CONTEMPLATIVE LAWYERING (YOGA, MEDITATION,

SELF HEALING, JUSTICE AND HEALING)

“A NOTE ON YOGA AND MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE”

 INTRODUCTION: LIFE WITH YOGA

 Yoga is derived from a Sanskrit word yuj which means ‘to unite or integrate . Yoga is not a
religion or associated with any of the religious practises across the globe but a “Spiritual
Practice”. A Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Parsi, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, all and very folk
religions are all welcomed with open arms in Yoga.
 Though this very spiritual practice originated in the Indian soil around 5,000 years ago it is
universal in its application. It's all about harmonising the body with the mind and breath
through the means of various breathing exercises, yoga poses i.e., asanas and meditation. The
word “Yoga” was 1st mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the ‘Rig Veda’ and was slowly
refined and developed by the Brahmans and Rishis. They documented their practices and
beliefs in the ‘Upanishads’. The most renowned of the Yogic scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita
which was composed around 500 B.C.E.
 Yoga in Daily Life is a system body-mind practice consisting of eight levels of development
in the areas of physical, mental, social and spiritual health. Yoga is a great gift to mankind
which helps us keep better and maintain our health. When you are healthy you are in touch
with your inner Self, with others and your surroundings on a much deeper level.
 21st of June is celebrated as International Day of Yoga where people are made aware of the
benefits of yoga. You also develop a higher patience level which helps in keeping the
negative thoughts away. You get great mental clarity and better understanding.

QUALITIES OF A STUDENT

Students are the leaders of the next generation of any nation. Students remain teachable always.
Teachers, parents aim at building a personality and enhancement of character as they are a
product of student’s efforts and results.

 Discipline
The first quality of a good student is discipline. This means a student who aspires to be
excellent must adhere to his/her study timetable strictly and obey the instructions of
coaches, teachers, and parents every day.
 Building Relationships
Maintaining a cordial relationship with teachers and fellow students enables to focus
intensely on extra-curricular sessions and studies effectively.
 Sense of Respect
Respect means that you accept somebody for who they are, even when they’re different
from you or you don’t agree with them. Respect in your relationships builds feelings of
trust, safety, and wellbeing.
 Taking Responsibility
Taking responsibility for their actions and own up to the results of such actions enable to
have effective skills
 Participating in Extra Curricular Activities
Students should not relent in participating in an extracurricular activity, whether it’s
sports, or any other kind, as these are targeted at developing overall personality.
 Working Hard
It’s non-negotiable that smart hard work is the secret of success and it remains true for
students.
 Punctuality
This quality not only makes the student disciplined but imbibes a sense of respect of its
own time and that of other. With this quality one will never lack behind others and help
in achieving desired results
 Attentive to Lesson
Being attentive to what is being taught in a classroom is one of the great qualities of a
good student. they focus on what the teacher is trying to pass.
 Positive Atiitude
A positive attitude helps a student to maintain top-notch results despite mistakes and is a
drive to work hard.
 Academic Competency
The purpose of a student in a place of learning is an enhancement in the academic arena.
Assignments are submitted on time and project work is well researched following the
complete guidelines of his/her teacher is the most vital qualities of a student.
 An inquiring mind
It aims to increase awareness of mental health, reduce the stigma of mental illnesses and support
to maintain positive health and increase resiliency.

CONCEPT OF BEING A STUDENT

Academic learning teaches you many qualities such as time management, communication,
organization, prioritization and critical thinking, supporting student’s growth as an individual
and improving your general outlook of the world. Thus, inspiring and motivating to change the
world for a better cause, picking up life lessons and experience that will help you envision where
we want to be. A student experiences a healthy competition with peers of differing calibre and
learns to celebrate wins silently and accept failure with peace of mind. The experience one has
with other students of different gender and culture helps to go through the realities of life. Hard
work with a theoretical support gives platform for building up a good career.

