All the great leaders of our time–Dr. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Thich Nhat Hanh, Nelson Mandela, and Queen Liliuokalani– have taught us how to hold uncompromised commitment to the poor and the oppressed. They attribute their success, in part, to periodic and prolonged time away from their work for reflection, silence, and contemplation.

Meditation was one in a repertoire of stillness practices they used. There are a variety of meditation techniques, all of which quiet the mind, increase awareness, and open a space to one’s internal wisdom. Here is an interesting article entitled, The Benefits of Meditation— Healing Through Feeling and Awareness by Mark Harris published in Conscious Choice, May 1988. Get a copy at

www.consciouschoice.com/health/meditation1103.html.

You might also find these short articles on stillness techniques helpful, particularly on one of your hectic days. See

www.dailyom.com/articles/2004/283.html to read, Time to go Within—Simple Centering Techniques and

www.dailyom.com/articles/2004/268.html for Stillness of Sound– Meditating with a Mantra.

Ana-Maurine Lara, writer, performance artist, and long time community organizer has developed a very useful; self-reflective questionnaire to help you measure your burnout index. Check it out! You can find it at

www.gadgetfarm.com/noa/ark/feature.cfm?ID=1721