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