The first year of university is always extra hard when it comes to adjustment to university life as
how different things are compared to home or school. Alongside students may face challenges at
different phases of studies like-

 Time Management Problem: College is academically challenging important to schedule

time for fun and to take breaks to keep your mind fresh and clear.
 Exam pressure: The nervousness during this phase is a common however, teaching
strategies, continual feedback from teachers helps students to tackle this phase easily.
 Homesickness: is a common challenge for college students, especially those who are far
from home and in their first year of school however, thanks to the modern means of
communication, most students can stay connected with their family.
 Health Issues: Heightened stress, poor self-care, and lack of sleep can cause health
problems.
 Accommodation: All the more it is really difficult to find student accommodation
considering factors such as distance, rent rates, facilities, roommates etc.
 Social life: From trying to study to living alone and doing the required chores, to
maintaining a social life, student need to at least set a rough timetable and start utilizing
time much more efficiently.
  Social anxiety: students may find difficulty in opening up to a new environment initially,
but which gradually fades away with interaction with peers and staff.

A student’s life is a blend of learning experiences, mental and social growth and encountering
several challenges. This require yoga to keep a balanced healthy body and life.

How Yoga helps the students to cope with all these problems are:

1. Weigh Management
One of the biggest issues for today’s generation is to maintain the right weight as with
obesity brings with it various kinds of other problems like high blood pressure, diabetes,
heart stroke, breathing problems, etc. This is where yoga steps in. Yoga plays a very
important role in managing the weight as there are various breathing asanas, which helps
to increase the metabolism rate by the intake of more oxygen in the body cells and results
in weight reduction.

2. Better Stress Management

Yoga and meditation plays a key role in managing the stress that the student may face
during their academic years. The stress may due to the assignment submission,
competitions, pressure of achieving good grades, etc. Yoga, thus, helps to bring peace to
the mind of the students and results in increased concentration by lowering the levels of
stress and anxiety from your mind. Asanas like ustrasana, shavasana, paschimottanasana
helps to manage stress and acts as an aid in leading good and healthy life.

3. Strengthens The Core

As a student you need to give a lot of sitting, especially during exams. Yoga helps you to
gain flexibility, which results in increased core strength. This would help a student to sit
for hours to prepare for their exam.

4. Enhances Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the desire to be aware in a certain moment emotionally, psychologically
and spiritually.Regular practice of yoga helps a student to focus their attention in the
 present moment by controlling their minds. With clear mind, the ability of the student to
make better decision enhances and they come up with better decisions for themselves.

RESEARCH WORK
Effects of Yoga on Mental and Physical Health: A Short Summary of Reviews1

The Harvard Medical School under the Harvard University in a descriptive research,
reviews the different research works on yoga and made the following observations;

Yoga and Mental Health:

1. Depression : Randomised controlled trials reported beneficial effects of yoga
interventions for treating depressive symptoms, the quality and quantity of the data
from these studies appear insufficient to conclude whether there is substantial clinical
justification to consider yoga as a treatment of depression. Compared to passive
controls, the yoga interventions seem to be effective but

2. Fatigue: When Medical School of Harvard reviewed 19 RCTs which included

healthy persons as well as patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, dialysis, chronic
pancreatitis, fibromyalgia, and asthma a small positive effect with an SMD of 0.28
[0.24–0.33] was found. What is SMD? It is Standardised Mean Difference which
describes the difference in the group mean values divided by the respective standard
deviation. A value between 0.3 and 0.5 is regarded as small, SMD between 0.5 and
0.8 is moderate, and SMD >0.8 is regarded as large. Patients who performed
yoga(n=10) saw a SMD improvement in their fatigue levels by 0.20 (0.15–0.24)
while for all other studies that did not include cancer patients (n = 9), the effect was
0.46 (0.24–0.67). Nevertheless, there are some studies on cancer-related fatigue
which indicate that treatment effects of yoga could be improved in well-designed
future studies.

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447533/
 3. Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders : Most studies described beneficial effects in
favour of the yoga interventions, particularly when compared with passive controls
(i.e., examination anxiety), but also compared with active controls such as relaxation
response or compared to standard drugs. However, there are currently no meta-
analyses available which would clearly differentiate this important issue.

