Practical Yoga Tools for Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Members: 3 Free PDUs; Non-Members: 3 PDUs for $45

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and discuss challenges faced by occupational therapists in the workplace
• Define elements of yoga and their impact on health and wellbeing
• Recognize current evidence that supports the use of yoga for self-care
• Explore strategies that occupational therapists can use to improve biomechanical, psycho-emotional, and spiritual challenges experienced in the healthcare settings

Speaker Bio:

Julia is an assistant professor with the School of Occupational Therapy at Touro University Nevada and the current Vice President of the Nevada Occupational Therapy Association. Julia is dedicated to supporting healthcare providers in self-managing their own physical, psycho-emotional, and spiritual challenges, so they can experience more freedom as they navigate their careers and lives. Upon entering the healthcare field, she stepped away from her yoga practice to focus on her role as an occupational therapist. After working in the hospital setting for several years, she developed chronic pain and an overall feeling of burnout related to her increasingly stressful job responsibilities. Julia found herself re-integrating yoga into her daily routine to address the challenges she faced working long hours in an unpredictable environment burdened with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With her yoga practice, she was able to heal her body, communicate more effectively, skillfully navigate high-pressure situations with ease, and most importantly, make her health and well-being a priority. It is this experience that inspired her to share the gift of yoga with other healthcare providers to improve their quality of life, professional sustainability, and overall well-being. By turning the focus inward, healthcare professionals can provide high-quality care without compromising their own health.  

References:

Cocchiara, R. A., Peruzzo, M., Mannocci, A., Ottolenghi, L., Villari, P., Polimeni, A., Guerra, F., & La Torre, G. (2019). The use of yoga to manage stress and burnout in healthcare workers: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(3), 284. doi: 10.3390/jcm8030284

La Torre, G., Raffone, A., Peruzzo, M., Calabrese, L., Cocchiara, R. A., D'Edigio, V., Leggieri, P. F., Borelli, B., Zaffina, S., Mannocci, A., & YOMIN Collaborative Group. (2020). Yoga and mindfulness as a tool for influencing affectivity, anxiety, mental health, and stress among healthcare workers: Results of a single-arm clinical trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(4), 1037. doi: 10.3390/jcm9041037 

Upadhyay, V., Saoji, A. A., Verma, A., & Saxena, V. (2022). Development and validation of 20-min yoga module for reducing burnout among healthcare worker(s). Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 46, 101543. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101543