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Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, Gwendolyn Payton, Seattle.

Gwendolyn Payton is a partner in the firm's complex commercial litigation practice and focuses on class actions, health care, and antitrust and trade litigation. Payton is also Kilpatrick Townsend's 2019 Mentor of the Year.

How often during the week do you work out? On average, six days a week.

At what time during the day or evening do you work out? My workout time varies depending on my schedule. It can be morning, noon, or evening. As a litigator, I need to stay flexible and always have a backup plan.

Gwendolyn Payton. Courtesy photo

What's your go-to routine? Explain in a few sentences, please. I am a yoga teacher. I teach a variety of classes, but my absolute favorite is on Friday nights where, for the last 10 years, I have taught yoga in the King County Jail. I get the privilege of sharing the beauty and challenge of yoga with 12 incarcerated men. I have also taught paddle board yoga on Salmon Bay in Seattle for the last eight years. I love experiencing yoga out in nature on the ocean. There is nothing more spirit-reviving than that!

How long does it take? My average class is 1.5 hours.

Why do you like this routine? I love the strength, power, grace and resilience that yoga brings to my life. The life of a litigator is stressful and unrelenting. Yoga brings everything back home for me.

What does regular exercise do for you? A regular yoga practice keeps me comfortable in my own body and resilient to the ups and downs of life and my law practice. Teaching incarcerated men reinstills in me the belief that yoga is a powerful tool to transform lives. In my Friday night classes at the King County Jail, when there are men who become regulars in my class, I often observe a profound shift in them. Not just what they can do physically, although that is certainly impressive, but a movement inward to a controlled, purposeful, nonreactive place. It is a privilege to be a small part of that shift.

How long have you been exercising regularly?  I cannot remember a time when I didn't, so I guess my whole life.

In what ways have you changed your routine over the months or years? When I first started practicing law more than 20 years ago, I took ballet class every day. As I have gotten older, I have moved away from that activity and moved toward yoga. I also love barre classes, which I also take regularly. When I am traveling (which is a lot), I usually go to a national barre class such as Pure Barre, Bar Method or Barre3. They are amazing classes, super-efficient, effective, and available all over the country.

How do you get convince yourself to work out when you don't want to? Honestly, exercising is such a part of my daily routine that it is rare for me to not want to work out unless I am dealing with an injury. Another thing that helps is that I set my schedule at the beginning of every week so I have a plan, and also have a backup plan. I really believe that if you set the intention of working out at the beginning of the week and set a plan in place, working out not only becomes a non-negotiable activity for you, it naturally becomes part of your daily routine.