4. Stress : Most studies described beneficial effects of yoga interventions. Although not
all studies used adequate and/or consistent instruments to measure stress, they
nevertheless indicate that yoga may reduce perceived stress as effective as other
active control interventions such as relaxation, cognitive behavioural therapy, or
dance. Also the AHRQ report stated, “Yoga helped reduce stress”.2 The SMD
observed a significant reduction of stress scores in favour of the yoga group (SMD =
−1.10 [1.61 to −0.58].

5. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) : After a natural disaster, yoga practice
was reported to significantly reduce symptoms of PTSD, self-rated symptoms of
stress (fear, anxiety, disturbed sleep, and sadness) and respiration rate. Similarly,
yoga interventions were able to improve the symptoms of PTSD in persons with
PTSD after exposure to combat and terrorism. The interventions varied in duration
from one week to six months. The review suggested a possible role of yoga in
managing PTSD.3

Yoga and Physical Fitness :

2 Ospina MB, Bond K, Karkhaneh M, et al. Meditation practices for health: state of the research. Evidence
Report/Technology Assessment. 2007;(155)
3 Telles S, Singh N, Balkrishna A. Managing mental health disorders resulting from trauma through yoga: a review.
Depression Research and Treatment. 2012;2012:9 pages.401513
1. Physical Fitness : There was one critical review which evaluated whether yoga can engender
fitness in older adults. The study reported moderate effect sizes for gait, balance, body
flexibility, body strength, and weight loss.4

2. Sympathetic/Parasympathetic Activation : Most studies offered “Some evidence that yoga

promotes a reduction in sympathetic activation, enhancement of cardio- vagal function, and a
shift in autonomic nervous system balance from primarily sympathetic to parasympathetic”.5

3. Cardiovascular Endurance : Raub’s literature review, which included 7 controlled studies,

reported “Significant improvements in overall cardiovascular endurance of young subjects
who were given varying periods of yoga training ranging from months to years”. 6 Physical
fitness increased in adolescents or young adults being athletes and untrained individuals
compared to other forms of exercise.

Yoga and Cardiopulmonary Conditions :

1. Blood Pressure and Hypertension : it was noted that in general there was reduction of
systolic and/or diastolic pressure.

2. Pulmonary Function : Raub agin in his descriptive literature review examined studies
evaluating yogas effects on lung function in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic
bronchitis and asthma. In healthy volunteers practicing yoga, there are reported
improvements in breathing control techniques, specific postures, and/or relaxation
techniques. Patients with asthma saw improvement in peak expiratory flow rate, medication
use and asthma attack frequency.

4 Roland KP, Jakobi JM, Jones GR. Does yoga engender fitness in older adults? A critical review. Journal of Aging
and Physical Activity. 2011;19(1):62–79
5 Innes KE, Bourguignon C, Taylor AG. Risk indices associated with the insulin resistance syndrome,
cardiovascular disease, and possible protection with yoga: a systematic review. Journal of the American Board of
Family Practice. 2005;18(6):491–519
6 Raub JA. Psychophysiologic effects of Hatha Yoga on musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary function: a literature
review. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2002;8(6):797–812
Yoga and Metabolic/Endocrine Conditions :
1. Glucose Regulation : Systematic reviews associated with insulin resistance syndrome,
risk profiles in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the management of type 2 diabetes
mellitus reported that there was post-intervention improvement in various indices in
adults. However, the results varied by population like healthy adults, adults at
cardiovascular disease risk, adults with type 2 diabetes, etc., and study design. One of the
AHRQ reports cited two studies comparing Yoga vs. Medication. It was found that a large
and significant reduction of fasting glucose was observed in individuals with type 2
diabetes while the other study saw a smaller but still a significant improvement.7
2. Menopausal Symptoms : The evidence was insufficient to suggest that yoga is an
effective intervention for menopause”. 8

Yoga and Musculoskeletal Conditions :

1. Musculoskeletal Functioning and Pain : of 11 studies 10 studies on the effects of yoga
on musculoskeletal function, chronic pain conditions and pain-associated disability
reported significantly greater effects in favour of yoga when compared to “standard care,
self care, therapeutic exercises, relaxing yoga, touch and manipulation or no intervention.”
Reviewed studies on yoga for the treatment of back pain, rheumatoid arthritis,
headache/migraine and other indications i.e., hemodialysis, irritable bowel syndrome,
labor pain, etc., reported positive effects in favour of the yoga interventions.

