Quick post today everyone. Dinner calls.
If you have the chance to check out the Center for Contemplative Studies, please do. Even if you cannot attend one of their conferences, then check out the website and the resources available there.
Its one of the few resources in the law that is specifically designated to encourage "contemplative meditation" in the field of law.
So go, check it out and be encouraged!
http://www.contemplativemind.org/
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A Little Break
So, I have decided to let go of my ego and admit defeat in a way. I had desired greatly to post everyday on here, but as the demands of law, and quite honestly, the desire to also have time for inner reflection and relaxation, dinner with friends, and fun adventures in New York became more apparent, I realized that it was going to be difficult to post every day. So of course, I turned to some basic yoga principles for guidance.
The Ego, is constantly in battle with some of the most foundational philosophies of yoga, and also one of the major reasons why people in yoga are injured. check out this recent NY Times Article for more info on that: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?pagewanted=all.
The Ego gets in the way of true progress because it prevents you from accepting where and what you are, and rather makes you focus on preconceived notions of where you should be. "Should" is a problematic word in yoga, and arguably in the law as well, because it implies a standard not based on the most accurate reading of yourself-where you are at that particular moment. Ego focuses on an intangible, and many times unfounded, sense of what you want to be.
In the law, ego often prevents us from recognizing our mistakes and errors with acceptance. It forces us to blame others or makes us feel like we have to have the answers all the time because we've been practicing for X amount of years or have been specializing in this field for X decades or that we should know everything about this case or the Rules of this Court because we have had the file for X amount of months or been before that Court X amount of times. In short, the ego in the law can force us to often think about what we should be, and not what we are. It prevents acceptance and admission of mistakes and errors- thus the ego prevents us from acknowledging errors, which are, in this young attorney's eyes, another term for lessons.
In yoga, we often expect so much from ourselves and fail to accept that some days our bodies have a mind of their own. Not that I can speak as an expert, but I often find that Americans, being inculcated with extreme notions of competition and a need to be the "best", have great difficulty with this notion in yoga, and thus, unsurprisingly I also think many American lawyers bring this same attitude to the practice of law.
Truth is, we should accept who we are and not force it to be more than that. Were people-nothing more and nothing less, imperfect and often incorrect. Yoga encourages us to nurture this idea within ourselves and not focus on the ideals.
In the law, and certainly as a new associate, I find myself making more mistakes than I care to admit. But I try my best to admit them because the Ego is self-serving and never fosters growth. It is only through acceptance and humility that growth, and even sometimes laughter, can be born.
So I encourage you to be a little more free, as practitioners of both yoga and the law, to admit mistakes and accept your humanity because its the one thing we all have in common and the one thing we could all use a little more of in this day and age. See your most recent Facebook or Twitter feeds if you want confirmation about how often people love to discuss just how awesome we all are...ok ok ok- not very zen, but I had to do it. I promise I still love them anyway..mostly ;)
Namaste everyone. Promise, I will do my best to be back next week with another installment of Lawmaste!
Till then,
Sow a seed of grace and take your time to meditate and find peace in this beautiful world.
The Ego, is constantly in battle with some of the most foundational philosophies of yoga, and also one of the major reasons why people in yoga are injured. check out this recent NY Times Article for more info on that: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?pagewanted=all.
The Ego gets in the way of true progress because it prevents you from accepting where and what you are, and rather makes you focus on preconceived notions of where you should be. "Should" is a problematic word in yoga, and arguably in the law as well, because it implies a standard not based on the most accurate reading of yourself-where you are at that particular moment. Ego focuses on an intangible, and many times unfounded, sense of what you want to be.
In the law, ego often prevents us from recognizing our mistakes and errors with acceptance. It forces us to blame others or makes us feel like we have to have the answers all the time because we've been practicing for X amount of years or have been specializing in this field for X decades or that we should know everything about this case or the Rules of this Court because we have had the file for X amount of months or been before that Court X amount of times. In short, the ego in the law can force us to often think about what we should be, and not what we are. It prevents acceptance and admission of mistakes and errors- thus the ego prevents us from acknowledging errors, which are, in this young attorney's eyes, another term for lessons.
In yoga, we often expect so much from ourselves and fail to accept that some days our bodies have a mind of their own. Not that I can speak as an expert, but I often find that Americans, being inculcated with extreme notions of competition and a need to be the "best", have great difficulty with this notion in yoga, and thus, unsurprisingly I also think many American lawyers bring this same attitude to the practice of law.
Truth is, we should accept who we are and not force it to be more than that. Were people-nothing more and nothing less, imperfect and often incorrect. Yoga encourages us to nurture this idea within ourselves and not focus on the ideals.
In the law, and certainly as a new associate, I find myself making more mistakes than I care to admit. But I try my best to admit them because the Ego is self-serving and never fosters growth. It is only through acceptance and humility that growth, and even sometimes laughter, can be born.
So I encourage you to be a little more free, as practitioners of both yoga and the law, to admit mistakes and accept your humanity because its the one thing we all have in common and the one thing we could all use a little more of in this day and age. See your most recent Facebook or Twitter feeds if you want confirmation about how often people love to discuss just how awesome we all are...ok ok ok- not very zen, but I had to do it. I promise I still love them anyway..mostly ;)
Namaste everyone. Promise, I will do my best to be back next week with another installment of Lawmaste!
Till then,
Sow a seed of grace and take your time to meditate and find peace in this beautiful world.
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