Yoga in occupational therapy

Adding yoga into occupational therapy intervention makes sense for many reasons. Occupational Therapists support individuals to engage and participate in daily activities by supporting their mental and physical health, and cognitive function, i.e. ability to think, attention, and problem solving. There’s increasing evidence to show yoga provides benefits in all of these those areas. Yoga is also. accessible across the lifespan and can be adapted in many different ways depending on individual capacity.

Physical health benefits:

• Increased range of motion

• Chronic pain management

• Improved balance

• Increased strength

• Improved posture

Mental health benefits:

• Stress reduction

• Managing anxiety

• Enhancing mind-body connection regulating emotions

• Relaxation through breathing practices

Impact on cognitive function:

• Increased attention and processing speed

• Improved executive functions such as planning and impulse control

Yoga is also a powerful practice for sensory integration, providing proprioceptive and vestibular input, increasing body/spatial awareness. Standing and balancing poses help develop stability, strength, and coordination. Moving from backbends to forward bends to twists provides a lot of vestibular system input, bringing a sense of calmness and being grounded, to be able to feel more comfortable and present in the body.

Yoga increases self-awareness, generating a union of body, mind, and breath. Yoga supports you to increase your sense of self, feel at ease in the world, and can bring about a sense that “everything is okay around me”.

CGOT can support you with yoga and mindfulness based practices for your occupational therapy intervention.