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One Eye Open, One Eye Closed – Navigating Global Crises Together in Mindful Relationship
“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.
Winter Session: Mindfulness in Support of Racial Healing
Date: February 24, 2026, 5:00pm-6:30pm
Facilitators: Dr. Rahul Gupta with guests Harley Eagle & N’alaga O’Brien
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.
.jpg "N'alaga (Avis O'Brien)")
N’alaga (Avis O’Brien) is a Haida and Kwakwaka’wakw artist and consultant specializing in practices of decolonization through land-based healing practices, cedar bark weaving, and a lifetime of experience as a Haida & Kwakwaka’wakw woman navigating the world. N’alaga has dedicated years to preserving her cultural teachings by continuing the work of her ancestors and creating safe spaces for Indigenous people to learn, heal, and reclaim empowered states of being. N’alaga offers trauma sensitive, culturally safe processes for suicide and relapse prevention through an Indigenous lens.
Harley Eagle is Indigenous of Dakota and Ojibway ancestry, originally from Saskatchewan. He has been a long-time resident of BC, living with his family at different times for over 25 years on Vancouver Island. Recently, Harley and his family have moved back to his homeland and now live in Treaty 6 Territory in Saskatoon, SK. He is an Indigenous Cultural Safety consultant who facilitates workshops and sessions that explore and build a foundation of understanding that includes an Indigenous perspective on Colonization, Addressing Systemic Racism and Trauma-Informed Practice. He also consults with many organizations across several societal sectors to strengthen their Indigenous Cultural Safety capacity.
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.
