Why Healthcare Professionals Need Yoga Now More Than Ever

Hospitals, ER’s and health clinics are all too familiar with the pressures facing first responders, nurses, doctors, and all those working to save lives from day to day. Even more so, dealing with a global pandemic like Covid-19, it’s no wonder why stress in the field is growing out of control. And Yoga may be exactly ‘what the doctor ordered’ to relieve these high levels of stress.

Healthcare workers are asked to work even longer hours, are constantly making life-changing decisions, and placing their own lives and wellness at risk to save others’ lives every day.

This is where the practice of Yoga becomes all the more critical for today’s Healthcare Professionals.

The Gentle Practice is designed to counteract and overcome the stress of healthcare workers today. It is a Wellness brand created to cultivate calm presence, strength and flexibility in a peer-to-peer social environment.

In 2018, I developed a specialized Yoga approach called The Gentle Practice, tailored to the physical, mental and emotional needs of healthcare workers at UT Medical Branch in south Texas. The practice was initially launched as in-studio classes prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. It quickly transformed into a virtual “Zoom” Yoga and Fitness program.

In 2019, the Journal of Clinical Medicine published a story on the use of yoga to manage stress and burnout in healthcare workers. The researchers conclude, “yoga is effective in the prevention and management of musculoskeletal and psychological issues. In addition to an improvement in physical problems and quality of sleep, both stress levels and burnout are consistently reduced in subjects who practice yoga techniques and mind-body meditation.”

Virtual yoga classes not only allow for a safe, Covid compliant environment, but also provides easy access for overwhelmed, exhausted healthcare professionals while working from their offices or homes.

An added benefit to the exclusivity for Healthcare Professionals is that it allows a “Safe Space” for in-group talk therapy for those experiencing increased stress, hostility and isolation on the front lines during the pandemic.

Due to a greater demand and thanks to the accessibility through virtual technology, The Gentle Practice offers affordable yoga classes and private sessions for Healthcare Professionals in any location. The most important thing is to take care of you and your health, so you’re better equipped to take care of others.

by Deanna Cahill, E-RYT 200 - Yoga Alliance Expert Level Teacher

Visit or click www.thegentlepractice.com to join a class, book a private session, or secure a monthly membership.