How Yoga Can Help Nurses Destress and Find Balance

Written by Kim Jones and Marti Yura

Nikki Benitez, RN-BC, Director, Quality, Regulatory Affairs & Compliance, Emory Transplant Center, discovered the power of yoga while working in intensive care during the grueling peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She describes how, late at night, after spending back-to-back shifts immersed in fear and misery, she would “hit a wall” of physical and emotional overload.

“I was holding so much in my body,” explains Benitez, now the Manager of Transplant Compliance and Regulatory Affairs for Emory Transplant Center in Atlanta. “Not to mention, the world was completely off its axis around me.” 

The feeling is all too common: As nurses, we face extraordinary physical and emotional challenges that can lead to chronic pain, depression, and burnout. Benitez describes grasping for whatever she could find to stabilize herself, needing “something to hold onto for balance.” Her therapist asked her to give yoga a try. 

The effect was profound. 

“It was this deliberate physical movement that somehow helped me to release that stress in my body,” says Benitez. “And, you know, those breathing and grounding techniques I learned in yoga, I found myself returning to them throughout my shifts.”

Unlike some popular depictions of yoga as being only about poses, Benitez discovered that the practice encompasses much more than body positions. It is a holistic practice that includes a system of beliefs. For many nurses, it can be an entirely new way of relating to and moving through the chaos of their world. 

A Modern Crisis (And an Ancient Solution)

Nursing is the fifth largest occupation in the United States and ranks as the largest of the health care professions. Due to strenuous workloads and irregular shift schedules, musculoskeletal disorders are common among nurses. In addition to chronic pain, one in 10 nurses shows signs of depression, which is double the rate among non-health care workers. Our profession is physically demanding, often involving lifting patients, performing repetitive tasks, and standing for long periods. These long shifts, coupled with intellectual and emotional demands, can contribute to burnout.

“Nurses are an incredibly precious resource,” says Benitez. “We need to give nurses the tools they require to feel safe and grounded in their work.”  There is much to be done at the system level, by health care leadership, to realize this vision—including fair pay, safe staffing, and protections against workplace violence.

One simple step is within reach now, both at the system and individual level: Connecting nurses with well-being resources like free or affordable yoga.

Yoga is an ancient practice designed, at least in part, to help people ease the daily burdens of life. What began as an ethical and moral model for living has, over the centuries, come to include meditations, intentional breathing (called pranayama), and physical postures called asanas. 

In practicing postures, we imitate life by challenging ourselves to regulate and stay in places we may not be comfortable. Purposeful breathing and meditation help to align your mind and spirit with the actions of your body. In fact, yoga in the ancient Sanskrit language translates to “to yoke,” or to tether the mind to the body and the spirit. 

Offering well-being services like yoga in or through health systems can make a profound impact on the 43 percent of burned-out nurses who intend to leave the profession. Research shows that yoga can reduce pain and stress from conditions like fibromyalgia. It can also improve nurses’ ability to handle the emotional challenges of their work. Importantly, follow-up data from yoga studies suggest that positive effects are sustainable over time, as people carry the coping methods they learn into daily life. 

Health care workers who participated in a 2023 yoga study reported significantly lower stress and improved sleep quality, for example. The workers reported a 42 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms and a 41 percent reduction in depression symptoms. Three months after the study, most of them had noticed their symptoms remained stable.  

“People see yoga as something that’s potentially difficult, that you have to be experienced or highly flexible to do,” says Benitez. “And that is just not the case.” Yoga is for everyone, as has been shown in global, inclusive studies of people with chronic pain and stress. 

Whether you aim to center yourself before a shift, ease pain mid-shift, or calm racing thoughts before bed, 10 minutes can make all the difference.

Here is a brief yoga routine that you can practice anywhere—no experience needed— with helpful modifications to accommodate busy workdays and workspaces: 

1. Modified Sun Salutation

A sun salutation is a series of poses that might be familiar if you’ve taken a studio yoga class. It involves big changes in body position, including some floor moves that might not be feasible during your shift. (We can skip touching hospital floors, thank you very much.) You can, however, modify this popular routine for a realistic sequence to perform on the go: 

Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and resting your arms at your sides. Lift your arms above your head (out to the side or in front, your preference) until they are straight up, palms facing in. Breathe in for at least a count of three, then breathe out as you slowly bend your torso forward in a diving motion. Bend your knees slightly. Bring your arms straight down toward the ground as if you are going to touch the floor. 

Not everyone can easily reach the floor. It’s okay to touch your ankles instead or hold onto each elbow with the opposite hand. Bending your knees can make this move easier as well. 

After a good stretch, slowly start to straighten your back by lifting your torso and breathing in. As you lift, press your palms into your shins or thighs just above your knees for support. Pause here for a breath or two. Next, gently fold back down, breathing out once again. 

Lift all the way up to standing once more on an inhale. Reach your arms up high to touch the sky; bring them down in a wide circle, like you’re drawing a sun.  

Repeat this sequence 3 to 4 times.

2. Mountain Pose

“Mountain pose is a simple pose that involves adjusting your posture for alignment and grounding,” says Benitez. 

