Judy Banks, Stress-Management and Mindful Lifestyle Educator
IIN Certified Holistic Health Coach, Nutritionist
Chopra Center Certified Master Educator
About Me
Originally, I had this filled out my About Me in a very serious, professional third person text. Then I realized that it was not allowing me to speak from the heart.
I would like to share a bit of my story, and the reason that I became a Mindfulness Coach, with you, from a place of sincerity instead.
In my twenties and early thirties, I worked on Wall Street. That was back in the 70’s & 80’s. I worked hard, partied hard, chain smoked, and loved every minute of it. Self-Care was not a conversation.
In the 90’s, life got a bit more serious. I married, started a family and realized that I needed to clean up my act. Be responsible. I had three boys in five years and it quickly became all about them; about being a mom. Raising three healthy boys was the center of my life. After realizing that artificial food coloring was the root cause of hyperactivity in my oldest son, I started to do some research and educate myself. I began to pay attention to the details. Feeding them a healthy, natural diet became my point of focus. Still though, my self-care was not a conversation. It was all about my family.
Raising Three Teenage Boys
Once I reached my mid-forties, and the boys began to go through puberty, the ride got a little bumpy. Okay, it got extremely bumpy. I went to school and became a massage therapist. When everyone around me was struggling, my boys were lining up for massages. This provided us with a way for me to help with the stress in their lives, as well as a way for me to help with the stress in their lives. The focus was on maintaining a sense of peace in our home.
Organically, as I approached my late forties and early fifties, life began to shift and I started to explore my life, as an individual, once again. Even though I had three teenage sons to take care of, I began to reclaim my space. I went back to school, and at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I expanded on the knowledge I had acquired over the years, and became a Certified Holistic Health Coach. It was at this point that I realized that I needed to take better care of me. It had been a long time since I had given myself the attention that I deserved. My Self-Care began to move into the forefront, as I realized that taking care of “me” was not selfish but necessary.
As I began to work as a health coach, I gradually realized, that in most cases, food and diet were not the root of the problem. It was the pace of our lives, our preoccupation with everything other than our own self-care, and the resulting stress, that created roadblocks.
The Fifties; A Time for Rebirth
It was also in my fifties, that I visited the Chopra Center with my husband and we both fell in love with the Mind-Body model that they shared. Over the next few years, I studied under the guidance of Deepak Chopra and the amazing teachers and guides at the Chopra Center. Eventually, I completed all three teacher training programs; Primordial Sound Meditation, Perfect Health and Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga granting me the title of Chopra Certified Master Educator.
The knowledge that I acquired through my studies, empowered me to create an evolution in my life and in the culture of our home. As I began to walk through life in a place of self-awareness, self-acceptance and balance everything began to shift. Our home became our sanctuary. Life slowed down and everything, quite simply, fell into place.
My Passion; My Mission
It has become my passion to share this knowledge, and to assist others to create positive and sustainable change.
Life is complicated.
My goal is to you help break through the self-limiting boundaries that exist.
My goal is to help you create a life of peace and balance.
At Balance Your Life, I am here to help you re-create your walk through life. To gently guide you to push past the roadblocks that exist.
The ones that are limiting your ability to be the best version of “you”.
That’s my story, what’s yours? Are you ready to commit to lasting change?
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Check out our Programs, visit us on Facebook, or sign up for our Newsletter to keep in touch.
If you live in New Jersey, we have Weekly Guided Meditations and monthly Events in Morganville.
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Join us and become a part of our community!
If you have any questions, please feel free to Contact Me, I will respond within 24 hours!
QUALIFICATIONS
Board Certified Holistic Health Coach, Nutritionist
American Association of Drugless Practitioners, Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Purchase College, SUNY
Chopra Center Master Educator
Certified in Primordial Sound Meditation
Ayurvedic Perfect Health Lifestyle Coach
Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga
Certified Personal Trainer
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
Massage Therapist
Licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Nursing
Memorial Sloan – Kettering Medical Center Integrative Medicine
Medical Massage for the Cancer Patient/Yoga for Cancer
Certificate in Plant – Based Nutrition – Cornell University and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation
This program is based on the theory that many of the diseases that affect Americans today can be prevented and even reversed through proper dietary and lifestyle modifications
Registered Yoga Alliance RYT – Yoga Alliance Registered Instructor
200- Hour Certified Yoga Instructor – Chopra Center, Carlsbad, California
500 Hour Certification – American Yoga Academy-West Orange, New Jersey
Thirty years experience researching and implementing lifestyle and dietary changes.