14: Why Your Heart Loves Yoga with Dr. Sarah Samaan

In this episode, Why Your Heart Loves Yoga with Dr. Sarah Samaan - Matthew Huy welcomes Dr. Sarah Samaan, a board-certified cardiologist with nearly 30 years of clinical experience, author of Best Practices for a Healthy Heart and co-author of Diet for Dummies, now a physician development coach blending medical expertise with mindfulness and yoga. 

She shares how a 1997 horseback riding accident led her to yoga and how mindfulness practices improved her personal wellbeing and medical work, later informing coaching for physician burnout and stress resilience. 

They discuss the limits of medical specialization, the value of team-based support, and the rise of patient distrust fueled by online misinformation. Dr. Samaan emphasizes that 75%+ of heart disease is preventable through exercise, not smoking, Mediterranean-style eating, healthy weight, sleep, and stress reduction, and highlights yoga’s physical, mindfulness, and community benefits. For yoga teachers, she advises deferring to medical clearance, offering general modifications, and letting students be experts in their own bodies.

00:00 Episode Setup
00:59 Meet Dr Sarah Samaan
02:35 How They Connected
04:53 Cardiology To Yoga
07:53 Why Yoga Works
12:08 Prevention And Lifestyle
16:23 Healthcare Team Approach
19:08 Misinformation And Trust
22:00 Bullshit Paradox Explained
23:28 Spotting Supplement Scams
24:01 Heart Disease Prevention Basics
26:13 Yoga for Heart Health
27:54 Community and Purpose Benefits
29:52 Leaving Medicine for Coaching
34:49 Teaching Students with Conditions
38:06 Exercise Guidelines and Safety
40:09 Follow Your Bliss Closing
41:13 Where to Find Sarah
42:35 Podcast Wrap Up

Transcript

Matt Huy 0:00

Hello my friends. Today's episode started with a simple conversation inside our community, the Enlightened Yoga Collective. And it turned into something I knew more people should hear. So today I'm speaking with a cardiologist who's spent decades in medicine and is now exploring how mindfulness and yoga can transform both health and professional life. We look at everything from how to improve your own heart health, to how to manage misinformation online. So I think it's good one. Hope you enjoy it and cue the intro music.

Speaker 3 0:38

Welcome to the Enlightened Anatomy Podcast, where we take a deep dive into the worlds of anatomy, physiology, and science to help you deepen your yoga practice. Now here's your host, Matthew Huy.

Matt Huy 0:59

Hello and welcome to episode fourteen of the Enlightened Anatomy Podcast, and today I'm very happy to be joined by Dr. Sarah Saman. So first of all, am I pronouncing that correctly?

Sarah Samaan 1:13

Samaan, but

Matt Huy 1:15

Mann. Okay.

Sarah Samaan 1:16

it's fine.

Matt Huy 1:16

Sarah Mann, who is a board certified cardiologist with nearly 30 years of clinical experience. She's the author of Best Practices for a Healthy Heart, how to Stop Heart Disease before and After it Starts, and Coauthor of Diet for Dummies. Since stepping away from clinical practice, she now works as a physician development coach. Through mindful physician coaching, which she created, and that supports doctors with burnout, transitions and su sustainable wellbeing, blending medical expertise with mindfulness and yoga. Oh, and also she's an equestrian athlete doing dressage and pursuing a master of fine arts in photography. Just to add that there, if you aren't, if you weren't doing enough. So, hello, Dr. Seman. Uh, Sarah. Hello. Welcome.

Sarah Samaan 2:08

Hi. Thank you so much for inviting me onto the podcast. I'm really excited to be here.

Matt Huy 2:14

Oh, great. Well, it's great to have you. Have you been on any podcasts before?

Sarah Samaan 2:18

I have, um, not

Matt Huy 2:20

Oh yeah.

Sarah Samaan 2:20

yoga podcasts, um, but I've been on a number of podcasts related to physician wellbeing and to health issues.

Matt Huy 2:28

Great. So we're really lucky to have you here in, in the yoga world where you bridge both worlds. And I just wanted to talk about how we first met. So, um, Sarah is part of our Enlightened Yoga collective, the online community that Andrew and I created. Um. A learning community offering yoga teachers information on business, um, as well as, you know, anatomy and physiology. And you are in that collective, and I think the first time I met you was during one of our office hours, I think Andrew was hosting it. We just had a nice conversation and I thought this kind of valuable conversation would be really worthwhile to be recorded and shared with others. So that's why I thought I'd invite you on. So.

Sarah Samaan 3:13

you so much. I, yes, I really enjoyed our conversation that day, and and could really feel, you know, that, uh, that energy and that commitment to, uh, providing really actionable and science-based yoga information.

