Through practicing mindfulness, we may restore a sense of connection and agency to act in our collective best interest. We mobilize foundational capacities for inhabiting complexity, together.

Other potential benefits include:

• Mitigating symptoms of exhaustion & isolation
• Recognizing and responding differently to internal biases
• Better tolerating uncertainty, change and complexity
• Perceiving self & others with more clarity & compassion
• Improving communication and decision-making skills
• Accessing personal creativity and adaptability

RCCbc is supporting 1-2 MBSR virtual programs per year for rural providers (MD, NP and midwives).

Dates: 8 weekly sessions, 2 hours long during the weeknight and a day-long retreat on the weekend. The full day retreat is generally from 9:00-4:30 pm.

Cost: The program is free offered through support from RCCbc.

Eligibility: Healthcare providers (MD, NP, midwives) who live and or practice in rural BC.

Location: Online via Zoom

Registration: Dates TBA for Fall 2026

Accreditation: The course is also accredited for up 23.5 Mainpro+ credits, which are based on the number of sessions you attend.

Attending all classes and committing to regular practice will ensure full benefit to the program. Missing 1-2 classes is work-able if necessary. Following completion of this program, providers are welcome to join a provincial community of practice that meets monthly.  

• What is considered a BC rural community? It is one defined within the framework of an RSA (Rural Service Area), where eligibility for the Rural Practice Subsidiary Agreement is determined based on the level of isolation. You can refer to the RSA Communities List for more details.

• Is this program accredited? Yes, this program is accredited for 23.5 Mainpro+ credits, which are based on the number of sessions you attend.

• What is the anticipated size of the group? We anticipate that the size of this cohort will be around 15 people, with a maximum capacity of 20 registrants.

• I currently practice in a rural community but reside in an urban setting. Can I still register? Yes, individuals who serve rural communities in BC are eligible to register for this program.

• What is included in the full-day course?  The full-day program provides an opportunity to integrate all of the various practices and ideas we will exploring. Past participants often name it as the highlight of the course.

“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.

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

Registration: Please register here or below. A calendar invitation will follow within one week.

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. This session will include some guided mindfulness practices, reflections from subject matter experts, and dialogue in small and large groups.

“The times are urgent. Let us slow down”. – Bayo Akomolafe

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 Shishalh and Squamish People. 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 of his trainings. He has over 18 years experience of supporting physicians and healthcare teams in cultivating compassionate self & situational awareness.