RACHEL WOHL: MANAGING BOARD MEMBER, AT-LARGE

MINDFUL LEADERS IN THE LAW: An interview with Rachel Wohl

By Christopher J. Lhulier

Welcome to the March 2022 edition of the Mindful Leaders in the Law interview series. This month I had the opportunity to interview MILS managing board member Rachel Wohl. I talked to Rachel about her accomplished career as a mediator (as well as a meditator) and conflict resolution teacher. Rachel also shared her path of reconnecting with her Jewish roots through the exploration of Jewish mysticism, mindfulness, meditation and community service. She also provided her “go to” mindfulness practice when she doesn’t have time for an extended sit. Many thanks to Rachel for sharing her fascinating life experiences with the MILS community.

Q: How did you begin practicing meditation and mindfulness? 

A: In 1993, I had an epiphany about wanting a spiritual dimension in my life. I made a decision that if anything in that realm called to me, I would check it out. I took an eight week “Awakening” course taught by a woman teaching meditation through a Hindu lineage. I loved learning to channel energy through my chakras to do a “bliss” meditation practice.  

In 1995, I saw an ad for a “Jewish Meditation Conference” in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It occurred to me that I was a Jewish (non-observant) meditator, but I had no idea what “Jewish Meditation” might be. It seemed to call to me, so I went. I was very moved by the Hebrew chanting and other Jewish mystical practices. I felt a deep resonance. 

So, I signed up for a two-year Jewish Meditation program, at a new-age Jewish camp in the foothills of the Catskills, called “Elat Chaiyyim” (A Grove of Trees of Life). It was structured around two weeks of silent meditation each year, one in January and one in June, and a buddy system between retreats to check-in about challenges with our meditation practices, as well as check-ins with our teachers. 

Most of my teachers had been Buddhists for many years and had returned to their Jewish roots. They included Rabbi David Cooper, author of the best-selling book “God is a Verb: the Practice of Mystical Judaism,” Rabbi Jeff Roth, author of “Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life,” Rabbi Sheila Weinberg, author of “Surprisingly Happy: An Atypical Religious Memoir“ and Zen Priest Norman Fischer, who has published many books of poetry and prose. 

In addition to Jewish mysticism, the central meditation practice they taught was sitting and walking mindfulness meditation. I loved learning to be in the power and wonder of the present moment. I went on to participate in well over 20 silent retreats that greatly deepened my practice. 

Q: In addition to being a longtime meditator, you have also had an accomplished career as a mediator. Is it true that you had an insight while meditating that eventually led to the development and growth of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) all across Maryland? 

A: Yes. I was working as a litigator and as I expanded my awareness, I realized I didn’t like fighting every day. I decided to make a shift from litigation into mediation, which I find a more creative and powerful method of conflict resolution. (As you read this, please look for the “t”s that distinguish mediation from meditation. Even Google gets confused!). 

I took several mediation courses, and enjoyed mediating as a volunteer community mediator, but was saddened to realize that there was no way for me to support myself working as a mediator in Maryland in 1996. Only a handful of mediators were able to support themselves, and they were all training mediators as well as working as mediators.  

So, while continuing to litigate, I began a repetitive “contemplative meditation” practice. It consists of taking a question into a meditative state, posing the question to oneself, and listening internally for answers to arise. When an answer arises that seems meaningful, the practice is then to question that answer. What does it really mean? What’s behind it? Over time, the practice takes you deeper and deeper to plumb your own inner wisdom. 

I spent a whole summer asking myself the same questions. “What would I do if I could do anything? What’s my heart’s desire?” The answer that finally clicked for me as an “ah ha” was to expand the field of ADR in Maryland, and then determine what role I could play in the ADR community.  

So, in 1997, I made a proposal to Maryland’s Chief Judge ( same as “Chief Justice” elsewhere), the Honorable Robert M. Bell, to create an ADR Commission to explore how to use creative conflict resolution processes in Maryland’s courts and in its schools, neighborhoods, government agencies, criminal and juvenile justice programs, and the business community. Judge Bell liked my proposal and hired me to create and direct the Maryland Judiciary's ADR Commission, a statewide multi-disciplinary 40-member group, he appointed and chaired. 

We conducted a statewide collaborative process, involving approximately 700 people over 1.5 years, to create an action plan, called “Join the Resolution.” I became the founding director of the Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), to implement the action plan. My office, a wonderful crew of angels, became a grantor agency, awarding $2 million per year out of the Judiciary’s budget to support conflict resolution programs across the state in courts, schools, criminal and juvenile justice programs, community mediation centers and more. We loved the work and greatly expanded the field…and MACRO continues to do so to this day. 

Q: Can you briefly describe the practical mindfulness course for conflict resolution professionals (as well as others), that you teach at Pepperdine Law School? 

