After decades as a successful trial attorney, traveling all over the United States and abroad while representing clients in high profile lawsuits, Bill Dorigan realized that the stress in his life was simply unacceptable. Bill felt “out of balance.” Despite his regular participation in a variety of athletic endeavors, including the running of marathons and participation in martial arts, Bill felt that something was missing.
In 1998 a close friend introduced Bill to yoga and, slowly but surely, Bill found his life moving into a healthy balance of work, family, recreation and relaxation. As part of that process Bill undertook a Masters’ program in Human Development at St. Mary’s University (Minnesota), studying behavior, meditation, creativity and philosophy. He received his M.A. in 2005. In addition to his graduate work, Bill immersed himself in the study of Anusara Yoga, traveling regularly to study with Anusara’s founder, John Friend, as well as Dr. Douglas Brooks, one of the world’s foremost scholars on Yoga, and also finding senior Anusara teachers both locally and nationally with whom to study. Bill has been teaching yoga since 2002 and received his Anusara certification in 2007.
Bill believes that the habits learned through yoga offer a path for transformation to a happier life. The yoga poses teach habits that work off the mat to deepen relationships, whether personal or in the workplace. Yoga teaches us to open to the world around us, allowing us to observe what life is offering. We learn to listen to others. We learn to listen to ourselves. How does yoga do this? In order to find balance in the poses, we have to learn the proper balance of hugging energy into the body, finding the midline, and then extending back out to complete the pose. Similarly, in life we learn to not only open to others, but to listen to them, to pay attention to what is going on around us and draw it inside for consideration. We learn to find the midline inside ourselves, assimilating and considering what we’ve absorbed and then finding an artful, kind and productive way of responding – reaching back out. In this process we learn to use the breath to slow down our mind while we find the most balanced response to any situation. In relationships, finding this balance, this midline, can make the difference between deepening a relationship and destroying it. In the business world, finding this balance can mean keeping or losing a valued employee, partner, or client.
The habits learned from a yoga practice can be employed in every moment of our lives to provide a happier, more productive and meaningful life.
Bill has now combined his unique background as a successful trial attorney, highly-qualified yoga instructor, and graduate studies in human development to create Finding The Midline, Ltd. a company focusing on helping individuals, businesses and other organizations find balance. For information on how Finding The Midline might be of help to you or your business or organization, please contact Bill directly at by clicking here.
