Yoga and meditation: integrating mind-body medicine into a workplace wellness program. Police agency organizational and implementary considerations

Abstract

When compared to society at large, police officers have particularly stressful lifestyles, placing them at greater risk of a multitude of stress related diseases in addition to overall mortality and decreased life expectancy.1,3–5 “Developing a comprehensive list of every stressor potentially confronted by policing officers would be an impossible task”.1 The number of years of service in police officer duties is further associated with cardiovascular disease risk, obesity, diabetes, stress related illness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, aggression disorders, high blood pressure, sleep disorders, increased use of tobacco, a conundrum of behavioral and mental health issues, physical inactivity, and physical fitness decline.2–4,6