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FINDING FOCUS MINDFULNESS

Law libraries are a natural place for students, faculty, and sta� to �nd some silent space or seek a quiet zone to practice meditation. Five years ago, Harvard Law Library organized one of the most successful law stu-

dent mindfulness programs, called Harvard Law School Mindfulness Society (HLSMS). �e initial success of this program led to some funding and support from the Dean of Student’s o�ce, which helped with sponsorship, provid-ing a website, a mailing list server, and somemeditation cushions. Participants can enjoy

weekly sits, guest lectures on mindfulness, and occasional retreats, both on and o� campus. For more information about Harvard Law School Mindfulness Society visit bit.ly/JA16Mindful.

With the mindfulness movement going national, it is no surprise that many di�erent law libraries and law schools have created sim-ilar programs. Re�ective of this movement, the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Mindfulness in Law Librarianship Caucus was formed in 2013 by Alexandra Lee Delgado of �e University of Arizona, Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library. �e caucus supports the e�orts of

Law school and law practice can be an intense and chaotic experience. Library outreach can include programs that support the growing movement within the legal profession toward personal wellness; that is, valuing self-care and pay-ing attention to our emotional, psychological, and physical health while practicing law. Mindfulness and meditation fall squarely within this movement’s mission.

IN A DISTRACTED WORLDBY HEATHER J. E. SIMMONS AND KYLE K. COURTNEY

36 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORG

law librarians, academics, and practi-tioners in the research, teaching, schol-arship, and practice of mindfulness in law. Its purpose is to recognize and further the ongoing work of AALL members to improve the quality of life of all individuals in the legal profes-sion. For more information visit bit.ly/JA16MLLC.

For those interested in similar pro-grams, we present the following lists of “Myths and Truths” about mind-ful meditation as well as ideas and resources that any law library can adopt.

10 Myths About Mindfulness

1. It’s a “sitting still” contest.2. You have to do it every day.3. You have to do it for long periods oftime.4. It’s very di�cult.5. It’s painful.6. It involves incantations and incense.7. You have to chant “Om” or someother mantra.8. It’s a cult.9. You have to sit on the �oor in anuncomfortable position.10. It requires special clothing andequipment.

Fortunately, none of these myths are true! �e mindfulness meditation technique encourages simplicity in its approach: take some quiet, re�ective time to become aware of your pres-ence and surroundings. Sit in a chair, on a desk, on the �oor—anywhere that’s comfortable. �ere is no magic formula, no mantra, no incense—just your inner thoughts.

�e practice is simple enough: Simply Sit. Observe wandering thoughts as they dri� through your mind. �e intention is not to get involved with your thoughts or to judge them, but to simply be aware of their presence.

Some people choose to count their breaths—from one to 10, and back. �is demonstrates what an amazing challenge it is to simply count breaths in a row without your mind wandering. Don’t judge the wandering experience as “good” or “bad”—it simply is. Label that wandering thought as “thinking” and get back to breathing.

�rough mindfulness meditation, one will develop the ability to follow one’s thoughts and feelings and see if patterns emerge. Over time, and with practice, a sense of awareness will take place, delivering some much needed inner balance.

10 Reasons to Practice Mindfulness

1. Improve mental focus.2. Handle stress better.3. Deal with the imposter syndrome—tell that little voice to be quiet.4. Slow down in a hectic world.5. Unplug in an overly automated world.6. Find an alternative to social mediamadness.7. You deserve a few minutes foryourself.8. Find perspective.9. Send your brain to the gym.10. Sleep better.

Barriers to Mindfulness

1. Don’t have time.2. Don’t know how to start.3. Don’t know what to do.4. Don’t have the right equipment.5. Not a Buddhist.

Mindfulness meditation can be as easy as taking a few minutes a day to practice simply being aware of oneself—the body and the mind. It is a nondenominational practice—all creeds and faiths are wel-come. �e only thing needed is less than �ve minutes a day to start.

