Mindfulness can be achieved by anyone. The practice of mindfulness is a purposeful way to approach your day to day tasks: this mindset can reduce stress and enhance the joy experienced in daily life. When someone is aware of their thoughts and the things happening around them, they are considered to “present”. This act of being “present” is one of the many ways individuals can be mindful in their lives. It brings focus to the current moment and can reduce unnecessary stress and encourage happiness in daily life.
The Program for Integrative Medicine offers mindfulness courses to the entire Boston Medical Center Community. We have offered trainings to clinicians, administrators, support services, residents, medical students and patients. Created from a hospital-wide initiative, this program is a safe space for BMC to practice mindfulness and provides them with the tools needed to continue their mindful practices, on their own time, once the course ends.
This 8-week course offers BMC practitioners an opportunity to better understand how mindfulness can enhance their work-life experience, as well as the importance of self-awareness and mindful communication. Participants attend 8-weekly courses that cover the following topics:
- The Present Moment
- Perception
- Self-Awareness and Appreciation
- Stress Manifestation and Relief
- Responding to Stress at Work
- Mindful Communication
- Self-Care
- Modeling and Leading with Mindfulness
In addition to the 8-week courses, we also offer digital drop-in meditations, department lectures and workshops, weekly online “mindful moments”, and other opportunities for our community to engage in mindful practices.
Since the launch of the Mindfulness program in January 2019, more than 100 Boston Medical Center employees have participated. Participants range from a variety of departments, including: Boston University Medical Group, Human Resources, Boston HealthNet, Family Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Pharmacy, and many more.
In the practice of mindfulness, there is no judgement. Everyone who participates in being mindful will show it in different ways. Acts of mindfulness can include physical activities such as yoga or completing a body scan meditation. Focused breathing exercises and meditation are ways to reduce stress in daily life, and can be completed nearly anywhere.
The Mindfulness program at BMC is an opportunity to develop self-compassion. We each tend to be our own worst critic, often forgetting to reset our thoughts and be present in the moment. This program seeks to offer our community ways to find comfort and acceptance in ourselves in every aspect of our life.
Practicing mindfulness is a powerful tool to restore focus, enhance the joy in life and reduce stress. The following are examples of how to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life:
- Pay attention to your breath, noticing what it feels like every time you breathe in and out.
- Take 60 seconds to sit in a quiet place and think about 3 things you are grateful for.
- Follow a short mindfulness meditation.
Video Meditations
For more information, please feel free to contact us at mindfulness@bmc.org.
Opportunities for Calm and Connection
As BMC moves towards a more virtual presence, the Mindfulness Program will be offering opportunities for our community to breathe and connect via Zoom. After each practice, we will have opportunities for check-in’s and conversation. Each drop-in below has the appropriate Zoom link to tune in. Participants are free to join and leave at any point during these offerings.
Minimum Requirements: Cell Phone, Tablet, or Computer with internet access. Ideally, streaming from a quiet place to practice where you can listen with ease. Each facilitator will be using Video Conferencing and recommend, whenever possible, to ensure that you can visually see the facilitator, particularly for the Virtual Gentle Mindful Movement practices. We will mindfully guide you through Zoom techniques to connect with the practice and your colleagues.