June 2021 Out of Office - How Yoga Made Me a Better Lawyer

by Andra B. Greene

When someone asks me what I do, I can honestly answer in either of the following two ways: (1) I have been a trial lawyer at Irell & Manella for thirty-five years, and served as the Newport Beach office’s managing partner for six years; and (2) I am a registered yoga instructor and teach classes over Zoom twice a week. The first answer conjures up an image of a hard driving, Type-A win-at-all-costs litigator. The second answer brings to mind a calm, centered person, flexible in both body and spirit. The images seem irreconcilable. How can a stressed-out lawyer also be a yoga teacher? I am here to tell you that the two roles are the perfect balance. In fact, my yoga practice has made me a better lawyer.

My yoga journey began on President’s Day in 2011, when I found myself speeding down the 405 freeway after a failed mediation (on a holiday no less). I felt completely overwhelmed. The demands of my caseload and managing our fifty-attorney office were taking their toll. I had no time for myself or my family. I knew I needed to find an outlet for my stress. Many people had suggested I try yoga and, as I raced down the freeway, I knew it was time to do something. My husband and I had just joined a golf club with a fitness center. I called the club from my car and asked desperately, “Do you have any yoga classes today?” Luck was with me: there was a class I could make that very evening.

Walking into that first class, I felt totally out of my element. When I enter a courtroom, I am prepared and in control. But in those first yoga classes, I was a total novice. I didn’t know a downward dog from a warrior 1. I didn’t even have a yoga mat, and I had no idea that one practiced yoga in bare feet. My discomfort was obvious, but the teacher was kind and made me feel right at home. Without judgment, she got me a mat, told me to take off my shoes, and explained the poses. My mind was still racing as a result of the mediation and I could not “be present” as the teacher instructed. I did not even know what that phrase meant. I had a difficult time lying still for the last pose (savasana or corpse pose). I kept thinking, I need to get back to work.

Despite this awkward introduction to yoga, something clicked. I decided to come back the next day. And then again and again. I bought a mat and appropriate clothes. I took a few private lessons with that welcoming teacher who taught me the philosophy behind yoga, its principles, and its history. I learned that yoga was not simply how much you could contort yourself: it was done to prepare for meditation. Yoga connects breath to movement, keeping the practitioner in the moment and focused. Unlike litigation, this mindset emphasizes not being attached to the outcome, and learning not to judge.

As time passed, yoga became increasingly important to my life. Indeed, in my last year as managing partner, I enrolled in yoga teacher training, and I earned my 200-hour yoga teacher certification. My own teacher laughed that I was her first student to record their time in 1/10 hour increments.

I loved what yoga did for my body. I became extremely flexible and could even do the splits and headstands. Always an avid exerciser, yoga made me stronger. But the most significant aspect of my yoga practice was how it affected me mentally and spiritually. I learned to actually be in the moment—not thinking about the past or what I had to do the next day. In other words, I finally understood what being “present” meant. I was able to control the negative self-talk that interfered with being present, or focusing on the task at hand. I became less judgmental, both with respect to myself and to others. As a lawyer, I was trained to think about the negative and always plan for the worst outcome, regardless of the likelihood. We were also taught that the outcome is everything, so I spent countless hours obsessing over whether I would win or lose. My daughter calls this “catastrophizing” and I excel at it. But as my yoga practice deepened, I did not fixate solely on the possibility of negative outcomes or dwell on remote possibilities. I also discovered that my self worth is not dependent on whether I won a particular motion. I learned to address what I could control and let go of what I could not. Slowly but surely, even as my law practice intensified, my stress level reduced.

How did this shift in mindset affect my legal practice? Was a calmer litigator a less effective litigator? Not at all. I can unequivocally say that I became a better, more focused lawyer as a result. I learned to concentrate on what I could control and not to waste time and energy on what I could not. For example, after submitting a brief, I used to worry endlessly over how the judge would rule. But as my yoga practiced deepened, I learned that obsessing over how the judge might rule until she did so was not useful or productive. I realized that my energy was better spent focused on what I can control. I can control the quality of a brief before we submit it to the court. Our team can spend its energy and resources preparing the best brief possible. I can also control the quality of my argument before the court. Preparation and practice are in my hands. Once the brief is submitted and the case argued, however, the result is out of my hands. Being unattached to the outcome doesn’t mean I did not care how the motion or trial turned out; it meant I could keep everything in the proper perspective. My stress level (and that of my team) is greatly reduced as a result.

February, 2021 was a milestone for me. It marked the tenth anniversary of my first yoga class. That date also marked the 100th Zoom yoga class I taught to the attorneys and staff at Irell since the pandemic began and our office went remote. I am pleased that the firm values the health and well-being of its employees. Yoga is a way for all of us to stay connected and lift our spirits. We can all be both unattached to outcomes and very good at what we do.

Andra B. Greene is a litigation partner emeritus at Irell & Manella LLP, where she heads the firm’s Class Action Defense Practice, and a yoga instructor on Zoom (for now). She can be reached at AGreene@irell.com.

Out of Office is an occasional column in which authors share ways to make life meaningful and fulfilling, during and outside of the practice of law.