They are our on the roads to protect and serve. From assisting drivers to enforcing laws, "The reason I stopped you is you were going 75 and the speed limit is 65,” explains a Trooper to a speeding driver. With all the people they come into contact with a day, members of the highway patrol must be ready for anything. "It is a lot of stress; you're hyper-vigilant,” says Colonel Dennis Osborn who has been with the department for decades.
We joined Colonel Osborn for a class where he worked to prepare his newest recruits for real-life stress on the streets. "You have to stay calm in very stressful situations.” Classroom work is a small part of the months of training to equip cadets with tools to handle dangerous situations. The U.S. Army veteran has also implemented a unique training experience for future members of the force. Yoga. Hot, Bikram Yoga. For 90-minutes in 105-degree heat and 30% humidity, students focus through a sequence of poses. Even if they cannot complete all 26 poses, students are encouraged to stay in the room until the end. It is a disciplined and challenging practice; one that Colonel Osborn has been doing for years at Juice Box Yoga. "About five-and-a-half years, Kristen. To me, I came because I was having back problems and I heard about Bikram Yoga and I wanted to give it a shot and it's been awesome,” he shares.
Instructor Barry Peterson says more than the physical benefits, it teaches recruits to find comfort in discomfort. He has even taken the Bikram techniques to U.S. military bases around the world. Colonel Osborn says mental clarity is also crucial for law enforcement, especially in hostile environments. He adds with strained police-community relations across the country, learning to conjure up calmness in an uncomfortable environment can only help out in the community. "Officer wellness is a big concern because if you have healthy officers, I think it reflects in the community."
Juice Box Yoga studio owner Tanya Bordner feels privileged to open her doors to the recruits; she has invited them in for what's now the seventh academy. "The community that takes care of the community and that protects the community is really engaging and taking care of themselves." While continuing the practice is not mandatory for the cadets, Colonel Osborn hopes exposure to Bikram Yoga just might help them down the road. "A lot of times I'm just trying to plant the seed for later in their career for maybe when they have an injury or they're not as healthy as they want to be, they'll remember that crazy Colonel they had when they went through the academy."
To learn more about Juice Box Yoga, log onto http://www.yogajuicebox.com/.
