Meditation really is one of the best ways to just "get away" when you can't jump on a plane and escape to Tahiti. I've always been a type-A personality, so as a result I've been intrigued by ways to take a break, relax, and center myself. As a law student, I found it even more important to take mental breaks and just simply tune out, rather than constantly "being on" and buzzing around from assignment to assignment without a real rest. I know some of you may also be thinking about the benefits of meditation, but you're not sure how to get into it. Here is some advice on how to incorporate meditation into your everyday life: (excerpt below courtesy of Mayoclinic.com in an article entitled "Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are")
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Everyday ways to practice meditation
Here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose. Take a few minutes or as much time as you like.
Breathe deeply. This technique is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function. Focus all attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When you feel your attention wander, gently return your focus to your breathing.
Scan your body. When using this technique, focus attention on different parts of your body. Become aware of your body's various sensations, whether that's pain, tension, warmth or relaxation. Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of your body.
Repeat a sacred name or phrase. A mantra is the name of a sacred deity or a sacred phrase that you repeat silently or aloud. You can create your own mantra. Mantras are the building blocks of transcendental meditation. Examples of religious mantras include a Jesus prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the Om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.
Walking meditation. Combining a walk with meditation is an efficient and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you're walking — in a tranquil forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall. When you use this method, slow down the pace of walking so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don't focus on a particular destination. Concentrate on your legs and feet, repeating action words in your mind such as lifting, moving and placing as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground.
Engage in prayer. Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others. Check the self-help or 12-step-recovery section of your local bookstore for examples. Talk with your rabbi, priest, pastor or other spiritual leader about resources.
Read or listen and take time to reflect. Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts silently or aloud, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on the meaning that the words bring to mind. You can listen to sacred music, spoken words or any music you find relaxing or inspiring. You may want to write your reflections in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.
Focus your love and gratitude. In this type of meditation, you focus your attention on a sacred object or being, weaving feelings of love and gratitude into your thoughts. You can also close your eyes and use your imagination or gaze at representations of the object.
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Just a note: I would encourage you to really think about the time of day when you can take some time to yourself to practice meditation and find out which meditation style works best for you. Even if you have to wake up a half hour earlier in the mornings, or turn off late night television and instead practice meditation, you will definitely feel the mental/psychological benefits after incorporating it into your daily lifestyle.
Stressed? Why Not Meditate?
Claiming Your Victory in Troubled Times
Living in New York City, I've noticed an increasing number of troubled faces, especially as of late. The economy has hit every city around the world on some catastrophic level, and the Big Apple has unfortunately endured a monster bite, leaving many New Yorkers miserable and wondering about their jobs, their finances, their families, their...everything! As a law student, I've noticed that some of my colleagues are concerned about the security of their law firm job offers here in New York City, since many firms here have unfortunately been negatively affected by the recession. For anyone who is worried about any particular issue and craves a more optimistic outlook, I would like to offer you a simple coin of wisdom: Claim your victory!
How exactly do you "claim victory", you ask? It's simple: it is a thought-processing mechanism that you consciously kick into gear from the moment you wake up in the morning until the moment you go to bed at night. Positively evaluate your self-confidence outside of your circumstances, rather than remain swallowed by your circumstances. Despite what the media or society may say, your victory and your perception of your victory is not at all attached to any particular monetary/relational/academic accomplishment - it is instead attached to your conceptualization of how YOU view yourself in whatever circumstance. Your perception of self has a key role to play in your daily comprehension and evaluation of situations and issues happening to you and around you. If you claim victory first thing in the morning - nothing can stop you. Your perspective on situations will 100% change once you speak confidence and joy into your mind and your life - fewer things will get on your nerves, you will have a calmer and more focused response to situations, and you will have a more peaceful mindset for planning and problem-solving. So don't forget to sprinkle in some "victory-talk" into your cup of joe tomorrow morning!
In light of being and feeling victorious, it is also necessary to be realistic about your life plans and always have a realistic "plan B" while also having strong faith in your "plan A" as well. If you find that it is very easy to give up when situations become challenging, I very much encourage you to simply consider those challenging situations as a test for you to challenge yourself to rise to a higher and more victorious level of thought life. One of the things that many people do not realize is that negative self-speak is one of the top reasons why people self-sabotage their dreams and ascent to the next level in whatever arena in their lives. If you have a particular goal for 2009, and you find yourself negatively speaking over something in your life, you should switch up your speech and start speaking victory, confidence and accomplishment over that issue instead, as if you know and believe that you will achieve that goal. "The Secret" tries to label this mental strategy as some sort of metaphysical secret knowledge that only successful and happy people know about and implement in their lives. What do I call it? Common sense for a more joyful, peaceful, and triumphant life! 