Start with your feet about hip-width apart, firmly planted, and “stack everything else up from there.” Elongate your spine and neck, allowing your shoulders to relax away from your ears, palms facing forward. Think about rooting yourself into the ground, Benitez says, and think, “I’m standing in my power. I am rooted and connected with myself.”

Take a couple of deep breaths.

3. Tree Pose

Tree pose is a natural extension of mountain pose with a little balance added in. It involves a simple transition where you lift one leg up slightly, to the side, bending your knee as you go. 

“You want to first root yourself in your standing foot,” says Benitez. “So, if I’m going to pick up my right foot to start, I will focus first on grounding and rooting in my left side.” It can help to think about keeping the toes of your planted foot on the earth for stability.

After you find your balance, touch the sole of the elevated foot against the opposite ankle or calf. You’ll want to form a triangle shape with your leg. The sole of your elevated foot should be facing inward.

Once you feel comfortable standing in this position, think about “growing your tree.” You can play with lifting your arms up or simply stand up tall with your arms by your side. Raise your arms like branches for a little extra challenge to your balance. 

If you struggle to find balance, focus your eyes straight ahead on something that isn’t moving. If you fall out of position, no problem! Take a breath and restart. 

4. Seated Cat-Cow

The seated cat-cow pose can help you release shoulder tension from long hours of sitting or standing during a shift. To start, sit in a chair with both feet on the ground. Next, lean forward slightly and place your hands on the desk or on your knees in front of you. Breathe in and “as you exhale, stretch and round your back into an arch like a frightened cat,” says Benitez. You can press your palms down for extra leverage. 

When you breathe in, you will transition to the opposite position: cow pose. To move into cow pose, think about curving your spine the other way. Expand your belly and your chest up and out so that your back looks like the letter “C” (if you were kneeling on all fours, your posture would look like a cow’s, and your back would make a “U” shape—with your belly hanging low and your spine sagging down towards the floor).

Breathe out and return to cat pose.

Repeat this combo as many times as you would like, until you feel relief from back tension or pain.

5. Seated Pigeon Pose

The seated pigeon position elongates the outer hip and can help to relieve lower back and sciatic pain. Start in a seat with both feet planted on the floor. Next, lift one leg up toward you by holding your ankle. 

Cross the ankle over your opposite thigh and sit up straight with a gentle flex in your foot. Your ankle can land anywhere above the knee, depending on your feeling in the stretch. 

Hold the position while sitting up tall or lean forward slightly if you want to explore a deeper stretch. Remain in this position for several breaths. 

“You might be surprised by the feelings that come up when you’re stretching this way because we tend to carry a lot of emotion in our hips,” says Benitez. “If this happens, notice what comes up, breathe in and out, and try to release the thought without judgment.”

Switch sides when you’re ready.

6. Modified Downward-Facing Dog

In a seated downward-facing dog pose, you will stretch the entire back side of your body. You can practice this asana by sitting in a chair about two to three feet away from your desk. Plant your hands shoulder-width or more on the desk and slowly begin to lean forward, relaxing your head between your arms. Allow your head and torso to sag toward the ground until you feel a comfortable stretch in your shoulders and upper back. 

Take 3 to 5 breaths. 

Remember that the asanas, or yoga positions, are just one tool in the yoga toolkit. Pranayama is the part of yoga where you work with your breath to calm the mind. Taking as few as 2 to 5 minutes to breathe intentionally can make a world of difference in regulating your emotions.

Mindful breathing can provide stress relief during challenging and emotionally charged moments. Benitez recommends a technique called a box breath, in which you breathe in for a count of 3 to 5 seconds, breathe out for the same count, and repeat. The work of balancing out your breath can hold your focus. Slowing down the breath sends a signal to your brain that it’s safe to relax. 

Another pranayama technique that is used in trauma-informed yoga is called “golden thread.” Take a long breath in through the nose, then exhale slowly through a small opening in the lips. You can imagine exhaling a golden thread for an added bit of visualization.

Workplace yoga practices are incredibly valuable. You may also find yourself curious to learn more about yoga and deepen your practice in a setting with a teacher, like a studio or a gym. Having access to a dedicated yoga space can increase your understanding of yoga philosophy, let you try a variety of yoga styles, and help you build community with other people. 

Here are some tips to help find a practice that’s right for you:

• Practice at home using this extended desk yoga routine from Emory School of Medicine.
• Try a free yoga class near you, such as free community yoga in Atlanta’s Freedom Park (Saturdays at noon, weather permitting).
• Search for a studio that’s on your route home from work (such as these AJC-recommended studios)  
• Try different studios: Take advantage of the various low-cost introductory offers available in the Atlanta metro area to see which is the best fit for you. (Rates commonly start around $30 for your first month.)
• Don’t overdo it! Start slow and be kind to your body. 

Whether it is a full hour or 10 minutes at the start of your shift, yoga can help anyone who is seeking balance in life.

🤔Nurses, what mindfulness strategies do you use to balance your personal and professional lives?  Share your stories in the comments below!