Steady in the Wind - Warrior 3 Lessons for Women Physicians
Becoming a physician is hard. Being one is even harder.
I heard that phrase recently—no idea who said it first.
But it’s true. And it’s why I got into physician wellness back in 2002. It’s also why I’m still here, twenty years later, doing this work.
Today, the metaphor is Warrior 3.
Practicing Warrior 3 in wind gusts—on an old, unstable pier—has a lot in common with practicing medicine. The challenges overlap. And so do the solutions. Honestly, this is true of life, too.
The pier could and should be more stable.
The circumstances could be better.
There could be no wind.
I could choose to practice somewhere else—indoors, on flat ground, with props, maybe even heat.
But then I’d also have no view. No fresh air. No aliveness.
What helps most in Warrior 3 isn’t perfect conditions.
It’s the inner work:
intention
calm
strength
equanimity
It’s a purposeful focus on choice, simplicity, and ease.
It’s wasting less energy.
Letting the pose happen.
And noticing the delight that shows up when you stop fighting reality and start working with it.
Transitioning well into the pose helps.
Relaxing in once you’re there helps, too.
Why women physicians feel depleted in medicine today
A big part of the depletion is obvious: the system.
Physicians are being asked to practice medicine in ways that aren’t healthy or sustainable. We are moving fast, holding too much, being interrupted constantly, and expected to perform like our nervous systems aren’t human.
We are practicing in the wind.
On rotten, tippy piers.
The healthcare system is a big part of the problem. It should be different.
And it’s also true that we can’t wait for the system to change before we take care of ourselves.
Not because we are the problem. But because we are smart, determined humans with creative brains and real agency.
Steady in the wind: nervous system regulation for physicians
Here’s the part I really want to share: Warrior 3 requires preparation.
You have to be strong and steady before you try to balance on one leg in the wind.
The same is true for practicing medicine “well.”
When your nervous system is in chronic activation, everything gets harder:
your thinking narrows
your tolerance drops
your patience thins
your perspective disappears
In that state, even small stressors feel enormous. You’re not weak. You’re activated. Steadiness is not personality. It’s physiology. And the wind will come. The chaos will come. The wobble is not optional.
So we practice:
coming back to the breath
reducing wasted energy
choosing simplicity when possible
building inner stability so we can respond instead of react
When we’re calm, grounded, nourished, and present, we advocate more effectively. When we have steadiness, we can contribute to systemic solutions that actually work—in medicine and beyond.
Mindset decluttering: unlearning what medical training taught
One of the most overlooked reasons physicians stay depleted is that medical training instills unhelpful thought patterns.
Often they’re disguised as professionalism, excellence, or toughness.
They sound like:
“I should be able to handle this.”
“If I slow down, I’m failing.”
“It’s selfish to need support.”
“Everyone else is managing.”
Until we notice these patterns and unlearn them, we don’t show up with optimal clarity, empowerment, or energy.
Pema Chödrön said it well: “We can make ourselves miserable, or we can make ourselves strong. The amount of effort is the same.”
Decluttering your mindset doesn’t mean pretending the system is fine. It means you stop adding unnecessary suffering to what’s already hard.
It means you reclaim choice.
The point of all of this
Why am I sharing this today?
Because it’s possible to become healthy, whole, inspired, hopeful, and alive again—even if the system hasn’t changed yet.
And that is something we all deserve.
Also: practicing Warrior 3 on a broken, rotten pier in the wind is still…a lot of fun.
If you want support learning how to steady your nervous system, declutter your mindset, and practice medicine with more ease and power, it looks like coaching and retreats.