Author Diane Sieg practicing what she teaches.

As nurses, and especially nurses in leadership, we are very good at taking care of others, but often fall short of taking care of ourselves. Physical activity is a huge piece of self-care, not just for its physical benefits but for emotional and mental benefits, as well. Yoga, a 5,000-year-old practice, is quickly gaining popularity within and outside the nursing community as a different sort of exercise with a wide range of self-care benefits.

After both taking and teaching a variety of exercise classes over the past 25 years, from kickboxing to weight training to spinning, I can tell you unequivocally that nothing has changed my body, mind and overall well-being as much as yoga. With its noncompetitive approach of challenging us exactly where we are, right now, rather than holding us to some expected standard of miles or rpms or pounds of weight, yoga can benefit all ages, from toddlers to seniors.

Pick your style
Although many styles of yoga practice are available, the differences are usually about emphasis. Some focus more on alignment of the body, while others emphasize breath and movement, holding of postures or flowing from one posture to another. The best-known styles of yoga include Iyengar, Astanga, Vinyasa, Ananda, Anusara, Bikram, Kripalu and Kundalini. No one style is better than another; it’s simply a matter of personal preference for a comfortable fit with your particular needs and issues.

The physical effects of yoga cannot be overstated. So often I hear, “I can’t do yoga; I’m not flexible enough.” Tell my 99-year-old client, who wishes she had started her program 20 years earlier—at 60 instead of 80—that yoga is only for Gumbys. Being flexible is not a prerequisite of yoga; it’s a benefit. Studies have shown that yoga also improves balance, core strength, lean muscle mass and overall well-being, no matter the age. I personally can speak to having lost body fat, gaining a half-inch in height, sleeping better and sustaining fewer overuse injuries in the past five years since practicing yoga regularly.

But the physical benefits are just the beginning. The word “yoga” means union of body, mind and spirit and, for the purpose of this article, I am addressing the powerful combo of body and mind. Last year, well-known author and physician Andrew Weil wrote an article titled “Yoga Promotes Weight Loss,” in which he revealed the results of a new study that found it isn’t so much yoga’s poses or stretching that provides weight loss, but rather the mindfulness associated with the practice. This mindfulness encompasses greater consciousness of our bodies, including more mindful eating and awareness of stresses and how we cope with them.

Live intentionally
The whole idea of mindfulness is a powerful one. When we are more present, conscious and aware, we live more intentionally and “on purpose” in all areas of our lives, from what we eat to how we communicate with a nurse manager. My 30 Days to Grace, a structured program that works well with nurses’ busy lives, is one way to bring more mindfulness into one’s life. This daily, 30-minute guided practice combines deep breathing, yoga poses, meditation and journaling. The program provides a way to focus for 30 days on a specific intention or goal that could be expressed, for example, in one of the following ways: “I embrace my strength and beauty,” or “I am passionate about my work,” or “Abundance is flowing easily and effortlessly into my life.” 

Finding it hard to walk the walk when it comes to fitness? For more information on how nurses can achieve the healthier lifestyles they encourage their patients to pursue, check out Gary Scholar’s book, Fit Nurse: Your Total Plan for Getting Fit and Living Well, published by Sigma Theta Tau International. Read a review. Order.

I originally created the 30 Days to Grace program as a way to help myself commit to a daily yoga practice but, as it expanded, first to close friends and now far beyond, I came to realize the value that daily mindfulness through focusing on a meaningful intention can bring to all areas of our lives. While this program offers an easy-to-follow structure that is limited to a half hour a day, any practice that brings the mindfulness of yoga into your life on a regular basis will help you create positive change.

Yoga is an empowering practice, whatever style you choose. The classes I teach are in the Anusara tradition, which offers a heart-centered, community-based and alignment-focused approach that always includes a heart theme, to encourage students to be bigger, bolder and better. “Look for the good,” “root to rise,” “live with intention,” “open to grace” and “live in your heart” are a few examples of Anusara themes that can be embodied in one’s practice. And that practice doesn’t end when we roll up our mats. Without even thinking about it, we take this new sense of grounding, purpose and strength into the world, where everyone we encounter can benefit from it, including staff, patients and spouses. 

For nurses, who are frequently time-challenged, the beauty of yoga is that you don’t have to go to a gym or a class. You can practice anywhere, including your office or in the break room. I recommend a minimum of 15 minutes a day of actual yoga poses, but even five minutes can make a huge difference. Close your eyes right now, take a deep breath and check in with your body, breath and mind. Just notice, without judgment or criticism, where you are in this moment. Now, roll your shoulders forward and back a few times. You have just practiced 60 seconds of yoga!

Yoga has changed my life, and it can change yours as well. For further information, you can go to Yoga Journal to view poses, look up classes and conferences in your area, and read more about yoga’s life-changing effects. You can also go to my Web site, www.dianesieg.com, to find out more about my 30 Days to Grace program.

Namaste! (This traditional yoga closing means, “The divine in me bows to the divine in you.”)  RNL

Diane Sieg, RN, BSN, CYT, CSP, a former emergency-room nurse, is an author, speaker, life coach and yoga teacher. Sieg helps nurses live with more authenticity and passion, both on and off the mat. Her first book, STOP Living Life Like an EMERGENCY!, has helped thousands of nurses get out and stay out of the emergency room of life.