Frequently Asked Questions

When is your next Instructor School?

You can find information about upcoming Instructor School on our website under the TRAININGS & EVENTS tab. You can also sign up for the early notification list, http://bit.ly/TeacherTrainings. We’ll announce new trainings to that list prior to announcing them to the general public so you’ll have a little extra time to register. The early notification list does not guarantee you a spot in training.

Do you have to be a yoga teacher to attend Instructor School?

No previous experience with yoga is required.

How long are classes each day?

Whether you are attending Level 1 or 2, plan on classes being from 0700-1800 each day with an hour break for lunch and several short breaks during the day.

What can I expect at Instructor School?

You can expect a mixture of lectures and mat classes (2 a day). For Level 2, we will have one police/fire skills day where you will get hands on information about how the YFFR protocol can help police and firefighters in their respective jobs.

What should I wear to training?

We request that you dress in business casual for the lecture portions of the course. For the mat classes, we request that you dress in modest clothing such as black or blue shorts or yoga pants and a YFFR shirt or other t-shirt or tank top. We request that you do not wear brightly colored or patterned yoga gear, belly bearing/crop tops, or anything with profane language. This is part of the YFFR protocol and is also how you will be expected to dress to teach class in a first responder or military department.

Do you reserve a block of rooms at a discount at a hotel for Instructor School?

We do not currently reserve blocks of rooms for trainings. We have chosen to stay in local houses as that fits our needs better than hotels and as such, hotels are less willing to provide discounts to our organization. We will send an email out after registration opens to see if anyone is interested in sharing housing via Air BnB, VRBO, or a similar service. After people reply, someone will send an email to those interested to organize amongst themselves.

Why do I need a Service Agreement and/or Instructor Agreement in place to teach YFFR?

The purpose of these agreements is to:

• List scope of work and terms of use for using YFFR (schedule and logistics)

Is this Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Training?

Although the YFFR Protocol has a foundation from the principles of Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TSY), it has adapted and adjusted many TSY practices in order to make the YFFR Protocol specific to active-duty first responders and military. Instructor School will offer notes on Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, but the training along with the protocol should not be considered classical Trauma-Sensitive Yoga.

Is this training eligible for Yoga Alliance CEU’s?

Yes. Once you receive your certificate you can upload it to Yoga Alliance under the YACEP, Olivia Mead. CEU hours depends on the level you attend.

Do you have to be a first responder or military member to attend Instructor School?

No. Civilians, first responders, and military personnel are all eligible to attend Instructor School.

How can I get involved with YFFR?

There are several ways to get involved in YFFR You can organize a fundraiser. YFFR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and being able to accomplish our mission depends on being able to raise money. YFFR does not make a lot of money off our training and any money made goes back into funding more training. Donations can help fund scholarships for people to attend training and for departments to cover their service agreement fee when they do not have the budget to do so otherwise. Visit our donation page and make a donation. You can also share with family and friends and ask for donations for special occasions such as birthdays or start a Facebook fundraiser for your birthday to help fund the YFFR mission. You can attend a training to bring the YFFR protocol back to your department or your community’s first responders. You can find out more about our Instructor School here. You can volunteer to help with the organization. Volunteer opportunities may be to help coordinate trainings when they are announced, including helping to set up the training the day before it begins or helping to get manuals printed out and delivered to the site. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us at volunteer@yogaforfirstresponders.org with your name and area of volunteer interest.

How did YFFR get started?

Listen to the following podcast to hear more about the YFFR story: Behind the Shield

What is required for my department to host an Instructor School training?

Logistically, we need a dedicated space with room for 55 people for our Level 2 Instructor School. We keep our classes capped at around 40 people and have approximately 10 team members who provide the training. This would need to be a space where we could lock up every night and leave our items in the room. It would also need AV hookups. We need space for mat classes for 40+ people. This does not have to be a dedicated space and we could arrange specific times when we would need to use it. A place to hold our skills training day. Preferably a fire/police training center. We would also need assistance from local fire and PD. The only cost to a hosting agency is the cost of sending people to the training. We do not currently have a required minimum, and we offer a discount to the hosting agency, which we will be happy to discuss with you. We will be happy to provide more detailed information about hosting a training. If you are interested, please email trainings@yogaforfirstresponders.org and someone will be able to set up a phone call or answer any other questions you have.

How can my agency receive classes, a workshop, or implementation into the academy?

Please contact info@yogaforfirstresponders.org and depending on your need and location, we will get back to you with the next step of putting a YFFR program in place.

Do you offer online training or videos?

Join us over on our Cyber Academy! We are frequently uploading new resources and videos to provide you with the skills you need to build resilience and enhance performance.

What makes YFFR different than other types of yoga?

YogaShield Yoga for First Responders offers trainings and programs based in traditional Hatha Yoga and principles from Trauma-Informed yoga and tailored it to the unique needs of the public safety and military populations. This methodology is knows as the YFFR Protocol. Read more about what makes us unique?