Matt Huy 3:29

No, you're too kind. What I love is that you are a cardiologist, but you're still active in our community where we're teaching admin and physiology, I, I would tend to think you probably know everything already, but it's such a different perspective on the body, isn't it?

Sarah Samaan 3:43

It's a

Matt Huy 3:43

that right to say?

Sarah Samaan 3:44

perspective

Matt Huy 3:45

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 3:45

honestly, you know, I've been a cardiologist for about 30 years, and so I know a lot about the heart, but I don't know, don't remember as much about the rest of the body. And so there's a lot that I, that I do know from, you know, the physiology standpoint, but. That the idea of integrating all of that into yoga, I think is, is really valuable. And so I've really enjoyed going back and learning more about anatomy on, um, the enlightened anatomy, uh, or enlightened, uh, yoga, uh, uh, website.

Matt Huy 4:21

whatever it's called. It's a long name. It is a long name.

Sarah Samaan 4:24

enlightened.

Matt Huy 4:26

Uh, we've, we've decided, we've thought, oh, should we change the name? It's a bit long, but we're gonna stick with it for now. You know? Um, and yeah, your input has been really valuable. Also, another teacher recently, uh, put a comment up saying, you know, uh, someone who has a cardiomyopathy would like to join my class. Any recommendations? And it was so nice to have a cardiologist come in there and, and share their thoughts. So thanks for that.

Sarah Samaan 4:51

Yeah, my pleasure.

Matt Huy 4:52

Um, okay. So I just wanted to get into your background a little bit. I, I, I said the formal bio, but would you mind, um, sharing a bit more information about what you did as a cardiologist and just in case maybe if people don't know what a cardiologist is, and then also what drove your transition from stopping that, if you don't mind.

Sarah Samaan 5:12

Yeah. So, um, just, uh, a small, uh, background. So a cardiologist is a. Uh, so a physician who, uh, does specialist training in cardiology, you know, in the study of the heart. So cardiology involves taking care of the heart, preventing heart disease, treating heart disease, um, integrating, uh, heart related health concerns. Into the rest of the body. So taking into account other health issues that somebody might have, um, who is dealing with, um, symptoms or problems with their heart. so how I got into yoga I think might be, uh, an interesting. Story for, for maybe some of your listeners, um, because it's something that I did not anticipate. And so what happened is, uh, you know, as you, as you mentioned, I'm an equestrian athlete. I, um, I ride horses and in the nineties, uh, so this was around 1997. I, um, had a riding accident

Matt Huy 6:21

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 6:21

I was jumping and um, and I had a riding accident and I broke my arm. So I've always been physically active, um, and it had a lot, a lot of curiosity about yoga, but I had not. Really looked into yoga at that time. And, uh, so I broke my arm and then I realized I needed this mind body connection because the reason I came off of my horse was because we were not communicating very well. And I, I realized that I needed, you know, that, uh, kind of more understanding of what's going on between my head and my body. that led me to find yoga. So. really kind of looked at yoga at that point as more of a practical thing and something to help rehabilitate myself. as I, uh, of got into the practice of yoga, I had excellent teachers. This was back in the nineties. It was hard to find anybody who was teaching yoga, and I had

Matt Huy 7:19

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 7:19

teachers. started to, to realize that the things that I was learning in yoga. I was bringing to my medical practice also, so that, uh, ability to stop and take a pause, take a breath, in with myself, even if it was just 30 seconds. I think it really transformed my professional life and, and also my, my personal life, my wellbeing, and really the trajectory of my life from that point on.

Matt Huy 7:52

That's beautiful. Yeah, and I think it's, it, it's really nice to be reminded of, of how yoga can be beneficial, because. You know, at least the perspectives that I hear on social media, people say how yoga is not cardiovascular exercise, people say, you know, it's not exactly resistance training. And so sometimes you're wondering, you know. Why do we do yoga? And I think what you're saying that that mind body aspect is, is such a valuable one and it's what draws so many people into yoga. And yet also can be really hard to, I think, quantify at times it's hard to quantify than say building muscle and getting stronger. and what it can do for mental health can be really powerful. So you've certainly had that experience and it sounds like you now use that with other physicians who experience burnout.

