Yoga for the Firefighters
It’s not every day that the fire trucks get moved out of the station to make room for a yoga class of 45 brave front liners!
Change starts with one person showing up and putting forth the effort. Yogamour owes a big thank you to Captain Michael Webb for inviting us to share yoga and mindfulness with the Fire and Rescue Training Facility in Frederick, Maryland. He is devoted to bringing more mental health tools into the training curriculum.
Our hope, is that more folks in leadership positions reach out in an effort to collaborate with the Yogamour Outreach Team. We are committed to bringing the mission of yoga and mindfulness to survivors of trauma, marginalized communities and populations in-need as a tool for healing and finding self-regulation. Please let us know if you are interested in bringing Yogamour Outreach to your school, work environment or any other venue that may benefit from our services.
This journey started back in August when Yogamour co-founders Geni Donnelly and Beccah Barlett were asked introduce the benefits of yoga and mindfulness the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Training Facility. Geni offered educational presentation about the central nervous system and the role that yoga plays in establishing self-regulation, and Beccah led a chair yoga practice followed by a guided meditation. “Yogamour has been a game changer for my mental health,” says Firefighter Taylor Prieur
Some of the benefits that first responders can expect from yoga include:
Relieve stress
Center the mind and body
Combat PTSD
Balance the extreme highs and lows faced on a daily basis
Discharge energy after a traumatic event
Deepen relationships and connections with loved ones
Battalion Fire Chief (BFC) Frank Malta commented, “Huge thanks to Rebeccah from Yogamour for her support to RC30 and 31. The Academy curriculum began introducing periodic yoga as a way to help Recruits recognize additional avenues to assist with mental and physical well being. Yogamour in Frederick, Maryland very generously offered their services to the Academy at no charge because of how strongly they feel about the benefits of yoga to first responders.”
This is also a reminder that yoga does not require a specific body type, a yoga studio, or buying expensive “yoga” clothes. Yoga teaches us that we have so many resources within ourselves, and sometimes we just need a teacher to guide us towards accessing our own inner resources. Most of the firefighters didn’t even have mats and half the station floor was wet. The practice was just as it needed to be!
Did you know that first responders are able to take classes for free at the Yogamour Studio? Our community of students have commented how they love the diversity and sense of safety that the first responders bring to our studio space.
If you’re wondering how to incorporate yoga and mindfulness into your work or if you have an organization that could use support, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Yogamour has a team of certified trauma-informed teachers, as well as training programs for those who want to become part of the Yogamour Outreach Team. Or train with us and we will assist in bringing these classes to your community.
We would love to hear from you! Email us HERE!
