Sonia Gallagher on HubPages

Hi there! I'm Sonia Munoz Gallagher. I'm a recovering overachiever lawyer, now dedicated full-time to meditation, online publishing, and my family. My meditation garden is my way of making meditation accessible to everyone. 

In my meditation garden, I speak of different types of meditation techniques, ways in which meditation can solve common problems, and all of the benefits of meditation... in plain English.  My meditation garden 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 in Europe.

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 gave me constant back pains and migraines. 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.

Did you know that 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; and attorneys have the highest rates of depression and suicide of any profession. The Florida Bar.

Incredible statistics huh?

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.

The lawsuit never progressed and the complaints were dismissed for being baseless. Still, it all wore on me and made me realize that I was just not happy practicing law.

Life is too short to spend the majority of it working in something you do not enjoy. I have now created my meditation garden to share the wonders, ease, and benefits of meditation with everyone in an easy and accessible manner.

I hope you find My Meditation Garden useful and enjoyable and that you make the Garden yours! Make sure to visit often and leave comments. The Garden is all about community! I look forward to hearing from you!

Make sure to join me on Google Friend Connect. You can sign up on My Meditation Garden on the right hand tool bar now!

Also, if you are new or curious about meditation, I prepared the Free 5 Day Meditation Course with exactly you in mind. Make sure to sign up today!