We recently had the opportunity to host biking and yoga at the OTA Annual Meeting for the 12th time! I look forward to these wellness activities every year because they provide another opportunity to drive the message that we must take care of ourselves.
Yoga sometimes gets a bad name in medicine because it can represent a wellness activity handed down by administration to check a box, without addressing the realities of practicing medicine.
But that’s not why SurgeonMasters does it.
The intention is to create space to be mindful, breathe, step away from the demands of the grind, and spend time together. The real power is in the recovery and connection.
I’ve come to believe that wellness isn’t found in one particular activity or place. Exercise can create space for recovery and wellness, but the connection we experience with other people can be just as important to our mental and emotional well-being.
That is also part of the power of physician coaching.
Coaching creates something physicians often have very little of: time and space to think reflectively. It provides a confidential relationship where you can slow down, reflect, explore what matters, and consider what you want to do next.
And just as no single activity creates wellness, there isn’t one place where we find connection and space.
It might be a bike ride.
A yoga class.
A conversation with a colleague.
Time with family.
A coaching conversation.
Or simply a few quiet minutes to yourself.
I encourage you to consider:
- What do you need right now?
- Where do you find connection?
- Where do you create the space to think?
Finding those spaces and making room for them can be an important part of building a sustainable life in medicine.

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