Yoga for public agencies not a stretch

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

It’s noon Wednesday and some Post Falls city employees shut their eyes to momentarily focus.

But to say they’re meditating on project plans, public services or other city-related matters may be, well, a stretch.

They’re spending their lunch hour in yoga class in the basement of City Hall.

An increasing number of local government agencies are offering the physical and mental practice as part of their employee health and wellness benefit programs, including Post Falls, Kootenai County and the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.

“One of the reasons we decided to offer yoga is that retaining our mobility can be a challenge whether you sit at a desk or work out in the field,” said Teresa Benner, Post Falls’ human resources director and class participant. “The stretching and balancing poses provide some relief from the effects of repetitive tasks that make us prone to different health conditions. I missed last week, and I can tell it.

“Although it’s difficult to quantify, we believe it translates into lower health costs from other types of medical services like chiropractic care, physical therapy and even surgeries for conditions such as carpal tunnel. Yoga is one of the programs that we believe has exceptionally good benefits for overall health. Employees who participate seem to appreciate having it as an option.”

Post Falls has been offering yoga for 10 years. It draws anywhere from one to a dozen employees per session, depending on work schedules. It includes a balanced mix of both genders.

“We’re really lucky to have an instructor (Cindy Jacobs) who is willing to come to City Hall, which cuts down on the time it takes going back and forth to classes,” Benner said.

The city pays $10 per person per weekly session.

“I think there has been a profound shift over the years to promote health and well-being in private companies, and I’m hearing from more public agencies wanting to offer these and other benefits to improve employee performance and enhance recruiting and retention efforts,” Benner said.

Benner said Post Falls has implemented other mental- and health-related initiatives in recent years, including health screenings, walking, biking and running programs; as well as lunch-and-learn sessions that address financial and mental well-being.

City engineer Bill Melvin has been taking yoga classes at the city since it started and off and on for about 40 total years.

“It improves flexibility and balance and reduces stress,” he said. “I ski in the winter and cycle during the summer and, if I fall, I tend to not get hurt because I’m more flexible.”

He said the mid-week session helps him “reset” for the rest of the workweek.

“It’s an activity that isn’t expensive and doesn’t take a lot of equipment,” he said. “You get into it at your own pace because yoga is not a competitive environment. We tend to sit so much during the day that it’s good to keep employees healthy, more productive, and hopefully it also helps keep insurance rates down.”

Melvin said he bought a book on yoga when he first started to learn some basic stretches before running. He then started to participate in classes.

Kootenai County Commissioner Chris Fillios said his agency has started to offer employees weekly yoga classes for free because the instructor is using an eight-week period to gain her certification. The class, which can handle up to 40 students, started Feb. 14 and runs through April 4 on Wednesday nights in the Administration Building.

Craig Etherton, Coeur d’Alene Fire’s public information officer and a fire inspector, said that department added twice-a-week yoga classes at the station on Kathleen and Ramsey six months ago as part of its wellness offerings. The department pays $75 per class for up to 15 participants.

“It improves strength and mobility,” he said. “We see a lot of back injuries in the fire service and that can mean a loss of work days.”

He said Coeur d’Alene became interested in yoga after hearing about the benefits from Spokane Valley Fire.

“We believe it is paying dividends because guys are noticing they are more limber and that’s a good thing for our job,” he said, adding that attendance is “hit and miss” because of schedules and other factors.

Etherton said firefighters are required to have at least an hour of physical exercise on their shifts to ensure they’re able to continue to perform their jobs.

“This is another way to get that physical fitness requirement,” he said. “Not everybody likes to get on a treadmill or lift weights. This is another option to give our guys a little drive and make them stronger so they don’t get hurt.”

He said it has also helped firefighters with breathing techniques and retaining a calm mentality, especially when they’re working in tight quarters and smoke.

“When we’re working with a supply of air, that is huge for us,” he said.

Etherton said he was surprised at how much of a workout yoga is. He said it appeared to be more his “speed” than weightlifting.

“The first time you do it, you think, ‘How much of a workout can this be to stand around in poses?’” he said. “But, at the end, I’m always sweating and my muscles are burning, so that tells me something is working.”

Yoga is not a part of the wellness benefit to other Coeur d’Alene city employees.

Other area fire officials say their departments don’t offer yoga due to earlier investments for in-house workout equipment and rooms, but some agencies are at least curious about Coeur d’Alene’s results.

“We have not contemplated it, but we’re also not opposed to learning more about the benefits and to see if it’s something we want to incorporate,” said Pat Riley, Northern Lakes Fire District chief.