Welcome to our new “Wellness Series,” a new series that provides tips on how to stay balanced and manage stress in a busy ophthalmic practice. In this first article in our series, Christine Lapointe discusses how to bring meditation into a clinical setting to ease patient anxiety, along with her personal journey with meditation.
When I ask people if they meditate, I usually get 1 of 2 responses. The most common is, “I can’t do that—I can’t sit still for a minute.” The other response is, “Yes, I do it every day, and it’s changed my life in so many ways.”
Here’s the truth: meditation doesn't require sitting cross-legged in silence or clearing your mind of every thought. At its core, meditation is simply a tool—a way to create space within ourselves and return to a "rest and digest" state of being.
Many people carry preconceived notions about what meditation is. Some associate it with religion or a certain lifestyle. But meditation, at its heart, is about health and well-being. It’s a practice accessible to everyone, regardless of background or beliefs.
Meditation is Not One-Size-Fits-All
There are many different types of meditation. From mindfulness and transcendental meditation to loving-kindness (Metta), mantra, and Vipassana, each offers unique benefits and methods. Personally, I practice mindfulness and Metta meditation. These practices help center me, reduce stress, and cultivate compassion. They also help me in how I choose to react in my every day interactions with people, helping me achieve my work and personal goals with much less stress.
And meditation isn’t limited to sitting still. Breathwork, mantras, visualizations, and even walking can all be powerful meditative tools. There’s truly something for everyone.
Why Talk About Meditation in a Medical Setting?
Because it works—and it’s especially relevant to our patients.
Meditation has been shown to offer a wide range of physical and mental health benefits1, including:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Improved focus and emotional regulation
- Lower blood pressure
- Enhanced sleep quality
- Strengthened immune function
Now think about the average patient walking into a health care office. Many are already anxious. They are sick or in Ophthalmology have something wrong with their eyes, their vision or both. They are already in fear of losing their vision. Many patients cannot sit still simply to have eye drops placed in their eyes. A significant number of Ophthalmology patients are older and on many medications, especially for blood pressure. Now tell that same patient they need surgery—or that they’ll be getting an injection in the eye—and the nervous system kicks into high alert. Fight or flight mode is activated.
Their blood pressure spikes. They stop fully listening. Confusion sets in. After surgery, they remain anxious, which can lead to elevated blood pressure, poor sleep, and a misunderstanding of post-op instructions.
A Simple Solution With a Powerful Impact
What if we could offer patients a few basic meditation techniques—before an appointment, before surgery, or even post-op? What if a few deep breaths or a simple calming mantra could help them shift into a parasympathetic “rest and digest” state?
The potential benefits are immense. Patients might be more relaxed, more receptive, less fidgety, even kinder. Reducing stress can support healing, improve compliance, and enhance overall outcomes—both clinically and emotionally.
Breathwork or Pranayama
One of the simplest and most powerful ways to bring meditation into a clinical setting is through breathwork. Known in yogic tradition as Pranayama—a Sanskrit word meaning “breath control” or “extension of life force”—these techniques involve intentional patterns of inhalation and exhalation to shift the body and mind into a calmer state.
Even slight adjustments in how we breathe can reduce stress, improve lung function, manage pain, and bring the mind back to focus. Breathwork has been shown to calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and improve overall emotional regulation.
A highly recommended read on this subject is Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, which dives into the science and rediscovery of healthy breathing techniques.
Here are 2 simple breath techniques you can use with your patients to reduce anxiety and promote calm:
1. 2-to-1 Breathing
This technique involves lengthening the exhale to be twice as long as the inhale, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system—our body’s natural "rest and digest" mode.
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Have the patient find a comfortable seated or lying position.
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Guide them to inhale deeply, allowing the belly to rise, ribs and lungs to expand.
- Then coach a slow, extended exhale—perhaps starting with a count of 4 on the inhale and 6 or 8 on the exhale.
- Encourage them not to get hyper-focused on the numbers; the goal is simply to let the exhale be longer than the inhale.
- After guiding a few rounds, let the patient continue at their own pace for a few minutes. You can even set a gentle timer.
- Use cues like “inhale...and exhale” to keep them grounded.
2. Box Breathing (Square Breathing)
This structured breath technique helps bring balance and clarity, often used by athletes, military personnel, and professionals under stress.
- Instruct the patient to inhale for a count of 4.
- Hold the breath for a count of 4.
- Exhale for a count of 4.
- Hold again for a count of 4.
- Repeat the cycle for a few minutes.
Using a simple mantra such as “Inhale 2, 3, 4... Hold 2, 3, 4... Exhale 2, 3, 4... Hold 2, 3, 4…” gives the mind something constructive to focus on—redirecting attention from worry to presence.
When we give the mind something calming and intentional to do, the body often follows. Symptoms like nausea or sweating—which we might assume are caused by nervousness—are often the result of a mind overwhelmed with noise. When we quiet the mind, even just for a few breaths, those physical symptoms can begin to fade.
To learn more about the techniques discussed in this article and how to apply them to your practice for patients and staff, I provide virtual consulting and training sessions. Please feel free to reach out to me at Lap2913@gmail.com or (954) 770-2599.
And, stay tuned for my next article in the Wellness Series as I look forward to diving deeper into ways to enhance the patient journey and help improve the culture and work environment for all of us. OP
Reference
1. Millhone C. The Health Benefits of Meditation. Health. Updated on May 20, 2024. Accessed April 28, 2025.
My Journey From Personal Practice to Shared Healing
My journey with meditation didn’t start with a dramatic revelation or a retreat in the mountains. It began slowly—just me, quietly weaving moments of stillness into my daily life. But those around me started to notice: I was calmer, more grounded, and more present. And that ripple effect became something extraordinary.
My husband, a skeptic turned believer, has long struggled with white coat syndrome—his blood pressure would spike before he even walked into a doctor’s office. One day, he came home with a look of amazement. “I’m a believer,” he said. He had told the nurse, “Give me 10 minutes.” Then he sat, breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly, with twice the length. He returned to natural breath with the mantra “inhale-exhale.” Ten minutes later, his blood pressure had dropped from 165/120 to 135/90. He was stunned. And after I guided him through a 20-minute Yoga Nidra recently, he couldn’t believe it had lasted that long. “It felt like 5 minutes,” he said.
My son’s experience takes it even deeper. He’s a liver transplant recipient—a journey filled with pain, resilience, and a whole lot of courage. Meditation is now a staple in his daily routine. It’s not just for calming the mind; it’s his companion in recovery, helping manage post-operative discomfort and support his mental health. Watching him use these tools to navigate his second chance at life makes me incredibly proud. I often say: no one starts meditating just because. There’s usually a pivotal moment—a push from life itself.
As my own practice deepened, it expanded beyond my family. This past year, I’ve shared meditation with colleagues and patients. A simple request from the marketing team to lead a pre-meeting meditation grew into something bigger. Weekly, I began sending 10-minute guided sessions via Dropbox to colleagues and practice leaders. I often set up virtual meetings to walk colleagues through meditation. The feedback continues to humble me:
- “Christine, it helps me stop and think before reacting.”
- “Christine, this helps me prepare for my weekly meeting with my boss.”
- And one that hit me deeply: “Christine, I was diagnosed with an operable brain tumor. During my MRI, I thought, ‘Thank God Christine taught me how to breathe.’”
Meditation isn’t a magic fix, but it is a powerful tool—one that can shift fear to calm, chaos to clarity, and pain to peace. My story is one of quiet transformation. And if it can ripple from me to my husband, to my children, to my coworkers...maybe it can reach a little further, too.
