buy a vibration plate? Is reformer pilates better than yoga? Do ice baths work? Is red light therapy legit? What exercises help osteoporosis? Sauna or cold plunge? “Which yoga should I do if I’m stressed… tired… overwhelmed… unmotivated?”

I love these questions, but I’ve realised something. People don’t really want vague opinions. They want the why. They want the evidence. They want to know how to make decisions that actually support their health, not just follow trends.

So going forward, I’ll be sharing evidence-based breakdowns in every newsletter to close out 2025. If you want me to dive into anything specific, send it to info@stuartpilkington.yoga and I’ll add it to the list.

But today I want to speak about something everyone is facing right now:
how to navigate party season without feeling like you’ve either “fallen off” or lived in saint-like abstinence.

This time of year brings more social plans, more late nights, more food, more pressure, more everything. And whenever I feel pulled in all directions, I go back to the teaching that has saved me again and again.

Awareness.

In Sanskrit (the ancient language many yoga texts were written in), this is called svādhyāya (self-study).
Noticing yourself. Seeing what’s driving you. Being present enough to make choices that match the life you want, not the impulse of the moment.

When you’re not aware, you live from urges. You see the drink, you have the drink. You see the food, you inhale the food. You say yes, when your whole Being is quietly whispering no. When you are aware, you shift from reacting to choosing.

My way of teaching has never been about shaming people for not meeting impossible standards. I’m not here to tell you you’ve “let yourself down” because you had a takeaway, or that you’ve ruined your progress because you had a few drinks.

I’ve had my own journey with alcohol and drugs. It wasn’t pretty, and by the grace of God & a lot of prayer, I clawed my way out of it. But that doesn’t mean the whole world should live in strict abstinence. What harmed me might not harm you. What I needed to quit completely isn’t a rule for anyone else’s life. The wellness industry can slip into moral overtures that do more damage than good. It turns food and drink into commandments. It turns choice into virtue. That’s not my approach.

I’m not here to judge, police, or preach.
I’m here to offer you questions.
And give you the space to answer them honestly.

Because honest answers create real change. Judgement never does.

Living in constant restriction creates the exact thing you’re trying to avoid. If you spend all week telling yourself “I can’t have that”, your mind will obsess over it.
What you focus on brightens.
What you feed grows.
Feed lack, and you’ll feel deprived. Feed honesty, and you’ll feel in control.

So, I’m not here to tell you to avoid the parties or decline the drinks or sit alone with a peppermint tea while everyone else has a good time. Life is to be lived. It should have good food, good company, dancing, laughter, late nights, and yes, the occasional sore head. We are human. Being alive should feel alive. But awareness helps you enjoy all of that without losing yourself in it.

Here’s the way I navigate this season.
If I know I’m going out on Friday night, I make a conscious decision before I step out the door.
What am I willing to eat?
What am I happy to drink?
What will add to my life tomorrow, and what will take away from it?

Some things aren’t worth the trade off. Losing all of Saturday, or for me probably the whole weekend, feeling tired, rough, and mentally foggy isn’t worth it. But you can bet your house that I will absolutely be having the curry. And I’m not saying no to a couple of drinks, especially if there’s good music playing. And yes, I will be embarrassing whoever comes with me on the dance floor. That is a promise.

But here’s the difference. I’ll also be up on Saturday morning, moving, walking, jogging, practicing yoga and re-hydrating. I’ll be doing things to support my body rather than punish it.

Because awareness lets you enjoy the night and honour the day after. It keeps you human, but grounded. Free, but not reckless.

So here’s your question for this week:
How can you bring awareness into the choices you make this season, instead of living by impulse or living in restriction?

Let the answer guide you through every party, every meal, and every late night.

Make conscious decisions. Enjoy them fully. And wake up the next day still feeling like yourself.

Thanks for being here,

Stuart