Page 93 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2024. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih / Health of Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press

Yoga as a key practice to prevent burnout

Jelena Dudine, Sandra Martinuč
University of Primorska Faculty of Health Sciences, Izola, Slovenia

Introduction: Many people experience burnout in their daily lives. It is important that
people understand what burnout is and that they can recognise it. Compared to feel-
ing tired, burnout is a gradual process that is linked to problems in the workplace.
Burnout can manifest itself through physical and psychological symptoms.
Methods: The literature collection and research took place between September 2023
and October 2023, and we included articles dealing with yoga and breathing. The lit-
erature was selected based on criteria such as free accessibility of the articles, rele-
vance to the selected topic and publication between 2013 and 2023. Access was via
the PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect and COBISS.SI databases. The search was con-
ducted using the following keywords in English and Slovenian: burnout, yoga, medita-
tion, symptoms, intervention, nurses, health professionals.
Results: Self-care is important to prevent burnout in the workplace. Promoting self-
care by incorporating yoga into daily practise is important to prevent burnout and re-
duce stress at work and at home. Introducing yoga into the workplace contributes to
a calm and relaxed state of mind for employees. Yoga helps individuals feel better in
times of stress. The practise helps individuals alleviate their discomfort and cope with
their situation. The advantage of meditation and breathing techniques is that they do
not require a specialised environment, they are used as a self-help technique and they
can be practised anywhere, including the workplace. When a person is in a stressful
situation, breathing properly and calming the mind can help prevent the situation from
derailing and leading to distress. In everyday life, breathing often reflects our state of
mind because when we are relaxed, our breathing is free, deep and calm. A state of preventiva in rehabilitacija ... | prevention and rehabilitation ...
excitement affects our breathing, which appears shallow, rapid and irregular. Correct
breathing, which you learn through yoga and breathing techniques, brings the body in-
to a state in which it reacts correctly in stressful situations.
Discussion and conclusions: Integrating yoga and meditation into one’s practise is cru-
cial for stable psychophysical well-being, especially in occupations where stress is un-
avoidable. A regular yoga practise can help prevent burnout and contribute to an in-
dividual’s well-being. Companies should support these practises by introducing health
promotion programmes that include yoga and meditation. In addition, they should
give people in the workplace time and space to relax during working hours. Individuals
would be able to calm down and recharge their batteries in stressful situations, which
would have a positive impact on their work and the quality of the work performed.
Keywords: yoga, meditation, stress, workplace

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