Enhancing Occupational Therapy Practice: 3 Simple Ways to Integrate Yoga and Mindfulness
In recent years, the integration of yoga within occupational therapy practice has gained recognition for its therapeutic benefits, especially when approached through a trauma-informed lens. The combination of yoga and occupational therapy can provide a holistic approach to support individuals on their healing journey. In this blog post, we'll explore three simple yet powerful ways to incorporate yoga into occupational therapy practice and how to foster resilience, self-regulation, and empowerment for all clients.
Grounding Practices: Creating Safety, Security, and Stability
Grounding techniques are essential for creating a safe and supportive environment, particularly for individuals with a history of trauma. Starting a session with a mindful body scan (check out some of our free ones here) helps clients become aware of their sensations, thoughts, and emotions in the present moment (1). This practice helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing the hyperarousal often associated with trauma (2).
Invite clients to connect with the earth through grounding yoga forms like Mountain or Child's Form. These forms emphasize stability, grounding, and a connection to the earth. By activating the body's proprioceptive system, which provides feedback about body position and movement, grounding forms enhance feelings of safety, stability, and security (3, 4).
For additional grounding, try incorporating forms such as Tree, where clients stand tall, root their foot into the ground, and extend their arms overhead, finding balance and stability in the form. Another option is Legs-Up-The-Wall, where clients lie on their backs with legs extended vertically against a wall, promoting relaxation and a sense of groundedness (5).
By integrating grounding practices, occupational therapy practitioners create a sense of safety and stability within their clients, fostering an environment conducive to trauma recovery.
Breathwork: Regulating
the Nervous System
Breathwork is a powerful tool in trauma-informed yoga and occupational therapy. By teaching clients specific breathing techniques, we can regulate the nervous system, promote self-regulation, and enhance therapeutic outcomes. One effective technique is diaphragmatic breathing, also known as deep belly breathing or abdominal breathing.
To practice diaphragmatic breathing, guide clients to place a hand on their belly and breathe deeply, allowing the belly to rise with each inhale and fall with each exhale. This technique activates the vagus nerve, a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body's relaxation response (6).
Through diaphragmatic breathing, clients experience increased oxygenation, reduced heart rate, and lowered blood pressure (7). By activating the relaxation response and reducing the impact of the sympathetic "fight-or-flight" response often heightened in trauma, breathwork empowers clients to connect with their breath as a source of calm and inner strength.
Another breathwork technique to consider is Box Breathing, where clients inhale, hold the breath, exhale, and again hold the breath for equal counts, promoting balance and stability. Alternate Nostril Breathing is another option, where clients use their fingers to alternate closing one nostril while inhaling and exhaling through the other, promoting harmony and balance within the nervous system (8).
Empowerment Through Choice:
Integrating Yoga into Daily Activities
Yoga offers a unique opportunity for clients to reclaim their agency and make choices that support their well-being. Occupational therapy practitioners can encourage clients to integrate yoga into daily activities, promoting mindfulness and movement.
During self-care routines, suggest incorporating yoga forms that resonate with clients' needs. For example, Warrior II promotes strength, balance, and focus (9). Tree cultivates stability, body awareness, and a sense of grounding (10).
By integrating yoga into self-care activities, occupational therapy practitioners empower clients to make choices that support their healing journey. This process activates the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and self-regulation (11). It also supports the integration of mind and body, helping clients develop a sense of wholeness and connection.
Additionally, encourage clients to take gentle stretching breaks throughout the day, incorporating movement and mindfulness into their daily routines. These breaks can involve simple stretches like neck and shoulder rolls, gentle twists, seated forward folds, or standing forward folds. Movement breaks support physical well-being, increase circulation, and promote a sense of rejuvenation and focus (12).
By providing options and empowering choices, occupational therapy practitioners support their clients in their healing journey, fostering a sense of ownership and autonomy.
Integrating yoga into occupational therapy practice can significantly enhance therapeutic outcomes, particularly when approached through a trauma-informed lens. By incorporating grounding practices, breathwork, and empowerment through choice, occupational therapy practitioners can create a safe, supportive, and empowering environment for their clients. These simple yet effective techniques foster stability, regulate the nervous system, promote self-regulation, and empower clients on their healing journey.
As we continue to explore the integration of yoga and occupational therapy, let us embrace the power of this holistic approach in supporting individuals on their path to healing and wellness.
References
1. Vujanovic, A. A., Niles, B. L., Pietrefesa, A., Schmertz, S. K., & Potter, C. M. (2011). Mindfulness in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder among military veterans. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(1), 24–31.
2. Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books.
3. Emerson, D., & Hopper, E. (2011). Overcoming trauma through yoga: Reclaiming your body. North Atlantic Books.
4. Schaal, N. K., & Porter, C. (2015). Yoga therapy as an adjunctive treatment for combat-related PTSD: A qualitative case study. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 25(1), 79–90.
5. Iyengar, B. K. S. (2001). Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika. HarperCollins.
6. Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
7. Jerath, R., Edry, J. W., Barnes, V. A., & Jerath, V. (2006). Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: Neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical Hypotheses, 67(3), 566-571.
8. Noseworthy, M. D. (2013). The clinical applications of Kapalabhati. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 23(1), 71-76.
9. Iyengar, B. K. S. (2001). Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika. HarperCollins.
10. Birch, B. (1990). The Tree of Yoga. HarperOne.
11. Diamond, A. (2002). Normal development of prefrontal cortex from birth to young adulthood: Cognitive functions, anatomy, and biochemistry. Principles of Frontal Lobe Function, 466-503.
12. Thompson, M. E., Pearce, A. J., & Moyle, G. M. (2011). Increasing physical activity in office workers using participatory ergonomics. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 4(2), 114-131.