Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to what is happening in the present moment without judgment. It includes both a formal, usually seated, meditation practice and a more general approach to life. Mindfulness practitioners seek to bring their full attention to whatever they are doing throughout the day.
Mindfulness is a wonderfully simple idea that many of us – particularly high achieving lawyers and law students – find very difficult to implement. Our minds tend to dwell on the past (“Did that interview/exam go well?”) or race to the future (“Will I pass the bar/get a job after graduation?”). Keeping our attention in the present can be a formidable challenge, yet studies show that being mindful increases our health, productivity, and happiness.
The documented benefits of mindfulness range from reducing stress and anxiety, to improving focus and concentration, enhancing listening and communications skills, and increasing overall wellbeing. Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the first people to promote mindfulness in the U.S., and others at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, have shown that mindfulness provides significant benefits to people suffering from serious illnesses. Another study shows that mindfulness improves inter-personal skills and empathy; and many studies show the benefits of the practice for stress reduction.
Developments in brain imaging technology are helping to explain how mindfulness practices produce these benefits. One recent study involved unemployed people experiencing significant stress. Half of the group was taught mindfulness meditation and the other half was taught a sham meditation practice that encouraged participants to relax and distract themselves from their stress. Subsequent brain scans showed that the meditators had more activity in the areas of the brain “that process stress-related reactions and other areas related to focus and calm.” Indeed, the biological benefits of the meditation were still evident four months after the 3-day training session, even for those who were no longer meditating.
“Keeping our attention in the present can be a formidable challenge, yet studies show that being mindful increases our health, productivity, and happiness.”
Mindfulness has taken corporate America by storm with companies like Google, Apple, General Mills, and Deutsche Bank offering mindfulness programs to their employees. Lawyers and law schools are starting to get on board. Some law firms now offer mindfulness sessions to attorneys. Judges are advocating mindfulness in the courtroom. A recent survey found that 40 law schools are offering courses with mindfulness components and other kinds of mindfulness programming.
As a recent article in the ABA Journal asserts: “The case is strong for including mindfulness training for lawyers, starting in law school and continuing beyond.”
So why not start now? This Thursday, February 25th at noon in room Klein 1C, come hear three experienced mindfulness practitioners – legal recruiter Donna Branca, The Honorable Thomas Branca, and The Honorable Steven O’Neill – discuss the benefits of the practice. The speakers will explain how mindfulness can enable lawyers to better handle the demands and pressures of the legal profession, improve focus and concentration, expand awareness and communication, and foster more effective and enjoyable legal careers. Once you are convinced of the benefits of mindfulness, we hope you will join the Temple Law Meditation group every Tuesday at 12:30 in Klein 5B for a guided mindfulness practice.
