The Maryland-based Institute for Well-Being in Law is dedicated to the betterment of the legal profession by focusing on a holistic approach to well-being. Among its many programs, for the benefit of law students at every one of the 199 accredited law schools across the U.S.,– including Harvard, Stanford and Yale–the institute is now delivering: “Meditation Mondays” — weekly online yoga sessions, led by Harpreet Sangha.
Meditation for Corporate Patrons
Harpreet led a month-long daily meditation challenge for our global team. More than 150 of our employees from 12 different countries (including US, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Philippines, Columbia, Dubai, Australia UK and many other European nations) joined these meditation sessions. … with 94% of participants indicating the effort underscored how [the company] “valued our people”. Additionally, there were reported benefits in stress relief, focus and productivity, work relationships, innovation and creativity, and overall morale for participants. Harpreet’s expertise in guiding meditations brought many of our employees the benefits of mindfulness and helped improve our working culture!”
I had never before practiced meditation before attending Harpreet’s sessions, and I was amazed by the immediate and profound effect it had in reducing my stress level and increasing my productivity!
Yoga, meditation and mindfulness sessions, as presented by Harpreet Sangha are:
a: User-friendly;
b: Fun (who knew a yoga instructor would use humour so felicitously?)
c: Thought-enhancing (I quote Harpreet several times a week, in surprising contexts), and;
d: Supremely helpful. The past three years have had their moments: COVID, family issues, (including the death of two of my brothers and everyday stresses that come with life in 2023. Yoga and meditation à la Harpreet has helped me navigate those stressful times with confidence and, oddly enough, acceptance. It’s more of an accomplishment than it sounds
Harpreet is the real deal. He received his certification in India, and he follows ancient, traditional teachings. His passion and enthusiasm for meditation are tangible when he shares his knowledge. Harpreet gives clear instructions and guidance in a voice that is so calming in itself. He is kind, thoughtful and very approachable. I highly recommend his sessions to anyone wishing to learn more about meditation or deepen their practice
Please avoid heavy meals before attending these sessions and for the best results have minimum 3-4 hours gap between your last meal and start of the session.
If you ask most people what comes to mind when they first think of yoga, they might respond by saying, “a person sitting in the lotus position, with the palms of their hands facing toward the sky.” There is good reason for this. But postures need not to be tough or hard to practice. Any pose which you can hold with comfort & stability is a posture. Proper postures (or asana, in Sanskrit) are hugely important for achieving mindfulness.
Our bodies are almost always in a state of restlessness. Endocrine glands secrete countless biochemicals called hormones; and their permutation and combination determine how you feel and, frequently, how you act. If you do not take charge of these secretions, they will take charge of you. Your body is the most essential tool for achieving your goals, but too many people default to letting their hormones rule and thus the body becomes an obstacle rather than a vehicle. The spirit might be willing but the hormones will rule. Therefore, it is very important to take mastery of the body.
Yoga, drawing upon thousands-year-old mystic knowledge, provides a tool—asanas—to channel those hormonal secretions and thus take control of your body. Once you’ve learned various asanas, you will feel a huge improvement in the way your body talks to you. Your body will have more respect for your mind. Your body will stop preventing you from achieving your goals and will instead become your accomplice in helping you to achieve these goals.
Therefore, practicing specific, prescribed asanas is essential in the practice of meditation. And despite all the various postures you see practitioners assume, they all share three points of focus: stability, comfort and balance.
Maintain stability, balance and comfort in your physical posture, and stability and composure of mind will follow.
चले वाते चलं चित्तं निश्चले निश्चलं भवेत् ।
योगी स्थाणुत्वम् आप्नोति ततो वायुं निरोधयेत् ॥
cale vāte calaṁ cittaṁ niścale niścalaṁ bhavet
yogī sthāṇutvam āpnoti tato vāyuṁ nirodhayet.
Translation: When breathing is unsteady, mind is also unsteady. But when the breath is steady, the mind attains steadiness. Then, one attains long and healthy life. Therefore, the yogi should practice Pranayama.
Breath is fuel for life. And like other fuels, the more refined it is, the more potent it becomes; yielding improved performance. The quality of your breath determines quality of your life. Pranayama (breathing exercises) fills your body with new energy. (Many brand new yoga students express surprise that simple breathing exercises turbocharge their well-being immediately!) As you develop more breath control you will find that your body and mind share this new energy, simultaneously. Your mind and breath are closely connected. As your breath is refined and your body filled with new vigour, you will feel negative thoughts, emotions and moods drain away. The more you train your breath to fuel your mind, the easier and more rewarding the practice will be.
We are all floating in an ocean of vibrations. Countless subtle vibrations across the entire universe control everything, including our bodies and mind. At the same time, we are all very tied tightly to our own egos. And hanging on to that ego—or false sense of control—inserts an almost insurmountable roadblock along the road to mindfulness. Through postures, breathing and meditation, you can learn to unleash your ego and resonate harmonically with all the vibrations around you. This state is called transcendence; and once you’ve achieved transcendence, you can tap into your limitless and fearless self. When you let go of your ego and cede yourself over to the bigger power outside the ego, you will find serenity. Immense inner reserves of energy open within you.