Sarah Samaan 8:40

I do. So the, the mindfulness aspect of yoga in particular is something that I've really taken to heart and I have been working with mindfulness as a way to, to. Help people work through aspects of, of being a physician, being in healthcare that can be particularly stressful. Um, and also just to help people to check in with themselves. So that mindfulness aspect of, of learning to, to be able to listen to yourself, to, to. that inner voice and that inner wisdom. Um, and for me, that that came from yoga. So I think that people can access mindfulness without yoga. But if we go back to, you know, the beginnings of yoga. It, it was fully integrated into, uh, mindfulness and meditation. It was, it was, you know, part of that process. And so for me, that that physical aspect of yoga is more than just exercise. So, like you said, you know, it's,

Matt Huy 9:47

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 9:47

cardio, it's not resistance, but it's kind of a little bit of both. So we have to kinda get past that. part. I think yoga can be very, um, cardiovascular. If, if you're doing, um, you know, a really strong vinyasa practice, it can be, um, you know, very resistance training depending on, on what you're doing. But we don't have to look at it in such a practical way. And, you know, for some people yoga can be part of a, a whole health program and that's kind of how I see it.

Matt Huy 10:21

Yeah. Yeah, my partner and I just did a a, an online class with Travis. Elliot actually, and that is a strong class and I'll tell you like we were both sort of the next day works many different parts of the body. So yeah, depending on what style of yoga it is, it can definitely target different areas. It really depends on the person, you know, what their base level of cardiovascular fitness is. Um, and you know, just because we're not using outside weights, like your own body weight is still a resistance against gravity, right? So yeah, there's a lot of strength building that can come from that. And, uh, also you commented about how you came into yoga from a, a physical perspective. And sometimes I, I hear people criticizing modern forms of yoga as just being exercise based and losing that spiritual aspect. But just like with you, you came in from a physical point of view and you thought, oh, I just need some therapy, you know, for what I, what I've injured in my horse riding accident. But then you came about through the other aspects. So I, I quite often think it doesn't matter how someone gets into the yoga. So I think it's really valuable that we have lots of different forms of yoga, including yoga butt tone. You know, if,

Sarah Samaan 11:32

Right.

Matt Huy 11:32

if that's what gets someone through the door

Sarah Samaan 11:34

Yeah.

Matt Huy 11:36

you know, because they want a more sculpted bottom, but then they, they leave with this deeper sense of themselves and maybe some moments of mindfulness that will lead them on the start of a spiritual journey. So yeah, bring on the yoga butt tone I say.

Sarah Samaan 11:52

I completely agree, and I mean, that's a, that's a huge benefit of yoga, so I'm not gonna discount that. But I think, yeah, when we start trying to tell people, well, you're doing this wrong, or you're, you know, you're doing yoga for the wrong reasons, then. You know, that's really counterproductive.

Matt Huy 12:08

Yeah. So, um, getting into your, your background a little bit more again, I, I heard this podcast um, recently of, of someone who was working in medicine, and then she, we, and then she said, I realized that, you know, the whole, the whole approach was based on. On disease and how we have too much disease. And I decided I wanted to go about the prevention side of it, you know? Um, and she kind of went about it in, in a whistle blowing way. Like we've been whole lied to by the medical establishment, which I don't agree with because you know, there's a reason we have the treatment of disease. But nonetheless, that does remind me a bit of your story, where you wanted to go more from treating disease to preventing it. Is that right?

Sarah Samaan 12:56

So, you know, in my practice I, I did both and I really, um, you know, as a cardiologist, I mean the people that come. To us are often very sick, and so they need the

Matt Huy 13:09

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 13:10

treated and

Matt Huy 13:11

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Samaan 13:12

symptoms that need to be taken care of. There are, you know, risk factors that need to be treated. So you can't, as a physician, ignore those things. And you know, frankly, there's so little time allotted to the. Appointments that that doctors are given

Matt Huy 13:30

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Samaan 13:31

that the focus does have to be very precise. But at the same time, I started to understand that my patients had a lot of questions about diet and lifestyle and exercise, and they were asking me these things and I realized that my training, even though the importance of diet and exercise were acknowledged, it didn't. Focus on that. You know, again, there's, there's only so much you can cram into, um, you know, years of residency, three to four years of fellowship. That sounds like a lot, but you know, there's a lot of, a lot of things that, that your doctor has to learn in that process. So unfortunately, um, in general, at least at the time that I was in school, there was not that focus. And so. I, I took it upon myself to really learn more. And that, and by, by learning more, I mean going back to the source, looking at the medical research, you know, not taking things on faith that I was told or you know, or had been, um, you know, maybe out in the popular press. But I really delved into the, the research and honestly, there's a lot of great well done research on diet and lifestyle. It's just not been. know, fully integrated into healthcare, and I can talk about that a little bit more. Um, you know, we have dieticians who are very well trained, but getting access to those people can be very difficult, um, from, at least in the US from an insurance standpoint. So that's maybe

Matt Huy 15:07

Right.

Sarah Samaan 15:08

story together.

