CCI's Yoga in Scrubs
Yoga in Scrubs is grounding practice for nursing's real world.
On a typical day in the School of Nursing, people move quickly from classrooms to clinics, offices to units, and meetings to the medical center. Laptop screens glow, phones buzz, and hands are constantly in motion. But on Tuesdays at 4 PM, the Compassionate Care Classroom in McLeod Hall becomes a yoga studio. Participants arrive carrying water bottles, tension, fatigue, and full lives. They take off their shoes, unroll a mat, and take time for themselves.
Yoga in Scrubs is a free, weekly class designed for busy students, faculty, and staff, sponsored by the Compassionate Care Initiative, UVA Recreation, and Hoos Well.
“Yoga in Scrubs invites you to come as you are, straight from class or a shift,” says Laurel Geis, a certified yoga instructor and clinical nursing faculty member who leads the class. “You don’t have to change clothes. You don’t have to prepare. You just show up.”
The weekly practice blends breathwork, movement, and mindfulness. During class, Laurel moves through the room watching carefully, coaching both first‑timers and experienced participants so that everyone feels supported. She offers simple, repeatable exercises, including breathing techniques, that nurses can carry into real clinical moments.
One of Laurel’s favorite tools for acutely stressful situations is box breathing, which is comprised of an inhale, a pause, an exhale, and another pause, each for a set number of counts.
“Repeat the set using a ‘box’ visual—up, across, down, across—for four rounds, and you’ll have just over a minute of focused breathing,” Laurel explains. “This is a great technique to help bring calm in times of stress.”
During class, Laurel focuses on other breathing exercises to manage energy and improve focus. “We usually take some deeper grounding breaths, intentionally filling up the lungs, maybe holding for an extra count at the top, and then a long emptying exhale. That helps us relax and find a peaceful frame of mind as we start our practice,” she says.
Another anchor of class is Savasana, a conscious resting pose at the very end. Laurel guides participants through a full body scan, inviting them to notice sensations, release tension, and relax.
“Students love that portion,” she says. “It’s a chance to practice noticing what’s there without judgment and to let go.”
From Personal Practice to Shared Space
Yoga in Scrubs grew out of Laurel’s own experience as a nurse. Early in her career, she worked in the Coronary Care Unit at UVA. As a new grad and ICU RN, she began using grounding practices to steady herself before walking into patient rooms. “I was feeling the weight of the world, realizing my anxiety was high as a new nurse, and very much feeling that imposter syndrome,” she says. “I would give myself a little pep talk before walking in.”
Pausing, breathing, and bringing attention fully into the present moment made a difference not only in how she felt, but in how she showed up for patients.
That insight has shaped her teaching ever since. In 2024, Laurel was named a recipient of the inaugural Class of 1968 Legacy Award for Clinical Teaching Excellence. She has used a portion of that award to deepen her training in mindfulness, with a specific goal in mind: bridging the knowledge taught in the School’s Compassionate Care Initiative retreats into everyday clinical and educational settings for students, faculty, and staff.
“We spend time in the retreats practicing presence, compassion, and awareness,” Laurel says. “But clinical environments are fast and complex. I wanted to help translate those practices into something faculty and students could use right before a shift, between patients, or during a demanding week.”
Nursing regularly places people in situations that are emotionally charged, unpredictable, and high‑stakes. Learning to care for oneself—to recognize stress, regulate the nervous system, and reconnect with breath—supports the ability to remain grounded with patients.
Laurel knows that self‑care isn’t separate from patient care. In fact, she says, it strengthens it.
Building Trust, Side by Side
Yoga in Scrubs is a shared space where faculty, staff, and students practice side by side as individuals, undefined by titles or hierarchies.
“It is a great way to connect with each other outside of the classroom,” says Beth Quatrara, recently retired associate professor of nursing, acute care CNS specialty lead, and graduate program lead at SON. “After a busy day, it was a peaceful space to step into. Laurel welcomed us all in, encouraged us to leave the outside world behind, and taught us self-care. It was fun, relaxing, and nourishing.”
Beth believes that sense of being welcomed without expectation or performance helps build trust within individuals and across teams. In turn, participants experience wellbeing and care as lived values rather than abstract ideals.
Developing Resilience
Stress management and emotional regulation are foundational skills in nursing education and practice. When individuals can regulate their responses, they are better able to integrate new information, think critically, and respond creatively to complex problems.
“Yoga in Scrubs gave me a dedicated space to slow down, refocus my thoughts, step away from the stressors of daily life, and learn something new,” says Nathan Johnson, a rising fourth-year BSN student and regular participant.
For students balancing coursework, clinical hours, and personal responsibilities, that reset can be transformative. For faculty and staff, it models a sustainable approach to professional life, one that values reflection alongside rigor.
An Organizational Culture That Breathes
Beyond individual well‑being, Yoga in Scrubs contributes to the health of the School of Nursing as an organization. When people are given room to pause and recover, Laurel believes that burnout decreases, engagement increases, and relationships grow stronger.
For clinicians like RN to BSN student J.C. Moscicki who works in the Pediatric ICU, the impact is tangible. “Yoga In Scrubs has become a space where I can reset mentally and physically during demanding weeks … I always leave class feeling calmer, stronger, and more grounded.”
Permission to Pause
Yoga in Scrubs is an opportunity to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with the steady presence nursing requires. All students, faculty, and staff are invited. Come as you are, whether in scrubs or street clothes. A mat is waiting for you.
Summer Yoga in Scrubs meets Wednesdays from 4-4:50 PM in McLeod Hall 2010, from June 3 through August 5. No yoga experience is necessary to participate!
