Yoga in nursing

[cougarnurse]

Yoga in Nursing - Life

The junior BSN nursing students looked refreshed after spending an hour of nursing class time to challenge and relax their bodies, nourish their spirits and rejuvenate their minds during an introduction to yoga class.

Kathy Olsen, assistant clinical professor, wants to emphasize the need for nurses to begin good healthy habits of self-care. Olsen explains, "It is essential that young nurses learn wellness behaviors that they can integrate into their lives to balance the stress and demands of a helping profession." Students were required to choose a healthy activity to participate in for one hour of their clinical laboratory time. The majority of the students chose yoga.

Carrie Curtis, from ISU Mind Body Connection, and Carol Klinger, of James Barrett Pilates Studio, led an hour of introductory yoga for the students. Brian Curtis, from Advanced EMT for Fort Hall, where he has his fellow EMTs do yoga after their weight lifting routines, accompanied them. Mr. Curtis emphasized the need for all health care workers to practice yoga to prevent back injuries.

Yoga is prescribed as an alternative complementary adjunct to Western medical treatment. Evidence supports the use of yoga to help chronic back pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, childbirth, infertility and asthma. Hospitals have integrated yoga to help patients with cancer. Research also supports the use of yoga to help focus and center children with ADHD.

Yoga is not new to Olsen's classes. For the past two years she has integrated a small, three-five minute yoga break into her long classes. Olsen teaches that, "Yoga asanas give the student a chance to stand up, stretch, re-oxygenate, and re-focus their brain during the 90-minute lecture classes." Last year yogini and student health nurse, Paulette Canfield, donated her time in medical surgical nursing and pediatric nursing classes to introduce a new position or asana move once a week. Specific asanas were chosen to integrate balance, strength, centering, breathing and the lecture topic of the day. Student evaluations have been highly positive. Olsen encourages all students who may not have time in their hectic schedule to take a PEAC yoga class to try the Mind Body Classes at the Wellness Center. The classes are a bargain for $15 per semester.