Matt Huy 15:10

Yeah. Yeah. And it, and it's a, in 2026, a very interesting time in the United States with the MAHA and everything. It's a, it's a, it's a strange time for healthcare and nutrition in general. But yeah, I think that is maybe a, a, a conversation for another time or for people who are at least more qualified. But, um, I, you, you, you pointed out how you were focused on one thing, but also that's the, that, I guess that's the downside, but also the benefit of. Being so specialized, and that's why cardiologists are so good with the hearts because you really study that almost to a fault, to nothing else. And so of course, yeah, you're not fully trained in in diet and sleep. And exercise and all the other important elements of health. But that's not a, a, a failing of medicine. It's because medicine is so good at being specialized. But, but yeah, it, it does lead to a, a more singular approach to medicine. Like, you go to the heart doctor if you have a problem with your heart. And so it's beautiful that you've now moved into an area which looks more at the whole person and not just their heart, you know, and, and preventing disease. Yeah, so do, can you, can you comment more on that and, and what that means?

Sarah Samaan 16:23

Yeah, and I think that instead of expecting doctors to have all of the answers. You know, having a team of people, um, that you know, that, that are experts in, in other areas, you know, experts in diet, exer, experts in exercise, um, you know, expertise in yoga, for example. You know, people who are well, well-trained in their areas. You can't, you can't expect one person to have. of the things that you need. So when you go to the doctor and you're having a heart problem, certainly your doctor needs to know like, what are the factors? You know, maybe there's stress, maybe there's these other things, um, you know, maybe your diet and exercise need to be, um, looked at. But recognize that just because the doctor doesn't have all of those answers, it doesn't mean that they don't care or they don't think those things are important. It's just that, you know, there's. has their area of expertise and, and your doctor knows how to take care if your doctor's, a cardiologist, how to take care of your heart, but, but perhaps also taking it upon yourself to ask questions about, well, what can I do or who can I see? Or how, you know, what resources can I access to make these other things better that, um, that are impacting my health and wellbeing?

Matt Huy 19:09

Yeah, of course we're all limited by resources. You know, it'd be great to have a team to approach any person and look at their, their whole lifestyle and all these other factors that could be contributing to their heart disease for example. But, you know, of course there's a big issue of that with funding. Both, you know, what, who's funding you? Is it your insurance or, here in the UK it's the National Health Service, and so of course they're going to devote their, their money to. Helping to treat the, the most, uh, acutely ill at that time with the most serious conditions. So it's not like, you know, the allied healthcare professionals, like the dieticians and the physiotherapists are less valued, but like, if you have limited resources Yeah, of course you're gonna put it to the more, um, people who need it the most, I suppose. Right?

Sarah Samaan 19:56

Yes, that's, that's

Matt Huy 19:58

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 19:58

how it is here. Even though we have the

Matt Huy 20:00

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 20:01

you know, rather than the NIH it's, or the, the NHS. Sorry. Um,

Matt Huy 20:06

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 20:07

but yeah, so, so understanding that there may be. Other, you know, some of this may be a personal responsibility to

Matt Huy 20:15

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 20:15

that. It's not going to be necessarily something that will be given to you. Um, even though in an ideal world it would be,

Matt Huy 20:23

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But there's a lot of learning we could do on our own for sure. Yeah. Um. And I wanted to ask you about this general sentiment that I see on social media of a distrust of the medical establishment. Have you noticed this? It seems to me like it's, it's stronger than before, especially with like anti-vaxxers and stuff, which, you know, I don't wanna get into now. But, um, there, there is. Less trust, it seems in medicine and in science. Have you noticed this and what do you make of it?

Sarah Samaan 20:59

Yes, it's a huge contributor to burnout and I think it's much more than it was in the past, you know, and I think at, in the past there it may have been, you know, too much the other direction that people would whatever their doctor told them without questioning. Um, but now the questioning has gotten to the point that it, it's really taken away from, um, the ability of, of some physicians to do their job well. So it, it is a huge source of burnout and I think, honestly, you know, questioning something is, is important and

Matt Huy 21:39

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 21:39

are you getting your information from? So. The, the aspect of that I think that is most distressing for a lot of the physicians that I talk to is the misinformation that people come in with and trying to, you know, where are you getting that? You know, are you getting

Matt Huy 21:56

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 21:56

on TikTok

Matt Huy 21:58

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 21:58

know, like never gone to, um, you know, never taken a. Accredited course on

Matt Huy 22:06

The TikTok doctor.

