How mindfulness has impacted me in both life and medicine

With mindfulness becoming a more popular topic of discussion in conversations about wellness and self-care across the U.S., it can be helpful to understand what it is and what it can look like in our daily lives. In many parts of the world, mindfulness is part of the culture and lifestyle, rather than something we practice for only 10 minutes a day.

I have been practicing mindfulness meditation since 2010. As I found many benefits to the practice, I began going to immersive meditation retreats to deepen my practice and understanding of the mind. I began teaching mindfulness practices in 2015.

In a time rampant with technological discoveries and fast-moving lifestyles, we can be inundated with news headlines, messages and social media alerts. As mindfulness has become more commercialized, I fear that its meaning and practice will become diluted, as mindfulness isn’t always presented in a way that represents its sacredness and meaning.

However, mindfulness is something we can and should be reminded to come back to. It helps human beings live fuller lives.

Mindfulness is a conscious, non-judgmental and gentle awareness of the mental, physical and spiritual phenomena that arises in the body. It is an acceptance of the present moment without analyzing, intellectualizing or resisting what is. A more astute definition by Siddhartha Gautama is to “experience with comprehension,” meaning to understand things as they truly are without creating your own projections.

Mindfulness is traditionally practiced sitting down in a lotus position because it is the most comfortable position for many practitioners. However, mindfulness does not necessarily need to be experienced within this position. Often, as people practice mindfulness more frequently, it becomes the foundation of their thoughts, and they begin to experience life with more care and intention.

During mindfulness practice, we bring our awareness to our breathing, internally focusing on the rising and falling of the abdomen. One yogi once told me it was because our breath is our constant while we are alive, and our experience of the breath is something that is true and real in that moment.

Benefits of mindfulness

There are multiple benefits of mindfulness. To my understanding, when one is more aware of themselves and their surroundings, they learn more about who they are. This awareness aligns us to a higher version of ourselves.

One benefit of mindfulness is that it helps us make healthier choices. A 2023 study showed that after an eight-week mindfulness program, participants with hypertension were more aware of their eating patterns. After the program, these participants showed improvement in their dietary preferences, which is significant, as diet affects blood pressure. Bringing mindfulness into our eating habits and daily life can greatly improve our health outcomes.

A review article published by Frontiers in Psychology analyzed high-quality studies on the effects of mindfulness in physicians as well. While mindfulness does not solve all the problems in medicine that have led to high rates of burnout, the review found that mindfulness can decrease burnout and increase physician compassion, while decreasing moral injury.

I am wary to make an umbrella statement that short-term mindfulness practice would help all health care workers who are suffering from burnout. However, I believe it can be beneficial to many. In my opinion, mindfulness is among the many interventions that can help us move toward a health care system that is more supportive of all health care professionals, including physicians.

Holding space throughout the day for mindfulness while working through emergent situations can help physicians interact more compassionately and decisively. It can allow physicians to view situations more objectively, with the goal of collaborating to improve health care outcomes. Furthermore, physicians may find greater meaning and purpose throughout their career with this new foundation.

During one of my residency orientation sessions, one clinician stressed the importance of humility as we advance in our medical training. Humility allows us to learn through the lens of openness, such that we will not place our own preconceptions or judgment toward a situation. In the practice of mindfulness, one may notice enhanced feelings of curiosity and connection, as we realize that the many facets of our lives are interconnected, and one does not exist without the other.

Curiosity gives birth to intellectual flexibility, as we can hold many thoughts, perspectives and understandings at once. It also allows us to be open to new experiences and opinions, which can cultivate our creativity while showing us areas where we can improve. From this, we can enter dialogues with an intention to understand and connect, rather than demoralize, blame or project our past experiences onto another.

Bringing mindfulness into your life

Mindfulness is an inner journey filled with lessons and revelations. In my experience teaching mindful meditation and breath work, some of the things I’ve noticed in others over time are increased insight and a life filled with greater meaning and joy. Many of those who find meditation have come from various walks of life: war survivors, those in cancer remission and therapists, among others. Guided meditations have helped open their inner awareness. A few guided meditations that I recommend include the Empath Meditation for Cleansing and Clearing your Energy and this relaxing walk-through.

For those who wish to start a mindfulness practice, resources such as Mindful offer guidance. Setting a timer for a period of time is more beneficial to this practice than checking a phone or clock, as it interrupts the mindful practice. For iPhones, I use this timer app as it does not contain ads and you can set the timer to ring in various increments if you wish for a continuous practice.

Mindfulness can be done anywhere and anytime. In the beginning, you may feel hyperactive, hyper-stimulated by the environment and your thoughts, and filled with doubt. Yet, like going to the gym, you don’t go once and expect to gain large muscle mass. Over time, you will cultivate a more mindful state of being through consistent and sincere practice.

Related reading:

Making time for the little joys of life amid the bustle of medicine

How I boxed my way through boards