What can one conclude from the above research ?

There are a number of areas where yoga may be beneficial, but more research is required
for virtually all of them to more definitively establish benefits.
Patients engaged in yoga, practice self-care behavioural treatment.
Its interventions might well increase self-confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy.

7 Ospina MB, Bond K, Karkhaneh M, et al. Meditation practices for health: state of the research. Evidence
Report/Technology Assessment. 2007;(155)
8 Lee MS, Kim JI, Ha JY, Boddy K, Ernst E. Yoga for menopausal symptoms: a systematic review. Menopause.
2009;16(3):602–608
 On the other hand, patients with psychological burdens and/or low motivation i.e.,
depression, anxiety, fatigue, etc. might be less willing to participate fully in intensive yoga
interventions.
Some of these studies found relatively low participation and high dropout rates in some
of the analysed studies. So what can be done? Patient compliance may be higher with the
social support within group interventions.
The study results are so far not sufficient in quantity and quality to determine whether
studies with a focus on the asanas are more effective as compared to studies with meditation-
focussed or pranayama-focussed styles. Thus, there is a strong need to conduct more
conclusive studies with high methodological quality and larger patient samples.
The studies conducted shows one lacuna. It should address whether regular classes
improve social competence and involvement.
Another issue is, studies enrolling elderly subjects are complacent with study protocol
which leads to low levels of study completion and long-term follow-up data. Future studies
should investigate the most appropriate duration of yoga intervention and the most suitable
postures and yoga style for the elderly.

Tadasana
Our session started with Tadasana. This is the basic standing pose that teaches the art of standing
correctly.
Stand together on your feet. Tighten the knees while keeping the chest lifted up forward with
relaxed shoulders pressed down away from the ears.

Benifits

 Improve correct posture.

 Corrects and improves body alignment.
 Longer Attention Span, Improve better Concentration and Sharpness

Tiryaka Tadasana
It is a variant of Tadasanawith similar health benefits.
The effect on the legs is minimized while an intense stretch is experienced on the side especially
on the waist. One side of the body is contracted while the other side is stretched at the same time
which balances both left and right postural muscles. It is an excellent pose for people spending
long hours while sitting such as students and office workers.

Benefits
 Helpful in getting rid of constipation and gastritis.

 Stretches the muscles of the back and joints of the spinal column.

 Balances left and right postural muscles thus improving the posture.

 Loosens, tones up and massages the sides of the waists, therefore, removing excess fat.

 Stimulates the functioning of liver, kidney, spleen and digestive system. Removes
constipation.

 Beneficial for people suffering from bronchitis, bronchiectasis, asthma and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

We were instructed to perform these three asanas seven times each in the morning starting from
our left side so that it will warm up your digestive system and help nutrients move more easily
through the body, causing it to metabolize carbs and easing any morning aches and pains.

I sometimes stood up early in the morning at and performed the three yoga asanas and practiced
the same in the evening session. The 45 minutes in the morning and the evening give my day a
structure.

While following the online tutorials of 1 hour, I noticed a change in just 5 days or so. I would
always feel sleepy and unenergetic during morning lectures and I was surprised that I didn’t feel
like that once I was doing yoga regularly.

The first day, I was not able to replicate the exact poses, but the environment was welcoming,
and I didn’t feel like an outsider. In first few days it was difficult to hold the poses like everyone
else and I felt pain in my body physically through tightness of muscles but these unpleasant
sensations or emotions were only temporary and that regular practice will build physical strength
and emotional resilience.
  The next asana, we were instructed to Lie down on our back, keep head straight aligned
with the spine feet apart, place right hand on stomach, left on chest, elbows resting on the
floor

 Eyes closed focusing on abdominal region focused to strengthen our body system, lungs
and release stress

 Let the breath flow naturally

 Count till 10 and reverse the counting back from 11

Yog Nindra

This yoga posture is called –Savasana subsequently followed by Yog Nindra

 It is a resting pose involves lying on the floor, peacefully and quietly, with no thoughts in
mind. Savasana generates complete relaxation and is not a practice of concentration but
awareness.