Sarah Samaan 22:07

with no is that where you're getting your information

Matt Huy 22:12

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 22:13

you know, expecting your doctor to be able to address something like that? Um, it is, honestly, I think that's a huge source of burnout for doctors right now. And so. think it's really important to understand that in the vast majority of cases, your doctor wants to take good care of you. Um, and, and being a team, so, so not, you know, not taking everything as gospel, but being able to have a respectful conversation with your doctor. You know, and, and that's, that's kind of the most important part of this, is having that mutual respect. So if you don't feel that from your doctor, you know, certainly maybe there's somebody. Else that you might want to see, you know, you're not, um, I'm not saying that every doctor is, is going to be the right person for you, but again, you know, look and see where, where are you getting your information from and, and why would you trust that over somebody with years of training and experience.

Matt Huy 23:19

Yeah, it. I'm sure you've probably heard of Brandi's Law, which is also known as the bullshit paradox. And it,

Sarah Samaan 23:27

hear about this.

Matt Huy 23:29

it basically states that, um, the energy required to refute a BS claim is an order of magnitude, basically 10 times greater than the energy required to make that claim.

Sarah Samaan 23:44

Oh my

Matt Huy 23:44

So in other words, anyone can pick up their phone and in five minutes. Produce a message and send it out to the world that says grapes are really bad for you. The moon is made of cheese. Or, you know, some other claim even, you know, around autism and vaccines, for example. Okay. And then that can spread and the amount of energy required to refute that, to look into the science between, you know, glucose levels of grapes or you know. Travel to the moon and com, the composition of the moon or, or the evidence around vaccinations and autism like that requires a lot more work. So we live in a time, yeah. When there is so much information, it's freely available. That how we get that information is really important. That's so that Andrew and I tried to do through the Enlightened Yoga Collective and our other projects and, and I think what you're doing also, um, by helping other physicians and trickling down that information. But it is, yeah, I think it's. It's a real challenge of our, of our current time, isn't it?

Sarah Samaan 24:44

Oh, yes. I love that though. That's, I love that brand's long. I'm gonna have to remember that.

Matt Huy 24:49

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 24:50

also, you know, look and see if you're, if you're getting your information from somebody who's. you something, you know,

Matt Huy 24:57

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 24:57

think about that. Like, why are they telling you this? You

Matt Huy 25:00

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 25:01

recommending this supplement? Are they, are they selling that supplement? You know?

Matt Huy 25:05

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 25:05

Um, yeah. Think about that. Where is this coming from

Matt Huy 25:10

Yeah. At the end of those claims about, you know, grapes being too full of sugar and dangerous for you, then usually they have an advertisement for a supplement or something at the end. That's right. Um, so going back to heart health, what do you think we can do to improve our own heart health and what have you learned over, over your years of, of study?

Sarah Samaan 25:35

Yeah, so the thing that a lot of people are not aware of is. That up to 75% or more of heart disease is preventable.

Matt Huy 25:45

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 25:46

heart disease, you know, I'm talking about blocked arteries, um, heart attacks, um, those sorts of things. There are some genetic conditions that are, you know, something that you're born with, but there's also genetic tendencies that we all have, you know, maybe a, a greater tendency towards heart disease. But There's so much that's under your control. So I think that's the thing that's really important. And the, the, the way to prevent heart disease is, is not necessarily complicated. You don't need to, you know, take all these different products, uh, necessarily. Um, you know, if you've got high cholesterol, then you know, treat that if you've got diabetes and treat that. But exercise, not smoking. Um, a healthy diet, a heart healthy diet, which is more of a plant-based diet with fish. Kind of a Mediterranean diet, is often the best diet for heart health. These really simple things, keeping your weight in a healthy range, um, reducing stress, getting adequate sleep. of these things your risk of heart disease dramatically. And I think that's what people don't understand. And the other thing that people don't understand is it's a long-term process. So it's

Matt Huy 26:58

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 26:59

you know, you turn 50 and then you go, okay, now I'm gonna start taking care of yourself. Even though that's okay. I mean, you know, you, if you turn 50 and you decide it's time to start doing something. You're, you're going to have an impact, but the earlier you start taking care of your health, the, the better and, and you'll also feel better. So it's not about making you feel deprived or feeling like, you know, you have to live this life, life of a monk, you know, you.

Matt Huy 27:24

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 27:25

There's, there's so much joy in having a healthy body and feeling well and, you know, feeling rested and being able to, to manage stress. Um, and, and that's really where yoga comes in'cause it's such a mind body, you know,

Matt Huy 27:41

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 27:41

health, um, process. And, uh, so I, I love yoga for so many reasons, but it's, it's kind of the ideal heart health lifestyle.

