keep it simple

There is a common theme running through my yoga practice the last week or so. It seems wherever my mind wanders as I practice, it always comes back to the same thought: keep it simple. It is telling this theme crops up now, of all times.  For the past few weeks I have been having complicated discussions and thoughts. As the last two months of school begin and the reality of exams presents itself, students are often pre-occupied with seeking summer employment. Legal-related summer work after 1L is not required, but for some it is ideal. Even if you are not seeking summer work, planning for the coming year involves possible exchange applications, student society nominations, and understanding next September's OCI process. For me, this means my head has been filled with planning for the unknown and trying to read the mind of future-me.

It is an interesting place, law school. As much as you are immersed in a fascinating world of academia, there is a continuous eye on career. I have spent countless hours researching my dream path while readings pile up and exams loom nearer.  While I day dream and plan to the moon and back, I also realize I am not the only one affected by my choices. My loved ones - and bank account - will be hugely impacted by my decisions in the next year or so. It is an exciting time but it is, without a doubt, complicated.  I must admit that once I start down these thought experiments, I straddle the entire spectrum from complete self-confidence to victim of fear and doubt. It is a battle to keep the nagging feeling that there are just too many elements to juggle for everything to work out at bay. And yet I know everything will be perfect because life is just too darn good for it to turn out any other way! Back and forth, back and forth, creating my own complications.

And so, when my yoga instructor advised the group of us to just "keep it simple" it really hit home. As I was lying there in savasana ("corpse pose") it dawned on me that I may not have agency over every little detail right now, but I do have the ability to keep it simple. Moreover, it is really not that hard. All you have to do is pay attention to your breath. Practice mindful meditation. As I lay there tuning out of my emotional response to stress and tuning in to my breath, life really did become simple. It was almost as if my crazy life was occurring parallel to my reality. By breathing mindfully, we can choose to enter and exit the complications of life and law school as we choose. Take a breather. Gain perspective. Recharge. And then dive in when you feel ready and calm.  

What is mindfulness meditation?

Mindfulness meditation encourages the practitioner to observe thoughts as they enter the mind. Just observe them. Don't attach to them, identify with them, or judge them (or yourself). When I practice mindfulness and get distracted by a thought, I try to be very gentle with myself and simply think, "hm, interesting. I am thinking about _______. I am choosing to let that go now."  Sometimes I visualize filing the issue away but usually I see it flutter like a piece of paper in the breeze. 

Mindfulness meditation is helpful because it enables one to take a moment and relax. It enables one to notice how quickly us humans judge things as "good" or "bad." As law students we are often asked to judge. Being able to separate things that require such judgment from things that do not, helps to create balance in our lives. A key to health-full living is to distinguish what you have control over from what you do not have control over. The next step is to get excited about what you can control and guide your life with hope, courage, faith, and relentless enthusiasm. For the rest of it, don't create complications where none exist. And where they do exist, keep it as simple as possible. Give yourself some credit. You have more power than you think. Your secret weapon is your breath - easy to use and always available.

I do not know how they built Machu Picchu but I am guessing they didn't visualize it in its entirety before they even began. So relax, take a breather, trust yourSelf to give you your own perfect future as it unfolds.