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Physical, spiritual, career & intellectual, social, and emotional. These are the pillars of well-being highlighted by IWIL, especially during Well-being Week in the Law.

I first learned about the pillars of wellness when I began my personal wellness journey in 2020. After taking my first vacation in a decade in February of that year, I returned home to mandatory lockdowns and remote work. As part of my organization’s well-being efforts, we were offered a cash incentive for health coaching, and I took it! My coach had me work on a wellness wheel, which is an exercise where you measure yourself based on “spokes,” each representing a pillar of well-being. The goal is to have a well-balanced wheel so it can “run” smoothly. I realized, based on my habits at the time, that my wellness wheel could use some fine-tuning. It was time for me to focus on physical well-being, among other pillars. This realization led me to Tai Chi, and subsequently to Qigong, and then to Stephanie Lewis.

Meet Stephanie Lewis

Stephanie is the co-president of the Mindfulness in Law Society and founder of LiveWellFlow. When faced with a period of burnout and needing “something in [her] life that would lead [her] to be more grounded and less stressed,” Stephanie engaged in a lot of exploring and travel, after which she came to a Tai Chi practice. That Tai Chi practice led her to Qigong. The gentle movements of her Qigong practice were also similar to exercises her doctor had given her to help resolve vertigo. She retired as a practicing lawyer in 2024 and has since transitioned to supporting wellness practices for herself and others.

I discovered Qigong when Stephanie led a program at the start of the 2025 IWIL Conference, after I found Tai Chi in the summer of 2024. Stephanie calls Tai Chi a cousin of Qigong. Both practices are gentle movements designed, according to Stephanie, to promote a “life force balance, inner harmony, and healing.”

In a recent conversation we had about her journey to a regular Qigong practice, Stephanie noted that these practices are both healing practices, as “anything that calms the nervous system is engaging in a healing practice.”
While Stephanie’s journey to mindfulness and Qigong started from a health perspective, and my journey to Tai Chi and Qigong started with a need to pay better attention to my body, there has also been a general shift in the legal profession. Stephanie speculates that some of this may be a natural evolution of generational shifts: newer lawyers and law students appear to have a better understanding of overall well-being issues, and there is an increased interest in supporting well-being through practices like Qigong across the legal profession.
Not only do we now have better research data surrounding the benefits of well-being practices, but it is also essential for organizations of all sizes to be mindful of the well-being of their attorneys and legal professionals, so that they can benefit from retaining the talent in their offices.

Benefits of Qigong

Stephanie pointed out that the practice is multidimensional: it encompasses not only movement but also breathwork, visualization, and even self-massage. There are various ways to engage in your new Qigong practice, and there is something for everyone.

Remember, there is no such thing as perfection in the practice. As Stephanie told me, each of us is on a different part of our own wellness journey. If you take this on, you will always be learning and deepening your practice. Stephanie said, “There is always more you are getting out of the practice in both form and practice.”

That is true if you have practiced Qigong for 2 minutes, 2 hours, 2 months, or 2 decades.

So, while I am so not a morning person, I have been very happy to join Stephanie Lewis’s early Sunday morning Qigong sessions, which she leads every other week on Zoom with a community of practitioners from 8:30-9:20 am ET. It is open to beginners and experts alike. I asked Stephanie why it is so early, and she pointed out

Practicing early is recommended for a number of reasons. It is a great way to start the day, both physically and emotionally. You start the day more centered and grounded. And you’ve given the body an opportunity to move, stretch, improve circulation, and loosen the joints. Conscious breathing as part of the practice can help you breathe more efficiently. The slow, rhythmic movements can also help calm your nervous system. In other words, you are starting the day with greater calm and more vitality. And you are more likely to be consistent in your practice if you do it before the day’s distractions take hold.

Many Qigong teachers say that an ideal practice would be between 5 am and 7 am. (This is at least partially rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine theory.) Everyone’s life is structured differently and changes with the seasons of their life. The best practice is the practice that you can do.

What’s more, in accordance with this year’s theme of the Social RX, the biweekly practice supports several pillars of well-being simultaneously—you are working to regulate your emotions, mind, spirit, body, and social engagement. Not bad for one awesome practice!

Be Part of the Well-Being Movement

Want to catch up on this session and more from the 2025 Annual Conference? Join IWIL today as a member for full access to recorded sessions, workshop materials, well-being resources, networking opportunities, and more.

About the Author

Amy L. Kurlansky, has served as the Reference Librarian at the Hamilton County Law Library since March 2018. Prior to her work at the Law Library, Ms. Kurlansky practiced law for over 20 years, focusing her practice primarily on helping families, especially on behalf of survivors of childhood and elder abuse. 

Ms. Kurlansky is a proud member of the IWIL Catalyst team which augments her work on the CBA Health & Well Being Committee and the OSBA Wellness Community.