Matt Huy 27:53

Hmm. Yes. Yeah. Yoga ticks so many of those boxes, you know, especially with the more active forms, like you're getting that physical side, like I'm saying, how my glute were sore the next day after that online class. Um, yeah. So there's a lot of physical benefit to it. You can build strength through yoga, you know, not surely not to the same degree as it picking up some heavy weights and stuff, but there's still so much you can do strength wise for yoga. But then we also have that mindfulness aspect like you and I talked about earlier. Um, the, the rest aspect, the tuning into yourself. So, yeah, I, I. And I always like to try to inspire yoga teachers to say, you know, know that the thing that you are offering is so valuable. If wellness influencers are willing to pedal these non-evidence based supplements, then like, surely you should be more confident to offer this physical activity, yoga, and all of its benefits, um, with at least the same confidence as someone pedaling something else that's not evidence-based. Right.

Sarah Samaan 28:54

Yeah, that's, that's really beautiful.'cause it, it is evidence-based. And if you, you know, if you were to kind of look in at the medical literature, which I know you, you do, um,

Matt Huy 29:03

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 29:04

you would see, you know, you and Andrew are, are. Are just, you know, a wealth of information. You've studied all of these things, you know, there is so much evidence of how beneficial yoga is. And I'll add one other thing. Um, you know, community, people who are

Matt Huy 29:20

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Sarah Samaan 29:22

to be healthier. And that's something also that if you choose, you know, to practice in a group, it's, it's a wonderful, uh, way to build community. And, you know, and I'll just say some of my best friends are people I've met through yoga classes.

Matt Huy 29:36

Yeah, absolutely. And that's why I, I love going out to do a yoga class. I, I've heard some teachers say, oh, you need to have a self practice. And I think that that is valuable, but I think there's so much value in going out and being with others. So. If you are someone who doesn't love doing it, self practice, don't be ashamed of that. Like go to your weekly or how many times a week yoga class don't feel like you, you have to have a self practice. If, if it's because you miss that community element and you're also limited by only what, what you learn, what you know from yourself, right?

Sarah Samaan 30:12

Right.

Matt Huy 30:14

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 30:14

so true.

Matt Huy 30:15

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 30:16

and that's something that a yoga teacher can, can really take to heart that, you know, you're building this community. And so keeping that in mind, um, and, and understanding just how valuable of a resource you are to your students.

Matt Huy 30:31

Yeah, it's, it's really interesting how the research is pointing to things like, um, you know. Community. And even as, uh, I remember looking at this reference in our book, a sense of purpose showed, um, lower cortisol levels in people and, um, overall better wellbeing. So this, this kind of vague idea of a sense of purpose, which we often talk about, I think in yoga or consider in yoga. I, I like how research is, is trying to examine these, these other aspects to health rather than, you know, just. Physical fitness and, and you know, I think it's something that we've been thinking about as yoga teachers for a long time.

Sarah Samaan 31:12

Yeah.

Matt Huy 31:13

it's just a thought. So, uh, looking at, uh, your business trajectory or career trajectory, some would say you were a fool to go from what's often considered like the top career, a doctor, a cardiologist, you know, and, and to let that go, which is similar to what Andrew did. You know, he was a, a trained doctor and he realized, you know, I just, I just really don't wanna be a medical doctor. And then he went and became a yoga teacher and now, you know, he does anatomy and physiology combined everything. But what caused that crazy move from being a cardiologist to being a self-employed coach and, and doing all the other various things that you do. And, and how has it turned out for you, you know, from a business point of view?

Sarah Samaan 32:00

So, you know, I'll say I was, I was in practice for nearly 30 years, so, um, I, I felt like I had, you know, I, I, I loved being a cardiologist. I will say you know, the last maybe five. 10 years of practice, things changed a lot. So,

Matt Huy 32:18

Mm.

Sarah Samaan 32:19

we were talking about the, the time that was allotted with

Matt Huy 32:21

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Samaan 32:22

um, you know, there were a lot of changes happening in healthcare and I also felt like there were a lot of other things in life that I hadn't explored. And so those were the reasons that I left. You know, I made sure that I had my safety net,

Matt Huy 32:39

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Samaan 32:39

as far as, you know, financially in place because. You know, I, I don't recommend to most people just kind of leaving, you know, picking up and leaving and hoping for the best. You do have to make a bridge for yourself. Um, it doesn't have to be precise, but, but having a bridge so that you, you know, you take care of yourself, you know, your, your daily needs and, and that sort of thing. Um. I really felt like there was more that I wanted to explore. And so you mentioned, you know, I'm, I'm in a master's degree program, master's of Fine Arts degree program,

Matt Huy 33:12

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 33:13

love. And I think that, you know, honestly the courage to do that and in part may have come my mindfulness practice. Uh, and, and. Maybe not even just the courage, but being able to think through what would this

