Asheville Police Department hopes yoga helps officers hone skills, relieve stress
Asheville Police Department hopes the skills officers learn during yoga classes will help them in their day-to-day activities and overall wellness.
By Web Staff
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — The Asheville Police Department is offering officers time for peace and tranquility. The department now has a six-week yoga course for officers.
The program has been ongoing for two weeks with a local yoga instructor. Department members may attend classes on a volunteer basis.
APD Capt. Mike Lamb said the goal is to help officers work on breathing techniques, flexibility and calming techniques.
“On a daily basis, officers are in stressful situations,” Lamb said. “Unfortunately, a lot of times, we encounter people where they’ve been in a collision, robbery, break-in. So, day in and day out, we encounter a lot of stress. Yoga helps us to be able to regulate stress and be able to self-regulate.”
Lamb said the skills learned during the classes will help officers during their day-to-day activities and overall wellness.
“I find that the physical aspect is something that can be very familiar for officers in their training. They can see that there’s a physical element there and using it for other elements of realization, calmness and self-regulation,” yoga instructor John Baldwin said.
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