One Eye Open, One Eye Closed – Addressing Personal & Planetary Health with Mindfulness
“One Eye Open, One Eye Closed” is a new 2026 series from the Mindfulness in Medicine initiative where seasonally we explore four different global crises one at a time: racism, climate emergency, a medical system in deep transformation, and societal polarizations. We tend to meet these extreme challenges with a sense of urgency not realizing this “hurrying up” may keep us in the very reactivity that might be causing some of the crises.
Mindfulness invites us to slow down and turn towards these crises with courage and compassion so that together we can digest overwhelming experiences, connect with hidden resources, and disentangle from systemic harms and biases that cloud our vision. As we better access our collective creativity, we may find we embody a larger capacity to meet the challenges ahead with both eyes open.
These sessions are open to anyone supporting rural healthcare. No experience in mindfulness is necessary. Each session will include some guided mindfulness practices, reflections from subject matter experts, and dialogue in small and large groups.
Spring session: Addressing Personal & Planetary Health with Mindfulness
Date: June 10, 2026, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Facilitators: Dr. Rahul Gupta with guests Margot Parkes and Bob Woollard
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Anyone supporting rural healthcare. No experience in mindfulness is necessary.
Location: Online via Zoom
Session Details: Each session will include some guided mindfulness practices, reflections from subject matter experts, and dialogue in small and large groups.
Overview: This session is for anyone serving rural healthcare in BC who cares about racial harmony, regardless of your skin colour. Please join us in exploring practices and reflections that help us turn towards our racial distress with strength and compassion, in community. Through better sensing the systemic forces at play within our bodies, hearts and minds, we will acknowledge their deep impact on the stories and ideas we carry. And in imagining a shared reality of true kinship, we contribute to healing and reconciliation.
“The times are urgent. Let us slow down”. – Bayo Akomolafe
Speaker Bios:
Dr. Rahul Gupta is a settler born on the lands of the Anishinaabe people and now lives and works on the ancestral and unceded lands of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations. He works as an integrative medical physician, professional coach, mindfulness instructor, and advocate for provider wellness. He also is a Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner and integrates trauma-sensitive approaches into all trainings. He has over 18 years of supporting healthcare providers and teams in cultivating compassionate self & situational awareness.
Registration: To register for the One Eye Open, One Eye Closed session, please complete the registration form below. A calendar invitation will follow within one week.
