The Yoga of Collaboration in Nurses and Nursing
This post is part of a collaboration with other nurse bloggers.
Gratitude to RNFM Radio with Keith and Kevin who are hosting this round.
Recently I was invited to be a speaker for an erudite group of Oncology Nurse Practitioners from Dartmouth Medical Center in New Hampshire.
The nurse planner wanted me to help create better COLLABORATION + COMMUNITY.
Ahh, right up my alley. As the founder of YogaNursing®, I teach how yoga which means UNION, amplifies unity, community collaboration.
GENTLE yoga therapy enhances collaborative relationships in all things body, mind and spirit-in nurses and nursing.
Definition of collaboration:
communion, teamwork, working together, alliance
The opposite of collaboration:
dis-union, separation, division, noncooperation.
How to achieve this unity, collaborative community?
I taught the nurses the following 2 primary therapeutic components.
#1. YogaNursing® theory– “We can not change the culture without changing the consciousness.” Expanding the nursing mind set. How to expand our minds y’all to transform stress, pain and suffering in the nursing profession into peace, health and wisdom. A holistic nursing, heart + spirt based practice which increases collaboration.
#2. YogaNursing® practice. My training for the Dartmouth NPs included gentle, medical yoga therapy, with the experiential ‘Sacred Remedy Rx’, the heart of YogaNursing® Essentials.
It all starts with stopping THE JAB. The jab is a term I created in YogaNursing® to describe the leading toxic, insidious behavior that leads to the break down of collaboration.
What is the JAB?
J- judging
A- attacking
B- blaming
Uh-huh. We often silently in our minds are judging, attacking and blaming others for their actions. Fact is until we expand our minds, expand our consciousness, and realize we are are often in JAB thinking, we’re paralyzed to change. Once we cognize that we do this, we can say, “hmmmm, yeah, I’m guilty of the JAB, so how can I make this better?”
The Rx, remedy for the JAB is the practice of mindful compassion + loving kindness.
Compassion and loving kindness are learned via mindfulness and spirit centered practices like meditation, prayer, and the Sacred Remedy Rx.
Another heart centered nurse blogger who integrates a mindful consciousness expanding approach into their teachings is:
Jerome Stone- who offers ‘Meditation Resources for Everyone’. Jerome a Registered Nurse with over thirty years in a variety of health-care settings, is a long-time practitioner and teacher of meditation. Check out his wonderful website here.
Gentle Medical Yoga Therapy + Mindful Meditation practices create ‘conscious community’ in nursing and in the nursing mindset.
Outcome = Collaboration.
Ancient wisdom united with modern science. The yin and yang.
A calm, experiential way to heal.
A feel good compassionate way to collaborate and awaken your INNER NURSE HEALER- then you share the compassion + loving kindness with your fellow nurses.
A collaboration rooted in the loving heart and compassionate soul of nursing.
This post was written as part of the Nurse Blog Carnival. If you are interested in participating find out more details and sign up here.
My heart sees your heart.
P.S. Collaboration includes sharing:) Consider sharing this post with other nurses.
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Enjoyed this post! I love your acronym JAB! I feel like your focus on JAB and internal self reflection is a important step in improving ourselves so that we can can give 100% in our collaboration efforts.
Hi Erica, the JAB grabbed a lot of readers…no judgement or blame, it is about becoming more ‘aware’ that we ALL do this, then release it into the heart of compassion. Best to you!!!
Wonderful post, Annette. Thank you for sharing such heartfelt wisdom. I love the acronym of the JAB and will be mindful to watch my own thought patterns. You know, that’s really what it comes down to doesn’t it? We can never truly know what another is thinking and feeling. We can only stay accountable for our own actions. When we come from a space of compassionate authenticity, we cannot help but act in collaboration. And as we know, with billions of people in this world, some will collaborate with us. Others may not. It’s about us being truly ourselves. Great article, thank you.
Yes, you totally get it. Keep on sharing your ‘heart.’
Today I’ve learnt a new word that I will use at work -when I hear judging, attacking and blaming. (Jab) You are right in that, compassion and love will cure the JAB.
I always enjoy your articles, they are very spiritual.
Thanks for sharing.
Joyce, the JAB is sneaky. Thanks for caring to comment + collaborate on creating compassion for ourselves and for our colleagues.
Appreciated your comments on collaboration and change. Insightful.
I truly appreciate your appreciation and sharing 🙂
The change within (a the local level) to embrace a mindful approach is the first step in building that conscious community (a the global level).
Fostering these relationships in my own company among the team has become one of our top priorities. We’ve appreciated the benefits 10 fold by removing that variable, and even throughout the hustle and bustle of our work days you can still palpate the bounding pulse of mindfulness in the offices.
A beautiful thing indeed. Great post Annette.
Kevin, kudos to you and your team! When we tap into the space of peace and unity, we do, as you say so eloquently, “palpate the bounding pulse of mindfulness” that is ever beating from the heart of collaboration.
Thinking outside the box! I think you may have given us some really great tips for bringing the team together so that they can collaborate. JAB is perfect. Thanks for this!!!
I think be aware of our human and judgemental nature is half of the battle. When we realize we do this and make a conscious effort to stop and “be more” it does allow for tremendous growth.
It’s hard to collaborate with someone if you’re constantly judging them.
Great information here.
This enlightening post made me think,”charity begins at home”. As a nurse I consider myself a healer, helper and fixer- of others. This potent focus on self and becoming aware of JAB is all about starting with self-love and self-care. My consciousness has changed because of Annette and her vision to change the consciousness of nurses. I highly value this important work because I know very well how needed it is. I am championing Annette’s message. I took her online and in-person Yoganurse training and only had one regret, that this visionary material was not available when I was a student. I highly recommend her training to all nurses.
This post is truly prophetic as we cannot be healer’s of others until we have healed ourselves and embracing our JAB, acknowledging our JAB, and understanding how our JAB influences our reactions and behaviors is the first step and perhaps the most pivotal step in self-care/self healing; Annette thank you for making this concept concrete and attainable for daily practice.
This post is EXTREME WISDOM. When I am aware of JAB in my life, it gives me that added “check” to lighten up on myself and others. This week I have noticed that when I am hard and critical on myself, it effects others in my life. When I release JAB, I am free to let go of the things that shackle me. It is part of the ABC’s. The Awareness of the JAB has been the first step for me in letting go. No sense in sucking on that same sour lemon! The awareness lets me become aware of the resentment that I may hold. When I am aware of the bad things that I am holding or about to hold, I can let them go and stop it immediately. This concept is so simple, so clear and concise. I wish I had been utilizing this many years ago. The awareness of it for me appears to be the key. What wonderful wisdom you have shared, Annette! I have already shared it with a very special person in my life, and that person immediately embraced it.
I’ve always been my toughest critic and was guilty of JAB(bing) myself and others. Through mindful meditation, gentle yoga and acceptance I have stopped JAB(bing) myself and others. Annette’s teaching with the acronym is awesome! It is easy to remember and that will make it easy to teach. And she is right- we do need to take care of us before we can lead, touch and heal others. And if we are judging accusing and blaming ourselves or others we have lost sight of focusing on the ONE thing we can change-us. All of my relationships have improved since I stopped judging and started accepting. What a beautiful way to live and love.
Feeling the love 🙂
Thanks Annette for this wisdom! I find myself doing this and I try to be aware of it and change my perspective and instead open my heart and use love as my means of connection to other nurses.