Self-Care Practice In Self Care

Life is filled with environmental demands and pressures that cause what is known as stress. Excessive levels of stress if not dealt with can cause significant health issues. Stress management tools are essential in providing ways to deal with and lessen its negative effects on the physiology, mind, and emotions. One of the self-care tools I will be employing into my own life to manage stress and promote wellness is yoga, of which there have been many studies to show its benefits to one’s health and well-being. Attending nursing school in itself is a stressful undertaking. Based on my self-assessments provided in the Dossey and Kegan (2016) textbook, one of the most important things that I need to incorporate into my self-care practice is

The longer session of Asthanga yoga will be what is referred to as the basic series. I will first start by following along with an hour long video by David Swenson as well as having the option of attending an in-person class at the local yoga studio. The two shorter sessions of yoga will either be sun salutations (surya namaskar), yin yoga, or the five Tibetan rite yoga asanas. Sun salutations involve a certain sequence of asanas, yin yoga is a practice of holding specific stretching poses for three to five minutes, and the five Tibetan rites includes five moving yoga asanas in a specific sequence, repeated 21 times. The shorter sessions I will do from memory, as I have learned them and practiced them

Edwards (2012) highlights that yoga benefits the body through strengthening, relaxing, and improving flexibility, all of which will help to ease painful tension and in turn reducing stress and anxiety levels. In addition, through a national survey of yoga practitioners about the mental and physical health benefits of yoga, Ross, Friedmann, Bevans, & Thomas (2013), concluded that objectively practitioners felt improved health, energy, happiness, social relationships, and sleep. If these aspects of our lives are improved, than stress levels will be reduced resulting in improved mental and physical