Yoga is a great way to get slow, controlled movement in. It allows you to simultaneously stretch your body while you build strength, all without any equipment. 

There are plenty of free yoga videos (plus videos specifically for nurses) on YouTube that you can access for free. Check out this one:

Yoga has been shown to improve back pain, arthritis, sleep, mood, stress, and more! It's benefits are vast and span many areas of health and wellness. 

Johns Hopkins Medicine reports on 9 key benefits of yoga and states, "Numerous studies show yoga’s benefits in arthritis, osteopenia, balance issues, oncology, women’s health, chronic pain and other specialties." 

Healthline states 16 benefits of practicing yoga along with the studies to back up the benefits:

If you're thinking, "I'm not flexible enough for yoga" you can start with these beginner poses. Keep in mind that poses have variations and modifications to make them beginner-friendly. And the only way to increase your flexibility is to work on it!

For images and videos of how to do each of these poses, click here.

Yoga takes time to learn and grow in. In yoga, you'll often hear the word practice. Yoga is a practice. It's something that many people work at daily or weekly to grow and learn in. When you first start, you likely won't be very flexible or strong, but over time, you'll be able to watch your body grow and adjust. You'll watch as you're able to sit in postures you weren't able to in the beginning. It's a slow and beautiful practice that allows both your body and your mind to be at work.

Much of yoga has to do with your mind and your breath. Aside from the physical movements and motions, a lot of the practice is about centering yourself and coming to a place of calm. To start your yoga practice, you may choose to begin with just 5 minutes here and there. From there you can add on and do it more consistently for longer periods of time. 

| Related Reading: Meditation and Breathing