Off the mat

I’ve learned many things practicing and teaching yoga; most of them are life lessons for off of the mat. Lessons to be used in day to day life and at work in the hospital.

Yoga means to yoke. Yoking the breath with movement can allow a practitioner to gain flexibility and breath control. On an inhale the body rises, and on an exhale the body softens; it deepens into a pose, it stretches. Breathing deep, and even, slows the heart rate.; allowing one to relax. I have learned that I have to bend and lean into the sway of poses and situations to increase my flexibility so that I don’t break.

I used to think I was very flexible, now I know that I just like big sweeping changes. They are not the same thing. I’m actually quite inflexible when it comes to doing what I’ve always done a different way. I am very set in my ways of nursing. (Don’t touch my pens and don’t change how I assess a patient.) However; if I take a breath and rise and then deepen into a different way of doing something, I can do it. I can stretch. I become more flexible.

Yoga is for everyone. Yet not everyone can do it the same. And that’s OK. It’s kind of the point. We are all different. We nurse differently; we live differently; we practice yoga differently. Part of what makes yoga for everyone is the ability to modify poses by tweaking them to one’s abilities. By using props (yoga blocks, blankets, pillows, the wall, chairs, straps, etc.) one is supported in the pose. You see, the pose is what matters, not how deep one can go into it or how long one can stay there. You receive benefit from doing the pose to whatever level you can. How much better are we when we are supported? When we are given a way to go into a situation that is safer, we are more likely to do it willingly. We will be able to grow and learn because of that support. Like a wall or a yoga block, having support at work can make all the difference in your success and outcomes for you and your patients.

The benefits of yoga are numerous. Balance is one of the benefits that is achieved the more consistent one is with their practice. Off the mat, balance is something we nurses strive for daily as well. Work/life balance is a catch-phrase and hot topic because it is just that important. If one is taking more of our time and/or energy then we are out of balance. When one is on their mat and they are standing tall in mountain pose, things are pretty steady. What happens when they close their eyes? Lift a leg? Look up? That’s the possible tipping point. Just like on the mat, if you add too many variables then you run the risk of becoming unbalanced. I always teach that balance is different every day and different from side to side. It’s ‘delicate,’ as they say.

Which brings us to the falls. If you practice yoga and if you live your life, there will be falls. The key is to remain present and be mindful of the falls. Be aware of what may cause a fall. Be aware of how you want to land. Be aware of ways to prevent the fall. If, and when, you fall out of a pose, try again. Try again with what you learned from the falling.

Most yoga classes are closed with Sivasana or corpse pose. Lie on your mat with your legs stretched out, let your feet fall to the sides. Your hands can be down at your side or on your belly. Close your eyes; it is in this pose that you will receive the benefits from your practice that you just completed. The calm and the stillness in this pose are sometimes the hardest to achieve. When lying in a reclined position our ‘monkey minds’ race and our bodies want to remain in motion. So it is in life. We stay so busy that we don’t allow ourselves calm. We don’t afford ourselves moments of peace and of quiet. If we stop swirling around we won’t appear productive and we won’t be able to ignore thoughts or feelings. Sivasana and stillness sound simple. They are not.

I am very fond of the notion of yogi’s in scrubs. I believe nurses spend so much time being busy and unbalanced and inflexible that a bit of mat work would do them good. Or even just a breather at the nurses’ station. A moment to stand, close your eyes, and breath in and out, in and out.

Whether you get to spend time on a mat, or just visualize a yoga practice, may you find some calmness in your work storm. May you find a way to bend deeper into good things; and find balance instead of falls.

Namaste. It’s good for the nurse’s soul.

***** Let me know your thoughts.

***** Join me on my mat at a yoga class