Judith will presenting the women's leadership trainging - Women, Spirit and Power at Hollyhock Centre this August 27 - September 1, 2006. Space and scholarships still available.

As activists, leaders and those committed to improving the quality of life on the planet and for future generations, we are usually facing an endless to do list and challenges, which often seem urgent and at times overwhelming.  The electronic age has blurred the boundaries between work and home. It is our own self-care that often takes the hit.

Just as we are trying to foster environmental policies which move beyond myopic short term thinking, so we need to think of our bodies, minds, hearts and spirits as an integrated eco-system which needs sustainable management.

Following are two practices to help you on the path to self-care and well-being.

Remember that what you prioritize and pay attention to will tend to flourish. 

Rather than thinking about what’s wrong and what you need to fix in your self-care, create a few brief vision statements for yourself, which describe the state of being you would like to experience.  Statements such as:  I am radiantly healthy.  I sleep easily and deeply.  I love eating consciously and healthfully. I enjoy moving my body.  Notice how much more inspiring saying these are, than such things as –  I should lose some weight.  I need to exercise.  I can’t sleep.

Your mind is either your ally or your nemesis.  Take charge and support your mind to inspire you to create what you actually want to experience, rather than what you fear or resist.  Great leadership springs from inspiration and a forward reaching vision of the possible.   Bring great leadership to your vision for your own health and well-being.

Create a list of these brief vision statements and commit to making a steady diet of them.  Just as our work in the world flourishes with vision and commitment –so will your creation of your own vibrancy, joy and satisfaction.  Write them out on index cards and have copies by your bed, in your car, at your desk.  Read them (out loud is great) at least two or three times a day.

Have fun with this.  Let this practice reawaken your imagination. You will notice that as you orient your mind towards the vision of what you want, that you will naturally start making choices to support your vision.


The practice of gratitude helps us remember the truth.

The truth is that it is a blessing to be alive. It is a blessing to have a body than functions. Even if you have disabilities, pain or illness, you are still here.  The truth is that it is a blessing to have food and shelter and friendship and the capacity to work.  And the truth is that when we start and end each day acknowledging the blessings of our lives and what we are grateful for, then we move from a place of abundance, of fullness, and from resting into the awareness that life is already good enough.  This is a foundation of trust. 

When we practice gratitude, we dispel fear and scarcity and create from a place of ease and well being.  Our nervous system calms down.  The fight or flight mechanism in our reptilian brain relaxes and we become more naturally peaceful, loving and generative.

So everyday when you first wake up, acknowledge what you are grateful for. Acknowledge the large things–being alive, particular relationships, enough money to pay the bills, the opportunity to serve in the world. Acknowledge the small things – the smell of spring blossoms, the bike ride you are going to take later, your child’s laughter.  End your day with this practice as well.  With your head on your pillow, lay down your burdens and name to yourself all your gratitudes.  Count them like sheep as you drift off to a well deserved and nourishing sleep.