Matt Huy 33:29

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 33:29

able to sit with myself and, and really process these, um, thoughts and ideas that, that had been in my mind for a long time. Um, so, so there was that. Um, I also felt like when I left, I wasn't really expecting I was going to go back and be working within the medical profession, but. I really, when I, I was given the opportunity to train as a coach. Actually. I started, um, by, uh, training in mindfulness coaching, which is something I found through yoga. So I'm a

Matt Huy 34:03

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Samaan 34:04

teacher and there was the opportunity, um, through one of the yoga schools to train as a mindfulness coach. And then that led me to train as a physician coach.'cause I really enjoyed the mindfulness coaching, but I wanted. To be able to take that to physicians. Um, I'm, I'm now involved in something called enhanced Stress Resilience training for physicians, which is something that the uc, San Francisco and uc, la um, departments of of surgery are developing to bring mindfulness to, uh, to surgeons. And as a cardiologist, I see how that can be integrated, um, into. a cardiology practice and maybe into other, um, areas, um, of, of healthcare. So, so to say, what, what I'm saying is that the recognition of mindfulness and how it can apply to. Physician self-care is, is something that's really on the rise, and I'm excited to be part of that. So, had I not left practice, I wouldn't have even known about these opportunities, would never have gotten involved. And I feel like this has really, um, really connected with me and resonated with me.

Matt Huy 35:19

Yeah. And it's nice how yoga has been kind of your sidekick on that journey, as you said, inspiring you and, and giving you clarity and how, how am I going to actually make this career shift? Um. So, yeah, that's, that's, that's a beautiful story.

Sarah Samaan 35:34

Yeah, yoga's been the catalyst for a

Matt Huy 35:36

yeah,

Sarah Samaan 35:36

for me.

Matt Huy 35:37

but I think inspiring also for people to, I think a lot of people probably think, oh, I've just got another 10 years until retirement. I might as well tough it out. Whereas you, you know, made that change and probably the easier option would've been to just stick it out till retirement. But here you are, starting your own business and, and doing the things that you love. So congratulations to you for that. You know, well done.

Sarah Samaan 35:58

my partners in practice, I think they're still baffled. Like, you know, what does she do? Why does she leave? But

Matt Huy 36:04

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 36:04

I, I feel really, I've, I've never doubted that decision.

Matt Huy 36:09

That's great. That's great. Um, and just turning our attention to yoga teachers. Can you give. Some advice to yo teachers when they face, uh, someone with a heart condition.'cause it can sound really scary. Like if someone says, oh, I've got cardiomyopathy. It's like, whoa, what do I do without getting too prescriptive about, you know, like, do this pose, don't do this pose. Just in, in general, and maybe not just about heart disease, but I guess anytime we come across someone with a scary sounding sort of disease, what, what, what, what are your guidelines?

Sarah Samaan 36:42

This is a question that comes up a lot.

Matt Huy 36:44

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 36:45

know, someone will say, I have, you know, a client, somebody in my class who has heart disease or has Parkinson's disease, or has, you know, these various, you know, conditions. What do I do? And I think it's important as a yoga teacher. To understand that we, we are not their doctors. Even though I

Matt Huy 37:04

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 37:05

a medical background, I'm not my yoga student's doctor, you know?

Matt Huy 37:11

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 37:12

understanding they are, when they're in their yoga, in your yoga class, they are the expert in their health. They have to be the one to decide what they can do, what they can't do. Um, you know, if somebody comes to you and says, I had this, what can I do? The first question I would ask is, what does your doctor say?

Matt Huy 37:34

Mm-hmm.

Sarah Samaan 37:35

is this okay with your doctor that you're, you know, doing yoga? And so, for example, in that, um, situation that came up, um, on, on the website where someone, uh, had that patient with cardiomyopathy, um. You know, the, the first question was, well, uh, the, the doctor said that it was fine for them to exercise and encourage them to exercise. So from there, if you know that they've been given the go ahead. Giving that person modifications that you would give the whole class. Because understand, you don't know what all those other people in your class might be dealing with. And maybe they're not going to speak up, but maybe they have similar conditions, um, or, or something else. So offer everybody the same modification. Don't single that person out and make them feel self-conscious, you know,

Matt Huy 38:24

Hmm. Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 38:26

and enjoy the class like anybody else. Would, but you know, again, be aware and if they, if they look like they're struggling, you know, there's a, a reason to offer assistance. You don't want to ignore that if something goes wrong, but, but don't be afraid to teach your class like you would for anybody

Matt Huy 38:46

Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 38:46

and, uh, and, and understand that they are the expert in, in their own life.

