2007 Resolution #1: Make Time for Yourself
When was the last time you made a self-care appointment for yourself? A dentist appointment or your annual mammogram doesn’t count. When was the last time you took a few minutes out of your day to do something you enjoy? For most women, the answer is probably (at best), last week. However, according to Jennifer Louden’s new book The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful Year (New World Library, 2007), women need to learn to prioritize their lives, allowing more time for themselves. Louden is quick to point out that it isn’t that we’re unorganized; in fact, it’s the opposite—we’re so organized with “tasks” that we forget to include the details, events, and joys that make our lives richer. In The Life Organizer, Louden discusses her five steps: connect, feel, inquire, allow, and apply—each designed to help facilitate good decision making that is in tune with your heart as opposed to all of the “shoulds” that frequently make up your day. The book is divided into thirteen sections with four weeks of theme-based questions within each section. Think your life is already organized? Start with one of her key practices: Write down your minimum requirements for self-care, whether it is to practice yoga, meditate, spend quality time with your family, or walk your dog. Then note whether or not you’re meeting your minimum requirements, and make adjustments to your schedule to ensure that you are. For me, Louden’s book brought to light one prevailing theme: Slow down for I’m the only one that expects me to move this fast.
—M.B.W.
The statistics say it all: A regular meditation practice not only reduces stress but also reduces your resting heart rate, oxygen consumption, and sympathetic nervous system. And you can receive all of this from one twenty minute practice a day. But, despite the news, many women don’t meditate, or don’t meditate on a regular basis. It can be intimidating when you’re trying to learn the basics and it seems that many meditation practices don’t cater to the many unique needs of women. In A Woman’s Book of Meditation: Balancing the Feminine Psyche (Avery, 2006), author Hari Kaur Khalsa, an internationally known Kundalini yoga teacher, explains the basics of meditation from a Kundalini perspective. You’ll discover the basics to help prepare for a practice, plus more than thirty different meditations to choose from. Speaking from the feminine need for balance, Hari’s offerings include meditations to find emotional balance, mantras to help conquer fear, and soothing practices to induce peaceful sleep. Whether you have a practice or are looking to start one, A Woman’s Book of Meditation will motivate, inspire, and ultimately quiet your mind.
—M.B.W.
