LCC instructor links occupational therapy with yoga
Terri Gonzalez has helped individuals overcome or deal with debilitating obstacles in their lives thanks to the healing power of occupational therapy.
Now, she is incorporating the age-old practice of yoga into the occupational therapy program at Laredo Community College to enhance the healing process.
Gonzalez has been a practitioner of occupational therapy for more than three decades and the coordinator of LCC’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program for the last nine years.
In the early 1990s, Gonzalez took interest in studying yoga.
What Gonzalez discovered has helped her become a better practitioner and educator of occupational therapy.
Gonzalez initially learned about yoga on her own through books. Eventually, she began attending out-of-town sessions, and in 2000, she became a certified instructor after attending the Yoga Center in Houston.
She learned that yoga and occupational therapy are very similar in concept and methods.
“Yoga emphasizes the use of mind and body in daily living to be more relaxed and deal with day-to-day stressors more appropriately,” Gonzalez said. “It also allows for one to maintain a fluid and flexible body as much as possible. As we age, this can be more of a challenge.”
Gonzalez added that occupational therapy also focuses on the entire body—including physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual—with emphasis on day-to-day activities.
“Occupational therapy’s goal is toward functional independence, and by combining yoga, a more natural flow can occur,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said that yoga can benefit occupational therapy practitioners and their clients.
“The health and wellness benefits supplied by yoga help the practitioner because if we don’t take care of ourselves then we certainly can’t provide treatment or therapy to others,” Gonzalez said.
Furthermore, she encourages OT practitioners to incorporate yoga with clients.
“Yoga has been shown to have very good results with children who are diagnosed with autism, who are hyperactive or distractible, or who may have coordination problems,” Gonzalez said. “For the aging, yoga can definitely help with motor function, balance, issues dealing with depression, anxiety and much more.”
As the head instructor of LCC’s occupational therapy assistant program, Gonzalez is offering students an opportunity to learn how to integrate the principles of yoga with those of occupational therapy.
“At times, I will conduct a short session on yoga with our students during lab session,” Gonzalez said. “I do stress that everyone has to agree to participate since it is within a lab session. So far, I have had students eager to learn about yoga.”
In January, she conducted a continuing education class for a local professional group consisting of practitioners and students. The responses were positive. In fact, she was encouraged to present her findings and techniques at a state conference.
Gonzalez submitted a presentation proposal to the Texas Occupational Therapy Association conference committee. The proposal, focusing on the benefits of incorporating yoga and occupational therapy together, was accepted and it will be presented at the mountain central conference in November in San Antonio.
Gonzalez has been involved in the practice of occupational therapy since 1974. She began teaching on a full-time basis at LCC in February 1996.
For more information about the LCC Occupational Therapy Assistant program, contact Gonzalez at 721-5460.
Laredo Community College occupational therapy assistant instructor Terri Gonzalez, right, teaches a yoga technique to students.
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