Why do some people flourish in the face stress? I’d like to share some insights from our studies of flight attendant health.   One study’s objective was to determine if a ‘meditative movement’ training could change the health of our study volunteers.  This training involved teaching awareness of internal bodily sensations (interoception). Volunteers learned to engage the entire nervous system, thus learning to use the resources of the entire body, rather than just the conscious brain. The practices that were taught are based on qigong, an ancient set of principles and practices that are used for self-care, healing, and martial arts.

Many people link meditative movement  with early morning daily practice of Tai Chi-like slow movements. Our volunteers were clear that this was not their chosen life style. So we focused instead on teaching simple practices that fit into the activities of everyday living. The flight attendants learned body awareness in walking, sitting, standing, lying down, and breathing, along with a few simple visualization-based practices.

We tested those in our studies before and after 12 to 16 weeks of training.  Results showed that those who learned the body awareness practices (even many who practiced only a few of them) saw statistically significant improvements to their overall health. Since a primary objective was to determine effects on respiratory health in FA who had been exposed to high levels of second hand smoke, it has been exciting to see consistent improvements in endurance and reduced symptoms of respiratory disease.

Not surprisingly, in most volunteers who consistently did the awareness practices, there were other changes related to the autonomic nervous system, the special system of nerves that automatically controls many body functions.  Most participants with high blood pressure found that it had dropped to clinically normal levels. Additionally there were significant improvements in endocrine and immune function.

So how are these all related? We believe that the answer lies in the systemic effects of the cultivation of body/somatic awareness, that tunes and optimizes the nervous system. Many of the signaling molecules, that are released by the nervous system, are recognized by other cells, tissues and organs.  If the nervous system is pumping out signals related to fear, stress, or other adversity, tissues in the body are programmed to prepare for the adverse conditions. In contrast, if the nervous system is sending out ‘rest and repair’ signals, the body responds in kind.

Embodied awareness is not the same as hyper vigilance. Instead, we’re teaching our participants to work towards a state of openness and release. When your nervous system is primed by adequate ‘rest and repair,’ you’re able to respond to virtually any situation, whether comforting a child or responding to a life threatening event. Embodied awareness seems to extend to the cells, tissues and organs, with the ‘rest and repair’ extending to virtually all parts of the body.

If all of your coping draws only on your conscious, thinking brain, you may have a diminished capacity to respond. Your resilience in the face of a challenge may be a function of how well your nervous system is trained and how available it is to cope.

If you would like to see a sample of a practice that pertains to an activity of daily living, Morning Coffee: Bodymind Training

Some of you know the dichotomy of my background, now a faculty member, working as a research scientist at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Formerly, I was a Pan Am flight attendant (FA) for over 18 years. It has been the greatest honor and good fortune (and I have to admit, a great deal of hard work) that has allowed the marriage of these two apparently disparate worlds. What has come from this, has been a later life career devoted to understanding the issues of flight attendant health.

I have been drawn to this pursuit by personal health challenges and the natural empathy that can best happen when you have been part of the team that regularly work on a mutual objective. The flight attendant relevant research at Dartmouth has spanned more than a decade. Our team has produced close to twenty peer reviewed research publications with relevance to Flight Attendant health. (Most of these do not name FA, rather issues related to their health.)

Today I’m on a trans-continental flight, headed to yet another training, with the aspiration to gain further insights that may be of use in this work. It’s an easy place to reflect. Close my eyes and I could be out over the Pacific looking at towering clouds and the amazing azure blue of the sea below me. Or, it could be flying over moon-lit glaciers and towering peaks of the ancient volcanoes that line the coast of Alaska. I could be watching the billowing smoke from a forest fire in Canada or smelling the pungent smoke from dung fires that tell you that you are approaching an airport in India.

Observing cabin crew, who have given their time and efforts to take part in the various clinical trials that we have conducted, brings an awareness of the complexities of how this special group of professionals has adapted to do their work. If you were never a FA, you might be puzzled. If you are, or were a FA, you know instinctively what I mean. Being a FA is not just a job, its a profession. It is a profession that requires special skills, many of which mature over time and with experience.

A key skill, is the way that you use your body to do your job. You develop a body awareness that allows you to notice the pitch of the engines on take off, the balance of thrust of the engines. You notice calm vibration at altitude in calm air and sense the shift to turbulence in your body before your conscious mind can acknowledge it. And yes, you change your stance to accommodate the need to maintain your balance.

All of this generally happens with a sense of grace and calm: it is with your body, your posture, your quiet smile that you reassure your passengers. Rarely acknowledged, these are the skills of leadership that keep the cabin calm, despite your inner turmoil.

Scientist like to ask questions. So I ask for your feedback on this. Are you aware of how you provide the leadership, flight after flight, that allows commercial aviation to operate, to happen? Do you appreciate how your posture and facial expression, the vibes that you share, make all of this possible?

It would be great to hear from you!

Best wishes from Mardi Crane-Godreau, PAA FA 1967-1985.
Assistant Professor, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

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‘Morning Coffee’ integrates practice into an activity of everyday living. 

The bedroom window is open just enough to carry a breath of the morning breeze and the racket of birds competing for mates and territory.

Hands and arms escape the envelope  of warmth under the down puff inviting feet and legs to join them, as they explore a new day.

Sunny nuzzles in, relishing the morning greeting. Paws and feet begin the journey to the kitchen, the cool smoothness of the maple planks, the plush softness of the carpet, and then the unevenness of rough grooves between the the kitchen tiles. Yawning, two beings stretch. Sunny does a downward dog.

Can you take a moment to stretch right now?  What do you notice in your body. When you yawn, you may notice increased saliva in your mouth.  Notice it’s coolness.

Like Tea Ceremony in Japan, Morning Coffee has become a time of mindful awareness.  Notice body alignment, notice placement of feet , notice release of tightness from neck and shoulders.  Notice and follow the breath, releasing the tension in the abdominal muscles.  With awareness,  the non-dominant hand reaches up to open the cupboard. The stretch reaches down past the sacrum, down the back of the legs. The pads of the feet are anchored, toes slightly curled to grip the floor. Easy actions are relegated to the dominant hand; those that require fine motor control or strength are done by the non-dominant side.

As the steamy water begins to flow, eyes are closed to again notice body alignment, to hear the sound of water dripping first into the bed of coffee and then into the pot. There is awareness to the shift in temperature near the coffee maker and of the complex scent of coffee. The pads do feet are anchored, toes slightly curled to grip the floor. The weight of the body, of burdens, are dropped through the feet into the floor. Notice and follow the breath.

The air is filled with richness and the coffee is ready. A cup is filled, a sip, another breath. The rest of the day begins.

For more on the idea of Day Long Practice, be sure to read Peter’s Blog here:  https://bodymindscience.info/blog/