Viparita Karani (legs up the wall pose)

Viparita Karani (legs up the wall pose)

To do this pose:

Start with the short end of your mat pushed up against the wall. Sit down with your right hip against the wall, then lie back on your mat as you swing your legs up the wall. Make sure your hips are flush against the wall (scoot forward if you need to), you can bend your knees as much as you need to, even placing the soles of your feet on the wall. Relax your arms out to your sides in a T-shape with your palms up and close your eyes, keeping your legs and feet relaxed.

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It restores sore, tired, and swollen feet. Sometimes as nurses, we may not sit down for more than a few minutes for 12 hours. This position after a long shift can help regulate blood flow through the whole body, decrease foot swelling, and help with general foot pain 
• It stretches the back of your neck. When we aren’t hunched over our charting, we’re most likely hunched over our patients. This position stretches those muscles and promotes blood flow to them. 
• It provides passive stretching for the backs of your legs, your chest and heart, and low back which helps with pain and fatigue after a long shift. 
• It’s restorative. Restorative yoga poses are usually held for anywhere from 5- 60 minutes so that you can truly and completely relax your body. After 12 hours of physical and mental stress, restorative poses can help relax and rejuvenate your mind and your body. This pose in particular has been shown to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and digest section), which helps you relax even deeper. 

  Try this pose after your next especially stressful shift to help you relax even further and truly rejuvenate your mind and body.