Yoga is a form of exercise associated with slow movements, holding positions for seconds or even minutes, while breathing several deep, calm breaths. As a nurse, you’d probably say “I don’t have time for that!” And sure enough, a standard yoga session can take up to two hours at times, which is probably more than what you have available on your busy schedule. However, did you know that a yoga exercise doesn’t necessarily take all that time?

In this line of work, finding ways to unwind and preserve your mental health is essential for the workplace. Otherwise, our body will find other ways to cope with the excess stress in the form of  over-spending, overindulging in junk food, or adopting unhealthy habits such as smoking. Luckily, yoga as a form of stress relief is becoming increasingly popular in hospitals as nurses are spending their breaks practicing short yoga exercises to improve their work experience, as well as their mental health, to prevent burnout in the long run.

How many nurses do you know that take several smoke breaks during their shift? How long do they take? The odds are that they take a good 3 to 5 minutes each time they go out. If that’s the case, then you could also take your breaks to unwind and release pent-up stress with these quick and excellent yoga tips for nurses.

The Yoga Misconception

First off, we want to start by clarifying that yoga as a form of stress relief has little to do with how the hardcore yogis practice it. Sure, the serious yoga followers will always make time to incorporate a few sessions a week. However, for a nurse that has little time to spare, and has to deal with constantly beeping lights, supervisors calling on the phone, and restless families waiting for answers, participating in long yoga sessions aren’t an option. However, for stress relief, yoga is as quick and straightforward as isolating yourself for a few minutes and giving it a chance.

If you try it out, and it ends up working for you in the workplace, you could even make some time to accommodate some formal sessions in your schedule.

Practicing Yoga in the Workplace

There are three primary forms where you could practice yoga during your breaks.

Meditation

The first method consists of mentally isolating yourself from the world for a few minutes. The idea is to sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, and tune out from everything that surrounds you, including the stress of your patients, supervisors, and peers. Once you have cleared your mind, you can take this time to refocus and draw inner peace. Some good places to practice these meditation exercises is in the nurses’ lounge when it’s empty, or even in the staff bathroom, if you need to.

Breathing Exercises

These usually go in tandem with meditation and consist of focusing on drawing deep, calm breaths to help refocus your thoughts. If there are problems at home or in other places that are affecting your mental wellbeing at work, try to bring your thoughts to the present, if possible. If not, however, a good tip is to focus on your breathing and try to channel positive energy and feelings with every inhale and try to mentally transmit this energy to your colleagues, patients, and to your workplace, in general. These breathing exercises are the cornerstone of yoga, and involve techniques to invigorate and recirculate the blood through your heart and lungs. In a nutshell, you must inhale from the diaphragm, deep from the abdomen, for four seconds. Afterward, you must hold this breath for around seven seconds, and release it slowly while counting to five. You can do these exercises anywhere without the need to isolate yourself—like when trying to meditate. You could be sitting at the front desk, stitching up a patient, or even mentally preparing yourself to speak with a patient’s family, when practicing your breathing exercises without interruption.

Practicing Poses

This one is, by far, the most difficult exercise to practice in the workplace. However, some stretching exercises can be practiced anywhere to enjoy the full benefits that yoga provides. For example, the sun salutation is an exercise that takes around one to two minutes to perform, and that can help release pent-up stress and help you prepare for the task at hand. An excerpt from an article featured on workingnurse.com explains the sequence of movements to perform a sun salutation:

“To do a sun salutation, stand upright, shoulders relaxed, feet together and arms at your side. Begin by inhaling and sweeping your arms up and overhead, then exhale as your arms sweep back down to your sides. Continue exhaling as you bend from the hips, keeping your legs straight, and fold forward with a straight back until your hands either reach the floor or rest on your shins. Let your head and neck hang. Next, inhale as you look halfway up and straighten your spine. Then, exhale by folding forward and letting your head and neck relax again. Inhale once more as you come straight up with a flat back, bringing your arms overhead, and exhale bringing the arms back down to your sides, completing the sequence.”

Practicing yoga exercises in the workplace is an ideal way to release stress and keep both the body and mind healthy. Your body will thank you for it, and both your patients and peers will notice the difference in your demeanor.

Try it out and let us know how it went!