As 2020 continues to bring folks to new levels of mental health care needs, clinicians have become overwhelmed with the demands placed on them. Many clinicians are at full capacity in their private practice and most have had the impact of recent challenges increase their own needs for self care. How does yoga help?
Adding yoga techniques to clinical practice allows clinicians to have a break from CBT and rejuvenate themselves during the work hours. Even a few minutes of breathwork and body tension awareness can give clinicians a substantial boost during the day.
We have many graduates who are using the education they've gained at CYI to run yoga groups and further increase their ability to revitalize themselves and their clients during the work day.
In addition, practicing yoga is extremely helpful.
Seven clinical trials analyzed yoga interventions and evaluated effectiveness by gauging stress levels, sleep quality and quality of life. A study in 2018 on nurses showed statistical improvement in stress levels following a six-month yoga program (χ2 = 16.449; p < 0.001). A population of medical students showed improvement in self-regulation values after an 11-week yoga program (from 3.49 to 3.58; p = 0.04) and in self-compassion values (from 2.88 to 3.25; p = 0.04). Four of the included articles were observational studies: They described the factors that cause stress in the work environment and highlighted that healthcare workers believe it is possible to benefit from improved physical, emotional and mental health related to yoga activity. According to the literature, yoga appears to be effective in the management of stress in healthcare workers, but it is necessary to implement methodologically relevant studies to attribute significance to such evidence.
We would love to hear from those of you using the training currently and it's effects on your own mental health!