 It is a crucial part of a yoga session as it allows the mind and body to be restored after a
series of postures and breathing techniques. Sir mentioned that students should be
relaxed while in this position but not asleep. Sir would take names of body parts making
us aware with the part of body and to feel it, starting with write side,

Slowly from this position we would shifting to Yoga Nidra

Yognidra which basically is sleeping consciously is particularly helpful for those suffering from
anxiety or stress.

Benefits

 Provides effective relief for depression and long-standing anxiety.

 It is an efficient way to obtain sleep.
 Clears the mind for learning and absorbing new material.
 Releases tension for body and mind.

Pranayama
The back is to be erect from the base of the spine to the neck. Eyes remain closed so thoughts
will not wander. The arms will rest on each leg with the palms of the hands facing up to receive
positive energy.
Benefits
 Improves sleep quality.
 Increases mindfulness.
 Reduces high blood pressure.
 Enhances cognitive performance.

Nadi Sodhana
The next yoga was Nadi Sodhana, defined as alternating nostril breathing that prove
advantageous to breathing technique, prepares the body to receive larger amounts of oxygen in
the blood stream, which may calm the nadi, improved concentration to reduced negative
thoughts. It helps strengthen the lungs, improve blood circulation and maintain normal blood
pressure

AnulomVilom
Using your right hand, fold your middle and index fingers toward your palm. Place your thumb
on your right nostril and your ring finger on the left nostril. Close your right nostril with your
thumb and inhale through your left nostril, slowly and deeply, until your lungs are full. Focus on
your breathing

Benefits

 Helps in balancing and relaxing the nervous system.

 Helps relieve headaches.Reduces stress and keeps anxiety and depression at bay
 Removes toxins from the body.

Surya Namaskar

We practised breathing from one nostril in a few sessions and then adopted alternative breathing.
Sir introduced to us one more yoga asana that is surya namaskar which consists of 12 asanas.
Benefits

 It helps to keep you disease-free and healthy

 Strengthens the heart and promotes balance in the bod

 Stimulates abdominal muscles, respiratory system

 Tones the spine, neck, shoulder, arms, hands, wrist, back and leg muscles, thereby
promoting overall flexibility

 It regulates the interconnectedness of body, breath, and mind, thus making you calmer
and boosting the energy levels with sharpened awareness

Practicing yoga at home comes with the flexibility but before I started to practice yoga, I was a
little bit apprehensive that it would bring me relaxation and tranquillity because my mind usually
wanders. After only one session, all my assumptions were falsified and I clamoured for more so I
took it up regularly. In the first two session I was reluctant to switch on my video but I later
realised that when you do it in a group then it is very easy since it keeps you motivated and you
get connected to others sharing the same energy and also it would help me to correct my poses
under the guidance of our instructor.

After hectic online classes of subjects like Family Law, Constitution Law, Business Subjects and
more, I would eagerly wait for the yoga sessions to commence. When I look back, those 15 days
have been an amazing experience; it was an opportunity in disguise especially in such difficult
times. Since there has been no vaccine introduced to cure the ongoing disease, I feel that
practicing yoga would be the best to keep us in a good state of mind and body and prevents us
from encountering this disease.

WEBLIOGRAPHY

 www.rishikeshyogisyogshala.org
 www.academia.edu
 M.L. Gharote (1976) Effect of Yoga Exercises on Failure on Kraus- Weber Tests.
Perceptual and Motor Skills: Volume 43 , Page 655 
 G. Kirkwood , H. Rampes , J. Richardson , “Yoga for anxiety: a systematic review of the
research evidence,” British journal of Sports Medicine , Vol 39 , No.12 , page 885 , 2005