Yoga for First Responders

The need is clear.

In one segment emergency personnel may witness more trauma, loss, death and destruction than the average citizen will see in a lifetime. It is estimated that 25 to 30 percent of police officers have stress ­based physical health problems and 40 percent suffer from sleep disorders. Numbers are rising for Post Traumatic Stress among all emergency personnel; 18 percent in police officers, 10 to 37 percent in fire service.

Yoga for First Responders provides vital emotional­ wellness and mental resiliency training in academy settings, in­service trainings, and community based programs.

Yoga for First Responders (YFFR) was created by Olivia Kvitne, a yoga instructor and published journalist who first offered trauma­sensitive yoga and resiliency training to the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department after having worked with veterans and military. YFFR roots itself in the foundation of Trauma­Sensitive Yoga and mindlfulness while adding the element of physical challenges paired with mental training.

The aim of this program is to empower our first responders and emergency personnel with powerful mindfulness practices for cultivating resilience to stress and peak performance on the job. By bringing yoga, meditation and mindfulness training to first responders, we can offer these individuals valuable tools to help them stay present and observant of their minds and bodies at times of intense stress.

These practices can also support individuals who are experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress or secondary traumatic stress due to the life-or-death situations they face in the line of duty.

Yoga For First Responders classes began in Thunder Bay in December 2015, and are currently offered weekly, onsite in the training room of each specific first responder service.

Yoga For First Responders
Supported. Protected. Prepared.