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Is Yoga Legal? New blog written by a "lawyer-yogi"

The tag line of the new blog written by lawyer Rebecca Stahl is "Where two worlds collide, one lawyer-yogi considers whether those worlds can coexist." She writes:

Since entering law school, I have struggled with being a lawyer-yogi. Lawyers have a tendency to view yoga either as fitness or just plain weird, and yogis have several pre-conceived notions about money-hoarding, unethical attorneys. While these are gross generalizations, I found myself bombarded by them, struggling to exist in both worlds, not only because I "had" to, but because I truly enjoy them both. Yoga was a spiritual sanctuary, where my body and mind were free, while the law provided the intellectual nourishment that I have craved my entire life. Deep down I know that the law can provide real justice, and I am driven to find ways to make that happen more often. And so, as I began a new legal job and entered a program to one day be able to (legally) share yoga with the world, I decided to chronicle my attempts to join the two. As we studied the first Yama (an ethical standard and how we conduct ourselves externally in life--one of the 8 limbs of yoga), Ahimsa (non-violence), I found myself thinking how wonderful it would be if more lawyers and their clients approached their cases with non-violence. And the idea of "Is Yoga Legal?" was born! Is Yoga Legal? will be a place to explore yogic principles and how they can be applied to the law, as well as daily life.

If you are drawn to that perspective and dilemma, you may want to follow Is Yoga Legal?.

Next meeting of Colorado Contemplative Lawyers Society: December 9

The next meeting of CCLS is Wednesday, December 9, at 5:30 PM, in downtown Denver. E-mail for more information and/or to RSVP.

San Francisco Bay Area event: Meditation for Lawyers CLE

From the Web page:

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Registration: 5:30 PM
Program: 6:00 - 8:30 PM

Presented by:
David Borgen
Doug Chermak
Judi Cohen
Hon. Mary Morgan (SF Superior Court)

At the law office of Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian
300 Lakeside Drive, Suite 1000
Oakland, CA

2 Hours CLE Credit: one hour of Detection/Prevention of Substance Abuse
and one hour of regular CLE credit will be available.

$35 for public service and low income attorneys; $65 regular rate.

Please RSVP by emailing raul@nlgsf.org.

Want to live a long life? Listen to music or volunteer

An article in today's New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal summarizes some of what we know about possible longevity enhancers. These include exercising brain and body, taking nutritional supplements, making music, singing, and having a sense of purpose.

And then I read in the article this sci fi kind of information.

Recently, a rather startling claim was made by Ray Kurzweil, an American scientist, who has just announced that humans could become immortal in about 20 years time. He pins his hopes on research on the human body and on nanotechnology. Spare parts are already being used to replace worn-out body parts.

Mr. Kurzweil is quoted as saying, "I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogram our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live forever."

Nanotechnology is the study of very small, artificially produced materials. Such materials are made by arranging metals and other compounds at the level of the atom in unique way, often into spheres or

Know anyone who drifted into law school?

Gretchen Rubin did. She writes at The Happiness Project blog (Psychology Today):

I fear drift. Drift feels small, but once unleashed, drift is a powerful, often almost unstoppable, force.

...
 
I drifted into law school. I didn’t know what else I wanted to do, it seemed like a legitimate, useful way to spend a few years, it would keep my options open…I didn’t really think much about the decision. As it turns out, I’m very glad I went to law school – drift sometimes does lead to a happy result, which contributes to its dangerous appeal – but I didn’t approach law school mindfully. And many, many people who go to law school are not happy they went.

Just taking one drifting step can you set you in a course that’s very hard to stop. In my case, I drifted into taking the LSAT (the law-school application test). “Why not, might as well, could come in handy, maybe I’ll be glad I did,” etc. This is a good example of the fact that drifting doesn’t always mean taking the easier course; it was a lot of trouble to prepare and take the LSAT, but it was still drift.

Ever drifted?

Blog Glob: "Women lawyers facing fewer barriers on partner track"

Excerpt:

Bit by bit, more women are making partner at law firms in Boston, and perhaps more importantly, the obstacles that have been traditionally unique to women aren’t as insurmountable as they used to be.

Women represent 20.7 percent of partners at law firms in the Boston area, according to fresh data from the Association for Legal Career Professionals. That’s up from 18.8 percent in 2006 and beats the national average of 19.2 percent.

And as a city, Boston is more female-friendly than most, the data suggest. Only 11 cities have a higher percentage of female partners. ...

...

