Step by Step Meditation Instructions for Beginners

My name is Sonia Gallagher. I am the publisher of My Meditation Garden, a site that contains tons of information about meditation techniques and the benefits of meditation for the mind and the body in plain English... no religious mumbo jumbo included! While you are visiting the Meditation Garden don't forget to sign up for the Meditation Garden Newsletter to receive free guided meditations, meditation music, and meditation videos!

I am a recovering overachiever lawyer and professional, now devoting my time to meditation, online publishing, and my family. This website is my way of telling a story. It is the story of how meditation and the internet helped me find a new path in life, when it seemed like everything was falling apart.

I moved to the US from Puerto Rico when I was 8 to escape an abusive father, with my mother, brother and sister. I found a sense of peace and security, by burying myself in books. As a result, I received scholarships all the way through undergraduate school, law school, and legal studies abroad.

After I graduated from the University of Miami, I studied law at the University of Florida College of Law, the Universite de Droite de Montpellier (France), and the Universiteit Leiden (The Netherlands). I've worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the International Court of the Hague (Netherlands), and the National Institute of Health.

I also worked with the National Association of Women Judges in co-editing a bench book for the U.S. Supreme Court Justices on the application of International law on domestic hearings. I worked for a Chief Appellate Judge in South Florida and ran my own successful law practice for a few years.

During these years, I wrote weekly articles in print media outlets nationwide and appeared on a small local television station. To see pictures visit my photo gallery.

The stressful daily routine of being a lawyer resulted in me having back pains and migraines on a regular basis. I began to get massage therapy every month and became good friends with my massage therapist. She introduced me to Reiki and meditation. Since that point, I was hooked. I became attuned for Reiki and have been doing Reiki and meditating regularly ever since.

Although this helped somewhat, the demands of my career still weighed heavily on me. People don't tell you about the things that really go on in their field, because on some level they assume people will think less of them. Believe me when I tell you this is true about law. There were days when I cried on Sunday because I knew I would have to go back to the office on Monday. The browbeating that a young associate endures is a matter of mythical proportions in legal circles.

According to Michael Cohen, Executive Director of Florida Lawyers Assistance:

* 15-18% of attorneys will have substance abuse problem vs. 10% of general population.
* Over 1/3 of attorneys say they are dissatisfied and would choose another profession if they could.
* Attorneys have the highest rates of depression and suicide of any profession.

Doesn't really match up with what you see on Law and Order, Boston Legal, or Allie McBeal, right? (No dancing babies in real law!)

Eventually the stress of my profession crept into every area of my life. At the peak, I found out that my paralegal was working for another law firm, while still collecting her pay from me and neglecting some of her work. When a few things slipped through the cracks at the same time the economy crashed, I found myself at the center of three bar complaints and a lawsuit.

Any attorney can tell you that one bar complaint is a stressful event, much less three. Oh%u2026 and did I mention that this was all happening one month before my wedding!?! Fortunately, there was little or no merit to any of these, but believe me, that did not reduce the anxiety I was feeling at the time.

After I got married, I realized that the amount of stress that I faced on a daily basis was affecting my husband and my life as a married woman%u2026 and that I could just not accept! I was not even enjoying the happiness of being a newlywed and in love! I walked (actually ran) away from the practice of law happily and have dedicated my time now to learning and teaching others about meditation, all of its benefits, and all of the wonderful things it can do for you.

Aside from my intense interest in International and human rights law, I have always had a passion for psychology, self-growth, and the power and complexities of the mind.

I have a Bachelors in Psychology and had dream to become a doctor in psychology (which changed when I received a full ride to law school). Ironically enough, practicing law led me right back to my original passion%u2026 psychology, self-growth, and the power of the mind.

I am an analytical and sometimes skeptical person by nature (I was a lawyer for 5 years after all%u2026) which is why I developed this site to be an informative, instructive, and educational site that pushes you to think, to really think, not just read and browse through the posts. As painful as the Socratic method was during law school, I can tell you it definitely pushes you to think outside the box, question everything, and come up with ideas, results, and solutions that you never thought could exist.

While half of me is analytical and skeptical, (I could never do this site without meditating regularly myself), the other half is extremely spiritual and intuitive.

I have gained so much in my life in terms of peace of mind, quality of life, and just plain tranquility since I started meditating that I want to share this with you. I have practiced in one of the most stressful professions in the US if not Internationally for the past five years and can tell you from first- hand experience that the effects of stress can be absolutely horrible to your physical, emotional, and mental health, your social relationships, and most importantly your relationship with yourself.

This is exactly why I created my site (www.mymeditationgarden.com) and hope you will join and participate in our community. You do not have to be Buddhist to participate in this site. In fact, what I want most is to have participation from people of all religions and beliefs so we can have a variety of views and ideas about meditation.

I can't wait to meet you and hear your story!

More about me: I am recently married to the love of my life whom I met on the internet (www.match.com) and knew I would marry within the first 30 seconds of meeting. I kid you not, I knew I was home when I approached him in the parking lot of the restaurant where we met for our first date. He looks nothing like what I used to date and I look nothing like what he used to date. Good to see he came to his senses when he met me! He, he.

We live in South Florida with our beautiful girls, Destiny, our angelic dog, and Bella, our devilish cat.

I absolutely love traveling and one of my missions in life is to travel to as many places as possible. I am also passionate about books, wisdom, food, wine, and people.

Make sure to sign up for the Meditation Garden Newsletter to receive free guided meditations, meditation music, and meditation videos!

Sonia_Gallagher's Pages

• The Power Behind Theta Meditation
• The Proven Formula of Binaural Beats Mp3 Downloads
• How to Use Chakra Meditation Music for Doing a Great Chakra Tuning Meditation at Home
• The Key to a Successful Chakra Tuning Meditation That You Can Do Yourself
• The Easiest Meditation Techniques Practiced Around the World
• How to Find The Best Meditation CDs and MP3 Downloads in the Market for Cheap
• Achieving Lucid Dreaming for Beginners the Easiest and Fastest Way Possible
• Free Advice on How to do Meditation Easily and at Home
• The Most Popular Meditation Tools
• What are Spiritual DVD’s, Why Should I watch them, and Where can I get them?

See all of Sonia_Gallagher's pages