Yoga for Lawyers: Mind-Body Techniques to Feel Better All the Time
“For lawyers (and others) who want to improve their state of mind, feel healthier, be more effective, and experience better work-life balance, Yoga for Lawyers is recommended.”
Lawyers deal with other people’s problems and conflicts. Their jobs, and their bodies, are sedentary. Overwork causes body and mind to become disconnected and out of balance.
In Yoga for Lawyers: Mind-Body Techniques to Feel Better All the Time, authors Hallie N. Love and Nathalie Martin present effective yoga techniques to counterbalance these conditions. “We explain techniques to feel better, in simple and clear language.”
This book is different from other introductory books about yoga. It’s written for lawyers, by a couple of lawyers. Authors Love and Martin explain things in ways that analytical people appreciate, understand, and embrace. Yoga for Lawyers describes how to use yoga techniques and why (what the pose does and what the benefit is). The approach is gentle. “Nothing is forced, ever.”
In Yoga for Lawyers, readers learn how better breathing and posture improve the mechanics of movement and the circulation to vital organs, including the brain. Improved brain function brings clarity of thinking and focus on positive thoughts. An improved ability to concentrate and a focus on handling stress well can result in a more successful law practice.
This book is actually a good foundation for anyone whose profession or lifestyle has left them feeling less than good. Love and Martin give beginning yogis good advice for finding teachers/classes that fit their needs. In fact, Yoga for Lawyers starts out with testimonials from attorneys, law professors, and judges describing why they practice yoga and meditate.
A chapter about Rx Yoga Therapy introduces therapeutic stretching, breath exercises, deep relaxation, and meditation as ways to eliminate/prevent uncomfortable tensions, pain, and stress for those who prefer not to practice traditional yoga poses, which are more strenuous. In Rx Yoga Therapy, the movements are slow, and yogic principles of alignment are coupled with modern exercise science and modern brain science. It’s all about being present: observing oneself and responding appropriately.
The authors provide lists of recommended props for each pose, along with clear instructions for all the yoga poses (except for a couple where the photos are self-explanatory). Black and white photos highlight nearly all of the poses. At the end of each section, a page of smaller photos in suggested sequence is a helpful summary. English names for the yoga poses are used throughout Yoga for Lawyers.
A series of 27 poses called Fundamentals are suggested as a warmup routine. These poses emphasize core strength. The next section describes 33 poses for the back and shoulders. Then there are 15 “mind-body breaks” for reinvigorating sedentary bodies and switching off the stress responses, to allow beneficial brain-body chemicals to act. Finally, 19 restorative poses are given, for immune system support and relaxation of back and shoulders; this section includes breathing exercise/observation.
To conclude Yoga for Lawyers, Love and Martin make their case for practicing meditation, fully supported by data in thorough endnotes. Eight meditation methods are provided.
For lawyers (and others) who want to improve their state of mind, feel healthier, be more effective, and experience better work-life balance, Yoga for Lawyers is recommended.