Abstract
This essay aims to present reflections on the benefits of Yoga to caregivers or health professionals, considering this practice as an effective strategy for coping with stressful situations that these people experience regularly, leading to better care of themselves and the others. To present this proposition, we will initially resort to some of the historical aspects of Yoga, to clarify its context of emergence, as well as its development in the world and in Brazil. Subsequently, we will reflect on the importance of taking care of oneself for the best care of the other and, finally, on the benefits of Yoga for caregivers, in dialogue with the scientific literature. We believe that the practice of Yoga, that contributes to the holistic development of the human being, can be a key method for health professionals to learn to know themselves better and to better deal with their difficulties, consequently improving the care that is offered to others. We suggest that the curricula of undergraduate healthcare courses in Brazil consider the inclusion of Yoga, so that these professionals can learn to use this strategy in their initial training, which would help in improving their quality of life and that of their patients.
Keywords:
Yoga; Meditation; Self-care; Caregivers.