A: Since 2006, law professor and conflict resolution scholar, Len Riskin, and I have taught a 2.5 day course, “Mindfulness in the Heat of Conflict,” at Pepperdine Law School Straus Institute for Conflict Resolution’s annual Professional Skills Program. Len and I devised a process called “Taking STOCK,” that expands on Jon Kabot Zinn’s STOP exercise, a basic mindful pause exercise. 

We added to the pause process: setting and checking-in on intentions, and strategizing about what to do next. We teach mostly lawyers, judges and mediators how to integrate the expanded mindful pauses into their work, using mediation and other role play situations. We also teach our students secular mindfulness meditation, contemplative meditation and loving kindness practice. It’s a very interactive class and it’s fun to teach. 

Len and I wrote an article explaining what we teach in detail. If you are interested, you can find it in the Harvard Law School Conflict Resolution Journal, Vol. 20, Spring 2015. 

Q: You are involved in the Jewish Renewal movement. Can you tell us about your training as a jewish meditation teacher and some of the principles of that practice? 

A: After taking 3 of the two-year courses described above at Elat Chaiyyim, which included 12 weeks of wonderful silent retreats, I was invited by some of my teachers to take the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s “Jewish Meditation Teacher Training,” which was also a two-year course. 

The course, which included 4 week-long retreats, helped me go more deeply into studying the wisdom of Jewish mystics, like the Baal Shem Tov and Reb Nachman of Bratzlav. It deepened my understanding of practices like Hebrew chanting and various forms of Jewish meditation, such as “hitbodedute” which involves going alone out into nature and talking non-stop, and leading guided meditations, often using interpretations of the weekly Torah portions as inspiration. 

The core Jewish mystical belief is that “there is nothing but God,” sometimes referred to as Ein Sof, which means “endlessness” or Echod, meaning “oneness.” There are many Jewish mystical practices, including mindfulness meditation and embodying the siferot (essence qualities) of the Tree of Life, that can serve as pathways to experiencing glimpses of oneness, or connectedness to all that is, or seeing the divine in all beings. Glimpses because endlessness or oneness is infinite and ultimately unknowable. 

My personal practice includes a daily morning Jewish gratitude practice, some form of meditation and participation in a Jewish Renewal community of practice called the East Bank Havurah. 

This topic is much larger and more complex than I can describe here. For those interested in learning more, I included the titles of books written by my teachers above, and here are two informative websites: jewishspirituality.org, awakenedheartproject.org.

Q: It seems like you value giving back to the community. How has mindfulness been a part of the community service you’ve done? 

A: Being “of service” is very important to me. As a Jew, doing “tikkun olam“ (repair of the world) is a moral obligation, and I find the most interesting people are those involved in doing good of some sort. Having fun is important to me and doing good is often fun. 

I serve on the Board of the Baltimore Community Mediation Center and have taught mindfulness for mediators, on a volunteer basis, at centers around the state. For mediators, as for lawyers, being present, calm, focused and listening deeply are necessary skills. I also teach mindfulness meditation to judges at both the Maryland Judicial College and the New Trial Judges Orientation program. All of the above dovetail with MILS’ mission to contribute to creating a more humane legal system, with less suffering. 

I also work on a national initiative called “Democracy, Politics and Conflict Engagement” (D-PACE). We help social activists build their conflict resolution capabilities. For activists working for positive change, it can be easy to burn out and lose the focus and creativity needed to accomplish the mission. It can also be difficult to embrace fear and use that energy to be courageous. Because it’s so needed in this context, I co-wrote a section of the D-PACE Conflict Literacy Framework on mindfulness for activists. 

I also volunteer to coach individuals who either want to start or restart a meditation practice. Likewise, I volunteer to do an intuitive form of somatic meditation to bring some relief to individuals who are experiencing illness and physical pain.  

Q: Has being of service to others had an affect on your own personal growth? 

A: Absolutely. I always learn when I teach a class or work with people individually. I ask for feedback while I am engaged to customize what I teach or do to be as useful as possible.  

I find being deeply mindfully engaged with others enriching on many levels. There’s a physical and spiritual energy exchange that is often healing for me…especially when there’s laughter. 

Lately, I’ve been trying (emphasis on “trying”), to view aging as a process of gradually becoming our best selves, and I find sharing mindfulness really helpful in that regard. 

Q: Do you have a “go to” mindfulness practice for those days when you do not have time to do a formal sitting? 

A:  Belly breathing! I highly recommend it for changing your state of being for the better. If I want to up-regulate (increase my energy level), I focus on the in-breath. To down-regulate (reduce stress), I focus on the out-breath. 

Q: Do you have a favorite quote or expression that reminds you of why mindfulness and wellbeing are priorities in your life? 

A: Several. I especially like simple ones like “No mud, no lotus,” “This too shall pass,” and “Hold yourself lightly.”