�¡ At home

�¡ Early in the morning

�¡ Right before bed

�¡ Weekends

�¡ At work

�¡ First thing when you arrive

�¡ Last thing before you leave for the day

�¡ Coffee break alternative

�¡ Lunch hour (but you only need 5-20 minutes

maximum)

�¡ Find a friend—accountability

�¡ During Your Commute

�¡ “Quiet car” on the train

�¡ Headphones with guided mindfulness

program

�¡ Mindfully running or biking

�¡ Walking

DAILY MINDFULNESS15 Ways to Incorporate Daily Mindfulness Practice into Your Life

AALL 2016 ALERT Don’t miss “Mindful Meditation: Reduce Stress and Improve Your Work, Workplace, and World,” Monday, July 18 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. For more information visit bit.ly/AALL16Meditation.

AALL2go EXTRA Watch the “Struggling with Juggling? How to Stress Less” webinar at bit.ly/AALL15StressLess.

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10 Ways to Get Started with Mindfulness

1. Start small and build; 2 to 3 minutesa session to start.

2. Simply pay attention to yourbreathing; “in and out”—when yourthoughts stray gently bring themback. �at’s all there is to it.

3. Count your breaths, typicallyup to a number from four to 10. When you notice that you are on number 15, or start thinking about something unrelated, your thoughts have strayed. Start over at one. Don’t judge yourself too harshly, starting over doesn’t mean that you are doing it wrong. All you need to do is recognize that you are no longer focusing on your breathing and bring your focus back to your breath.

4. If you have trouble getting yourfocus back, try acknowledging whereyour mind has been—thinking, plan-ning, dri�ing, or worrying—and thengently and patiently guide your atten-tion back to the breath.

5. �ere are many di�erent kinds ofmindfulness practice—�nd one thatworks for you.6. Lie down (beware of sleepiness).7. Sit down.8. Walking mindfulness (as powerfula practice as sitting). Learn more atbit.ly/JA16Walking.9. Mindful running (there is a wholediscipline dedicated to mindfulmeditation running). Learn moreat bit.ly/JA16Running.10. Mindful eating (another greatmovement: to be present when we areconsuming food). Learn more atbit.ly/JA16Eating.

8 Ways to Start a Mindfulness PracticeHere are some basic tips for intro-ducing a program at your law library. You will �nd, as many of us in the Mindfulness in Law Librarianship Caucus have, that there is a real inter-est in these programs. If you make a quiet space, people will come.

AALL Mindfulness Resources

�¡ Join the AALL Mindfulness in

Law Librarianship Caucus at

bit.ly/JA16MLLC.

�¡ Look for events at the AALL Annual

Meeting & Conference.

Mindfulness Resources

�¡ TED: Andy Puddicombe—All It

Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes,

bit.ly/JA16TED

�¡ mindfull.org is a subscription-based

magazine that contains lots of good

introductory information,

bit.ly/JA16Mindfulmag

�¡ The Tree of Contemplative Practices,

bit.ly/JA16Tree

�¡ Calm website,

bit.ly/JA16Calm

�¡ UCLA Mindful Awareness Research

Center for Free Guided Meditations,

bit.ly/JA16UCLA

�¡ Greater Good: The Science of a

Meaningful Life,

bit.ly/JA16GGSC

iPhone/Android Apps

�¡ Headspace,

bit.ly/JA16Headspace

�¡ Mindfulness,

bit.ly/JA16Mindfulapp

�¡ National Center for PTSD,

bit.ly/JA16PTSD

�¡ Mindful Law Student: Student

Groups and Organizations,

bit.ly/JA16Student

�¡ The Gifts of Mindfulness and the Law, bit.ly/JA16Gifts

MINDFULNESS RESOURCES

HEATHER J. E. SIMMONS ASSISTANT PROFESSFOR OF LIBRARY SERVICE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL hsimmons@illinois.edu

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KYLE K. COURTNEY, ESQ COPYRIGHT ADVISOR Harvard University Cambridge, MA kyle_courtney@harvard.edu

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1. Find a space—ideally it needs tobe quiet.2. Publicize the �rst meeting—atthe beginning of the year, studentorganization table day or �rst libraryorientation is best.3. Bring pillows and mats andchairs for all, especially �rst-timers!(Chairs welcome everyone and takeaway any fear.)4. Practice mindfulness in the desig-nated room at a speci�ed time, even ifno one else comes.5. Get the group together outside ofjust the sits (HLSMS did potluck din-ners at the end of the semester).6. Decide on a standard time—it’s critical that a schedule is postedand accessible.7. Take turns leading.8. Conduct a �eld trip or retreat duringholidays, spring break, or recess. ¢