Police Yoga. Different from Yoga Police. (for now.)
The Police Academy in Dayton, Ohio are not your average cops in a doughnut shop lot. In fact, with their new yoga training you might catch them crushing crow pose before a krispy kreme. Seriously, though, police work can be highly stressful and when the chief decides it’s time to add another tool to your belt, you drop your dunkin and listen.
And Chief Richard Biehl thinks yoga will help his officers better prepare for their jobs and their future.
“It’s another thing for their tool belt,” Chief Richard Biehl said. “If you’re on the job for 25 years — or five years — you better have more in your tool belt than your service weapon, Taser, pepper spray. … Traditionally we have done a poor job of preparing them for the human tragedy and suffering they will face.”
Unfortunately, police officers have a higher rate of suicide, depression, injury and disability than the general population, studies have shown. Post traumatic stress disorder? You bet.
Biehl believes yoga is helpful in managing an officer’s stress and relieving physical and emotional pain on the job which will pay off in the long run. For everyone, really.
“It’s critical for police officers to have self-management tools. We don’t understand the health impacts of the environment we work in — the emotional, physical, psychological toll,” Biehl said. “It is only when we reach a crisis we realize we haven’t been coping.”
Smart statements that could go for us all, no? In an unprecedentedly heartwarming move, Chief Biehl not only believes in the benefits of yoga, he also teaches it. And that’s sweeter than a cruller stuffed with jelly any day.
PS. Ohio? Ohio! No offense Buckeyes, but we’d only be more surprised if this was in Florida. Way to go, O-H-I-O.
photo via satyanayoga.com
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Love this article! Way to go Ohio indeed! 🙂
Nice article, love this! Really good to see that they are doing this. So many people can benefit from yoga and I’m always encouraged with it reaches more people. It’s actually a very practical practice (if that makes sense…) – so many of us have stressful lives and it can really help.
what a fabulous plan – yoga helps everyone get centered – no one should be left out. Plus is does a body good!