We Are Largely Mindless: How Thoughts Shape Our Beliefs, Behavior, and Quality of Life

Chaminade Resort and Spa

We walk through most of our days on autopilot. Our minds replay stories, rehearsed fears, hopes, and assumptions. Many of the beliefs that run us aren’t really ours—they’re inherited, absorbed, unexamined.

Psychologist Dr. Ellen Langer, often called the mother of mindfulness, has spent decades studying this phenomenon. Her work shows that most of what we do is mindless—we follow scripts and routines without truly noticing what’s happening. She reminds us that:

“Mindfulness is the simple act of noticing.” — Dr. Ellen Langer

For a deeper dive into her groundbreaking research, see her book The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health.

This kind of noticing wakes us up, gives us choices, and allows us to see the present moment as fresh and full of possibility.

Dr. Elissa Epel’s research builds on this by showing that our internal experiences—stress, beliefs, and emotions—directly affect our biology. The mind and body are not separate: when we carry stress, fear, or limiting beliefs, our cells respond. Even the telomeres—the protective end caps of our chromosomes—shorten under chronic stress, accelerating aging. Regular meditation has been shown to help preserve telomere length, supporting healthier aging and improving longevity.

For an inspiring overview, watch Dr. Epel’s talk “The Science of Well-Being” at Wisdom 2.0.

Watching Your Thoughts & Listening to Your “Fascial” Voice

Because the mind and body are one system, our thoughts are not just ideas — they are embodied experiences. Your “fascial voice” is the way your body speaks its truth through posture, tension, and sensation. For example, when we feel overwhelmed, we might unconsciously squeeze our shoulders up toward our ears as a protective gesture. The problem is that we often do this habitually and without awareness, which is why our shoulders can feel chronically tight or painful.

Through self-myofascial release (MFR), we develop interoception — the ability to sense and notice what’s happening inside our bodies. This process is an example of embodied cognition, the way our thoughts and emotions are expressed physically and, in turn, influence how we think and feel. Once we notice the pattern, we can apply gentle, sustained pressure to the tight muscles or fascia until we feel the tissue begin to soften — a process known as fascial rehydration. Over time, this practice helps us shift from automatic stress reactions to conscious responses, supporting both physical ease and emotional well-being.

Research also reminds us how powerful our minds are: simply observing others can create measurable shifts in our physiology. Studies have shown that watching someone eat pizza can increase insulin levels and hunger hormones, leading to weight gain over time, while watching yoga or relaxation practices can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, calming the body and lowering stress. Where we place our attention literally shapes our biology.

Meditation, Restorative Yoga & Self-Myofascial Release as Daily Medicine

Meditation helps us get some distance from the stories in our head. It cultivates presence—not to escape thoughts, but to witness them and integrate them. Regular meditation has been shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation, and protect telomere length, offering a path to healthier aging.

Restorative yoga is another powerful tool. While it may appear simple, it is actually an advanced practice for most of us, because it asks us to truly relax — to slow down, soften, and allow the body to rest deeply. This deep rest resets the nervous system and teaches the body-mind system how to feel safe and supported again.

Self-myofascial release (SMR) complements these practices by giving the body a chance to “speak” and unwind its holding patterns. This isn’t just about muscles — it’s about completing stress cycles, restoring circulation, and reminding the entire system that it is safe. When the body softens, the mind follows.

Forest Therapy: Healing Attention, Boosting Creativity, Restoring Wholeness

Forest therapy does more than calm the mind—it integrates the whole system. Modern life places heavy demands on our ability to sustain focus. Over time, this leads to attention fatigue: our minds become weary, creativity stalls, and stress accumulates.

“Nature offers soft fascination — sights and sounds that gently hold our attention without demanding effort — giving the brain the rest it needs to restore clarity and creativity.”

Research shows that being in forested environments gives directed attention a rest, improves concentration, and helps reverse the damage of mental overload (NY DEC overview).

• Boosts Creativity: A 3-day forest therapy workshop in Taiwan showed creative performance increased by ~27.7%, alongside sharp mood improvements (ScienceDirect). Another 2025 study found that self-guided forest bathing improved attention, working memory, and creative thinking in older adults (ScienceDirect).

• Regulates Stress & Improves Mood: Forest therapy lowers cortisol, reduces sympathetic nervous activity (fight-or-flight), and boosts parasympathetic activity (rest-and-digest), improving blood pressure and heart rate variability (Frontiers in Public Health).

• Strengthens Immunity: Exposure to phytoncides in forests boosts natural killer (NK) cell activity, enhancing immune function for up to a week (PMC Review).

Forest therapy is not just about relaxation — it is about restoring wholeness, aligning the mind and body with the natural rhythms that we evolved to thrive in.

How Close Are We to Mindfulness as Medicine?

Science is increasingly treating mindfulness as more than “nice to have”—it is being recognized as a cornerstone of preventative health.

• A study by Bratman et al. at Stanford in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2015) showed that a 90-minute walk in a natural setting reduced activity in a brain region associated with rumination and lowered self-reported rumination compared to walking in an urban setting. (Read the study)

• Other Stanford research shows that rumination about the past is strongly linked to depression, while excessive worry about the future drives anxiety. (Study PDF)

When we dwell in the past, we’re caught in rumination. When we leap into the future, we often spiral into worry. Most suffering comes from living too frequently in those mental spaces.

The truth is: when we are truly in the present moment, nearly all of the time (some say 99.9%), everything is okay. Our bodies — and minds — need to remember this fundamental truth: we are, at our core, okay.

Join Me on a Retreat: Ceremonies of Remembering

Come with me on retreat to practice:

• Self-Myofascial Release — guided techniques to soften, release tension, and reconnect with your body.

• Restorative Yoga — learn the art of deep relaxation and nervous system reset.

• Forest Therapy — slowing down, breathing deeply, and remembering our place in the web of life.

📍 Book a retreat with me in Santa Cruz on one of the Bay Area’s first ANFT-Certified Forest Therapy Trails:

• 🌲 Chaminade Forest Therapy Trail

• 📅 Upcoming Events & Retreats

These are ceremonies of remembering—remembering presence, connection, and interdependence. You will leave with practical tools to protect your health, expand your longevity, and live with greater clarity and joy.