I spent numerous years in emergency medicine and 8 years in the cardiac cath lab, and I have been traveling for the past 3 years. I've always been in a fast-paced, high stress environment.

In 2021 it started to catch up with me- I was having physical symptoms from anxiety, burnout, and hypervigilance. I had forgotten how to relax and the meaning of self care, and I lost a huge amount of my support system through several unexpected deaths. Besides therapy, I knew I needed someone else's support who truly understood the nursing environment I was in. That's where Brit came in.

I found her through a podcast interview, and joined her group coaching, VIP days, and 1:1 coaching. Through these programs, I have had so much growth amidst the grief. Learning self care has helped me so much, especially with burnout. The bliss life is a true possibility for anyone. I am far from perfect, and I'm continuing to work of self talk and reframing stories in my head. I am looking forward to starting my own ...

I have been a nurse for over 30 years and have enjoyed all the different experiences that I have had. I obtained my masters in science and became certified as a Nurse Practitioner about 15 years ago. I have worked in cardiology for most of the past 15 years.

With the stress of the pandemic and losing one of our cardiologists to Covid, I realized that I wanted to do something different, but I just wasn’t clear what that would be. I spent some time deciding what that next thing would be and decided that I would go back to school to become a life coach.
I graduated from the health coach institute as a certified life and health coach. Kathy Streb Coaching, LLC became my business. Over the next few months I tried to figure out how to build my business so I could finally quit my 9-5 job. I just didn’t have the knowledge or resources to do that on my own, and I was looking for others who had done similar things.

I found Brittany on facebook. As I watched the content that she had about self care...

During my eight-year career as a nurse in the Neuro-trauma ICU, I’ve experienced several cycles of caregiver burnout. It ultimately led me to delve into a very personal inner and spiritual journey. I was able to creatively explore how I can practice nursing in a way that aligns with my core beliefs and values. I became a Registered Yoga Teacher and Usui Reiki Master. I completed a MS in Complementary and Integrative Health and sought a Health and Life Coaching certificate.
 
After achieving all of this, I took a big, humble step back and was like, “Well now what?” How can I marry all my passions and education in a way that is meaningful?
 
We go to nursing school and seek higher education because we have an underlying pull to be in service to others. But nowhere along the way do we learn how to start a side hustle or run a small business. I felt wildly lost. I had a dream to start a business but no clue how to manifest it. I blindly started Third Eye Nurse, LLC, a small business platform...

Supta Baddha Kanasana (supine bound angle pose)

To do this pose:

Sit down on your mat with a block, bolster, or pillow nearby. Bend your knees and put the soles of your feet together. Keep your feet far enough away from your pelvis that you make a diamond with your legs and there isn’t any pressure or stress on your knees. When you’re comfortable, lay back, placing either a block or your bolster on the floor between your shoulder blades. Relax your head, neck, and arms down by your sides. Close your eyes and breath into your hips and your heart, letting go of the day.

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It opens the hips. Stress is often carried in the hips, but nurses especially since we’re on our feet most of the day. Opening the hips and stretching them out helps release this stress, anxiety, and negative energy. Notice what thoughts and feelings are coming up for you during this pose.     
• It opens the heart. Especially nowadays, it feels like half of wh...

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...

Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing)

To do this pose:

Sit on your mat in any pose that is comfortable. Start with a slow and deep inhale followed by a slow and deep exhale to relax your body and close your eyes. Fold your index and middle fingers into the palm of your right hand. Use your right thumb to occlude your right nostril. Inhale slowly into your left nostril, briefly pause, remove your right thumb from your nose and occlude your left nostril with your ring and pinky fingers, and exhale slowly through your right nostril. Keep your fingers in that position and inhale again slowly through your nostril. Continue this pattern for 2-3 minutes. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• This practice is thought to clear and purge the inner channels of the body and mind. If you’ve had a hard shift, this practice can help clear it from your mind before starting your evening wind down time so that the stress doesn’t carry into it. 
• It stimulates the parasymp...

Sahita Kumbhaka (box breathing)

To do this pose:

Sit on your mat with your eyes closed, in any position that is comfortable. Breath in through your nose for four counts, hold at the top of the breath for four counts, exhale through either your nose or mouth for four counts, and finally, hold at the bottom of the exhale for four counts. Repeat this pattern for at least 2-3 minutes.

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It relaxes your monkey mind. Your monkey mind is all your anxious, racing thoughts. Having the counting to focus on helps those thoughts stop. You can do this for a few minutes during a stressful shift or after a stressful shift. 
•  
• It helps control panic and hyperventilation. Nurses have a high rate of burnout, stress, and anxiety so panic attacks are not uncommon either. This practice helps to slow the breathing and the heart rate when there is an impending panic episode. 
•  
• It can also help you sleep by quieting those racing thoughts if you...

Ujjayi (ocean breath)

To do this pose:

You can be walking, sitting, standing, running, practicing yoga, etc.! Breathe in through your nose, keep your mouth closed and let your exhale brush the back of your throat, creating a wave sound like you are fogging up a window. Repeat this pattern as many times as needed.

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It stimulates endurance, energy, and focus. This practice can be helpful at work even while providing patient care to help keep you focused and energized. 
• It helps to promote temperature regulation. Some units in the hospital can be VERY cold while others can be VERY hot. This practice can help regulate your body temperature if you get uncomfortable. 
• It also releases tension, tension, and stress after a long day which you can practice on your drive home.

Uttana Shishosana (puppy pose)

To do this pose:

Come onto all fours on your mat. Make sure your wrists are directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips. Keep your spine, head, and neck relaxed. Start to walk your hands forward, keeping your hips directly over your knees the whole time. Walk your hands out as far as is comfortable for your body. If you can, rest your forehead on the mat and let your heart sink to the floor. Hold this position and let your chest sink a little further with every exhale.

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It stretches your whole back, the shoulders, and the abdominal muscles. Any back stretch is good for nurses. Back pain is the most common injury reported in nurses and is not JUST confined to the low back. Hunching over our computers and patients can really impact the upper back, neck, and shoulders. This pose can help bring your spine into extension when you’ve been in flexion all day! Do this pose after a ...