An Introduction to Mindful Meditation

OBA Member Ari Kaplan, a mediator and principal of Kaplan Law in Toronto, has been practicing mindfulness meditation for almost a decade and kindly shared this tip with us.

"Mindfulness is the act of paying attention to our present-moment experiences with openness, curiosity and a willingness to be with what is. Meditation is a practice or technique to train and focus our attention and awareness.

You can meditate mindfully right now by finding a comfortable posture (e.g. sitting upright or standing), quietly paying attention to your breathing, and then gradually notice the ebb and flow of our present sensory experiences and thoughts.

Mindfulness is a quality of attention that we can bring to any moment, with a conscious inward intention, in order to detach from thoughts that occupy us, notice sensations in the body, and how those sensations are derivative of emotion or stress.

Mindful meditation and related exercises can be particularly useful for lawyers to help shift from self-judgment to self-compassion, achieve a sense of mental clarity, stability and emotional calm during times of stress or anxiety, and serve as an antidote to avoidance and reactivity."

Try some mindful meditation