The Atlanta Lawyer June/July 2020 Vol. 19, No. 1 | Page 32
COMMUNITY
Nama-Stay
at Home
Insights on maintaining your practices imperfectly-perfectly during these
uncertain COVID times.
R. CHINNY LAW
Ramos Law Firm
[email protected]
Like many of you, my firm transitioned
to a virtual practice once COVID-19
became a national pandemic. We packed
up our computers and set up shop in our
homes. Two weeks into quarantine, all
boundaries between my work and home life
disappeared. My lifestyle became entirely
sedentary, void of in-person client meetings,
networking lunches, and bar association
functions. Meanwhile, my snacking habits
grew exponentially!
Sometime during week three, I caught a good
glimpse of myself in the mirror: a disheveled,
unshowered mess. The night before, I stayed
up late binge watching the Tiger King. That
morning, I rolled out of bed, drank two cups
of coffee, and began my “workday,” which
had no structure whatsoever. I had come
to my desk in my pajamas, mentally and
physically stagnant. I found myself slowly
walking through legal concepts and issues
that I had worked on for years and working
late into the evening. Without a doubt, I was
working hard, but I was also making things
harder for myself.
The honest truth was that I was not taking
good care of myself during a time when I
needed to be at my best. I handle workers’
compensation cases and proudly represent
Georgia’s working class. My clients hire me
in their greatest moments of crisis— when
they are injured and unable to work and
provide for their families. The pandemic
intensified their already difficult situations,
and they were looking to me for guidance. I
knew that I had to make a change, not only
for my clients, but also for myself and for my
family’s well-being.
Before the shelter-in-place orders, I practiced
yoga regularly at various metro-Atlanta
studios. I had learned about the boundless
benefits of yoga during college: mental clarity,
stress-relief, physical stamina, core strength,
increased endorphins, and the alleviation of
chronic pain. I decided to re-visit some yoga
videos online. To my surprise, I found that
many local studios, including YogaWorks,
were live streaming free classes on YouTube,
Zoom, and Instagram throughout the day.
Classes ranged anywhere from twenty
minutes to an hour, and it was easy to find
something that accommodated my workfrom-home
schedule.
One day, I set up a little corner in my house
and “attended” a yoga class. Afterwards,
I immediately felt better and sensed a
significant improvement in my mood. I felt
calmer, positive, and focused. Since then,
I have kept up with my home practice,
32 June/July 2020