The Benefits of Yoga

Just got done with a late day at work and a great yoga session, after which I started thinking about why it would be a good idea to explain how I got started with this whole yoga/ meditaiton/ zen stuff so that you all could have some perspective.  

I started this blog, as I said in the first post, in the spirit of combining the philosophies of zen, yoga, and meditation into my life as an attorney.  I suppose that some of you who are practitioners of law know why you may need to learn how to relax, unwind, and develop an attitude of acceptance and mindfulness towards life, but how did I obtain my inspiration for this idea, and more specifically, this blog?

First off, I am no guru, and I am far from being a yoga teacher or zen master.  I cannot meditate for an entire day in complete silence, and I don't know if I aspire to.  What I do know though, is that yoga and meditation make me happy.  That is the real inspiration for all of this.  They make my life as an attorney more than bearable and for that, I am eternally grateful.  But anyway, back to the beginning. 

Well, I have been practicing law for all of four months, but I have been engaged in the practice of yoga since my first year in law school.  Maybe I started because I heard that it was good workout, maybe I started because something about being constantly stressed in law school just didn't sit right with me, either way, I started.  

I realized after my first yoga session, that there was something awe-inspiring about yoga.  More than that, there was a marked difference between yoga and any other workout in which I had engaged since, well, I started engaging in working out (and this goes back to joining the football team in 9th grade): Yoga is not driven by progress.  This is anti-American, maybe even anti-human nature, as progress is what defines us, in so many ways.  But yoga is not about getting to the next level-its about being where you are and accepting that place.  The progress happens naturally, but it is not the focus.  Something about that idea enamored me, relaxed me, and satisfied me.  Ever since then, I have had a special place in my heart for the practice.  

However, meditation did not find a way into my life until this year. Specifically, after reading this article:    http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/11/seeking-serenity-when-lawyers-go-zen/

Please check it out.  It started me on the path of taking time out of your day, especially as a lawyer, to meditate, nurture a sense of peace in your heart, and find peace of mind.  (More to come soon on meditation tips).  

Zen......well, zen is just a philosophy which I accept. Though I am no Buddhist, and Zen, technically, is a subset of Buddhism, the philosophy just appealed to me: meditation and self-realization, knowledge through self-introspection.  Perhaps after having to learn so much from reading, listening, writing, and being lectured to, there is something relaxing about learning from nothing but...well...nothing.  Just you, your breath, and your thoughts-nowhere to go, nothing to figure out, and nothing to aspire to.  Simply, a chance to be.  Something we so often fail to appreciate it, and something that people, especially lawyers, forgot about in the daily stress and hecticness of their lives.  

So now you know why I started this, and why I believe it has the power to change the world............of law :)   

So check out that CNN article and enjoy.  Tomorrow, a quick overview of my yoga and meditation/zen practice and how I work it into my life as a lawyer.  

Thats all for now. 

Namaste Everyone and Have a Great Night!