Matt Huy 38:53

Exactly. Yeah. I think sometimes as yoga teachers, we can fall. Uh, into the trap of thinking that we need to know what's right for every single person in the room. And that's just not the case. We're not at all trained for that. What we are trained to do is stand in front of a group of people and deliver a good yoga class, or maybe it's just one person, you know, in which case then you, it can be more tailored. But especially in a group setting, you can't be modifying every single pose for every single person. And it's, it's not up to, you don't know what they're feeling in their body. Uh, take the pressure off yourself and let that person be empowered, trust that they know what to do. And I think it's, it's so important and valuable to know the, the recommended exercise guidelines, you know, as developed by the World Health Organization and adopted by most countries of 150 minutes per week of moderate I intense day activity, two days of strength training, reducing sitting time, these sorts of, of guidelines and, and the American College of Sports Medicines. Guidelines for exercise testing a prescription, which is my Bible. When I, when someone says, oh, I've got Parkinson's disease, can you work me privately? You know, I will consult that. And it, it's amazing how pretty much all the time it says the normal exercise principles apply, you know, of 150 minutes per week. Just a few cases, you know, like a glycogen storage disease, um, or. You know, uh, maybe a cancer patient under chemotherapy with an active infection when these might not apply. But basically we all need to be exercising. We all need to be getting physical activity to some degree. Uh, just modifying it as needed and rather than being scared and thinking, okay, just lie there and don't do anything

Sarah Samaan 40:35

Right.

Matt Huy 40:36

that's. That's not the answer. Yeah. If nothing else, some gentle movement and stretching is gonna be really valuable and, and I would say pretty much anyone can handle that and it's so valuable also to know that yoga is in comparison to other forms of exercise, probably one of the safer ones out there. You know,

Sarah Samaan 40:52

Absolutely.

Matt Huy 40:53

boxing, you know, we've got no, no problem in comparison to that, so, yeah.

Sarah Samaan 40:59

Absolutely, and just the, the fact that there are modifications. You can have

Matt Huy 41:03

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 41:03

of all different ranges of experience in one class and everybody will leave with something valuable.

Matt Huy 41:11

Yeah, so go out there and be confident. Yoga teacher or if you're just a yoga student yourself, go out and be confident in what you can do in your body. Yeah. Great. Alright, thanks Sarah. Any other thoughts or anything else you'd like to to touch on that we missed out on?

Sarah Samaan 41:30

Well, I think, you know, one, one thing that I've really followed, um, it's something that I read from, uh, Joseph Campbell who's an author, uh, which is. your bliss and doors will open where there were only walls before. And I have to say that has been something that has really stayed with me since I read it and has really helped me when I'm trying to decide what to do next. Uh, and it, it is amazing how when you do the thing that really matters to you opportunities arise, new ideas arise and, and your life becomes so much richer and you have even more to give.

Matt Huy 42:14

Great. I love that. That's such a beautiful quote. And I, I think something that you've definitely done in, in pursuing, you know, your equestrian activities and, and your MFA, so that, uh, that's great that you've lived by that and followed that. Yeah.

Sarah Samaan 42:31

I feel very fortunate.

Matt Huy 42:33

Yeah. And so if people wanted to. Learn more for you. I, I, I, I know your target client is obviously a physician, but you never know. There might be a physician listening, but also if any yoga teachers or yoga students wanted to follow you or learn more about you, how, how could they do so?

Sarah Samaan 42:48

Yeah. Thank you. Well, my website for my physician coaching program is mindful physician coaching.com. Um, I also have a yoga website. I'm not. Super active right now with

Matt Huy 43:00

Hmm.

Sarah Samaan 43:01

I'm finishing up my MFA and I haven't had a lot of time, but I do plan to develop a, a Yin Yoga for Equestrians program. So that's winding road yoga.com. Um, and you can find me on Instagram. Uh, it's at Mindful physician Yogi.

Matt Huy 43:21

Great. Good. Alright. Thank you Sarah. And I'm sure I'll see you around the Enlightened Yoga Collective. And Fran, anyone you know, I've mentioned it a couple times in this episode, Aran, anyone who wants to know a little bit more, uh, you can find information@enlightenedyogacollective.com. I know it's a long name. If you also just Google Enlightened Yoga, that should come up. Alright. And, um, thanks again Sarah and I really appreciate your time.

Sarah Samaan 43:45

Oh, thank you so much. It was such a pleasure, and I am really enjoying the Enlightened Yoga Collective, so I will definitely put in a plug for that Also.

Matt Huy 43:54

Okay. Okay. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Sarah.

Speaker 4 44:00

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