Arbitration & Mediation

Mindfulness, MediTation and Mediation

By Christopher Annunziata

Stephanie West Allen of idealawg emailed me about an interesting blog post entitled, Mindfulness Meditation: For Lawyers? In the post, lawyer/psychologist Delaney Dean discusses a bar presentation in Kansas City called “Mindfulness in Mediation.” (I had no idea that the term “mindfulness” was part of Buddhist philosophy. According to the internets, it means “being aware of your present moment.” I like that concept.)

As one might expect, Dr. Dean found that most of the lawyer-participants were skeptical of the use of mediTation and the concept of mindfulness in their practices. It should not surprise many of you to know that I am not a mystical or spiritual person. But, I share Dr. Dean’s surprise at lawyers who think of mediTation as “a sort of fuzzy, or “touchy-feely”, way to avoid reality.”

When I was in what they used to call the Gifted and Talented program in grammar school, we had a teacher who taught us relaxation and biofeedback techniques. I don’t know what the “proper” terms are, but they involve breathing techniques and visualization - you are on a cloud, a Caribbean beach, etc. I guess that as an 8 year old, I didn’t ascribe anything “touchy-feely” to it. It was simply a way to clear your mind. Focus your thoughts. “Center” yourself.

These methods have served me well over the years. I’ve never hit Nirvana (I really never thought Kurt Cobain was all that talented anyway), but these methods have helped me relax, focus and reduce stress. When I was practicing law, 15-20 minutes of reflexive breathing, maybe followed by 15 minutes of “resting my eyes” (my dad’s euphemism for his afternoon nap) was a fantastic way to decompress from a long day.

Full post as published by CKA Mediation and Arbitration Services Blog on June 06, 2008 (boomark / email).