Dr. Christiane Northrup: Having spent the last 30 years assisting women in healing themselves on all levels and at all life stages, 

I’ve come to see that our bodies are the true altars—the most sacred places in our lives. Without flourishingly healthy bodies, nothing else matters, not even wealth. Yet some of you still take your bodies for granted, instead of deliberately paying loving attention to them.

If you think that paying loving attention to your body sounds silly, selfish, or self-absorbed, then consider this: Your body needs regular doses of comfort and pleasure to be optimally healthy. Without it, you are much more likely to seek pleasure from external and unsustainable sources and behaviors, including drugs, alcohol, and sugar.

My top resolution for women this year is simple: “Listen to and respect your body more than you have ever done before.” I’ve written the following user-friendly affirmations to get you started.

1. I cherish and love my body all the time, no matter what—even when I feel too fat, too old, too weak, or have cellulite. My body is where my soul lives. I beautify and worship this temple when I care for and love myself—and that includes activities like flossing my teeth, exercising and stretching, eating slowly and sensually, and breathing fully.

2. When stressed, I do things that bring me comfort—a nap, a cup of tea, a walk in the fresh air. I always avoid criticizing or beating myself up.

3. I deliberately bring goodness and pleasure into my life—even when it’s so much easier to complain. I know how easy it is to go negative, how easy it is to focus on what’s not working. But I now look moment to moment for what’s going right. And my good—and the pleasure associated with it—expands.

4. I honor my emotions—all of them—especially sorrow, grief, and anger. I feel these fully instead of reaching for a glass of wine, a cookie, or a pill. I know that my body and soul will let me know what I need if I take a moment to truly feel my emotions. I acknowledge that I cannot heal negative emotions with my mind. Healing requires having compassion for myself and taking myself into my own heart.

5. I ask for help when I need it, knowing that this gives others the gift of being of service to me. I surround myself with people who uplift and support me, not those who tear me down.

6. I invoke Divine Order regularly—knowing that the perfect solution for ALL of my problems and all of my requests has already been chosen. And when I simply relax into being guided to the right action, everything falls into place easily. This approach is far less stressful than trying to make things happen. (For more on this, read Florence Scovel Shinn’s The Game of Life and How to Play It and Tosha Silver’sOutrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead.)

7. I breathe fully in through my nose and out through my nose. This balances my nervous system and effectively calms any excess stress.

8. I smile at myself in every mirror I pass. I revel at directing my smile into every cell in my body: my thyroid, my tongue, my throat, my lungs, my heart, my blood vessels, my kidneys, my intestines, my muscles, my genitals, my bones, my skin. I close my eyes and send well being and acceptance to all of my body parts, one by one, every day.

9. I revel in the wonder of nature and the Earth. I belong to the Earth, and she is my true Source. I regularly commune with the elements—the wind, fire, water, and earth. I commune with trees, flowers, plants, and animals, and they commune with me. I regularly walk barefoot on the Earth, knowing that the Earth emits an electromagnetic field that is healing for me.

10. I expect magic and mystery in my life. I greet each new day with the anticipation of a young child—eager to see what wonders await me!

Make 2013 the year that you really come home to your beautiful body and the Earth. If you only make one resolution this year, I encourage you to make this your top priority. Spend time every day worshiping the temple of your soul. Your body will reward you many fold.