At the end of April just before exams started up the law library invited law students, faculty and staff to enjoy three free yoga sessions. The sessions were intended to help the law school community destress and re-focus as they entered the days and weeks ahead, with stretches to promote relaxation and tips for encouraging mindfulness. The largest number of participants were represented by law school staff who showed up for all three sessions. The final session, which was held outdoors on UGA’s north campus with downtown Athens as a backdrop, had the largest turnout, with law school members, and other faculty, staff and students from across UGA’s schools and colleges.
The sessions were enjoyed and appreciated by those who attended and the library hopes to expand this offering next fall based on feedback from law students. In the future we hope to improve promotional efforts and re-think the timing of this offering to better serve a larger number of law students. We owe a huge thanks to UGA’s Office of Wellbeing, specifically our alumna Kizmet Adams (J.D. ’89) who coordinated with local instructors at M3 Yoga to provide this opportunity to us.
All photos by Jen Wolf.
Whether your exams are finished or you still have a few left, whether you are prepping for your summer internship between 1L and 2L years, or gearing up for commencement and your first legal job out of school, we hope you begin to practice mindfulness techniques learned during these sessions or elsewhere. An ABA for students article in 2016 focused on using mindfulness to your advantage. The article recommends the following simple steps to get started:
A Mindfulness Practice
- Bring yourself into a posture that is upright and stable.
- Lower your eyes (or close them if you prefer).
- Bring your attention to your breathing, following the in-breath, following the out-breath.
- Rest your attention on the flow of the breath through your body, with the intention of keeping it there.
- When you notice your mind wandering, bring your attention back to the breath.
- Do this for a few moments then lift your gaze or open your eyes.
For more resources on mindfulness check out the display at the front of the law library.
