Centering mindfulness to address cardiovascular and psychological health in Black and Latina women - Nature

When it comes to their health and well-being, Americans focus on food. When asked which wellness activities they typically do at least once a week, 71% of 807 people surveyed say they eat fresh fruit and or vegetables, while 60% say they run, walk, cycle or do other outdoor exercise. That's according to a September 2026 YouGov poll of 1,003 U. S. adults. Just 20% of the 807 people surveyed about their wellness activities also say they practice meditation or mindfulness. While there's no denying the importance of a veggie-heavy diet and a regular exercise regimen, ample research points to the psychological benefits of both meditation and mindfulness. More Americans would probably practice mindfulness if they could, says psychologist and author Eli Susman. Life just gets in the way. "The meeting runs late, dinner needs making, a notification pops up," he says. In his new book "Micropractice: A Science-Backed Approach for Calm, Clarity, and Joy in 30 Seconds or Less," Susman outlines a series of short practices that can be easily plugged into a busy day. The point, he says, is not to spend hours or even minutes on a mindfulness practice. It's just to do it consistently.

Most of us carry around a pocket-size computer — our cell phone — that manages to hijack our attention and fan our stress levels on a daily basis. But a Harvard expert proposes an antidote to this and other pervasive sources of distraction and tension: mindfulness practices, which anchor our consciousness moment by moment. What is mindfulness? “It’s the process of paying attention to what’s happening in and around you with an attitude of loving acceptance,” explains Ronald Siegel, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.