“There’s a lot to be said for being in a bigger environment where you’ve got some backup support, as opposed to working in-house or at a small law firm,” she said.

Click to read the rest of "Women lawyers facing fewer barriers on partner track" (Boston Business Journal - subscription required).

Article from Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution: "Venting or Vipassana? Mindfulness Meditation's Potential for Reducing Anger's Role in Mediation"

I am adding another article to the growing collection of articles and resources focused on contemplative lawyering and mindfulness in the law. This one is entitled "Venting or Vipassana? Mindfulness Meditation's Potential for Reducing Anger's Role in Mediation" [PDF].

Does your law firm have a sabbatical program? Some factors to consider

When I was a kid, I remember reading a book about a family going on exciting trips because the father, a college professor, was on sabbatical. To this day, I find the word "sabbatical" full of intrigue and adventure. So I was very interested in today's article in The Recorder about lawyer sabbaticals.

The article explains the origins of sabbaticals.

According to a May 16, 1996, article in Nashville Scene, "[t]he word sabbatical comes from the Latin sabbaticus and the Greek Sabbaton. In ancient times, every seventh year was a time when farmers gave the land a rest from heavy tilling. It was a time when debtors were released from prison and slaves were set free. Today, most sabbaticals involve granting some form of leave, every seven years, to employees."

The writer Janice Mock presents some factors in the downside and upside of sabbaticals for lawyers. The downside includes "expense and burden," "paranoia," and "lost revenue." The upside factors listed are "better, healthier thinkers," "increasing experience and education," "saving money," and "recruiting."

She then lists criteria for creating a sabbatical program.

• Who is eligible and when
• For how long (three months to a year seems to be the standard) [See www.thefederation.org/documents/Baker--Sabbaticals.doc (opens as Word document).]
• Handling client and file management
• Coordinating lawyer and staff schedules
• Compensation issues
• Mandatory or optional
• Firm support and incentives

Mock concludes:

Ultimately, there is more than one reason why lawyers should consider returning to the roots of our profession rather than merely running a business operation. We would all do well to step back and take a different view of who we are, what we are doing and where we are going in our time-honored work. Sabbaticals provide a means for us to do so. Try one!

Sign up to hear an interview of Tal Ben-Shahar, the man who taught that popular happiness course at Harvard

Sign up here to hear a free interview of Tal Ben-Shahar. More about his Harvard happiness course (Boston Globe). From the Web page:

See Tal Ben Shahar on The Daily Show here.

Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and on the faculty of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel. In the past he was a lecturer at Harvard University where he taught the largest course at Harvard on "Positive Psychology" and the third largest on "The Psychology of Leadership"--with a total of over 1,400 students.

...

Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporation, the general public, and at-risk populations. Topics include happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, mindfulness, and leadership.

Psychology of possibility: Interview of Ellen Langer about a book my dad just ordered at my recommendation

Because of my enthusiasm about this book, many of my friends and colleagues have read Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility. I think it makes an excellent argument for readjusting your sense of what is possible, without being of the nonsensical New Age or saccharine self-help genres.

Behavioral Health Central has just posted a review of the book and an interview of its author Dr. Ellen Langer. From the review "Harvard Psychologist Ellen Langer to be Portrayed by Jennifer Aniston in the Film 'Counterclockwise'":

In her book Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility, Langer says that focusing on what’s possible, instead of relinquishing hope based on what’s thought not to be possible, can promote better health — no matter how old you are. Langer titled her book after a groundbreaking 1974 “Counterclockwise” study in which she virtually recreated the year 1959 in an area monastery. From the furnishings to the television programs, music, newspapers and daily discussion, everything was retrofitted to a time some 20 years earlier. Langer sought to discover whether returning the mind to an earlier, healthier era could also return the body to a healthier state.

When the study participants — elderly men who at first appeared to be frail and dependent — lived in this environment for a week, the results were nothing short of amazing. Their height, weight, gait, posture, hearing, memory, appetite, dexterity, arthritis, blood pressure and general well being improved in those mere seven days. “We even took photographs of them at the beginning, and at the end of the week,” Langer says. “People who knew nothing about the study evaluated the photos. And according to these unbiased witnesses, they [the elderly men] even looked younger. The ‘magic’ lies in being aware of the ways we mindlessly react to social and cultural cues.”

Many studies of this nature led Langer to the psychology of possibility — putting the mind in a healthy place and then measuring changes in the body. ...

I think my dad is going to like this book. Have you read it yet?