22 | Trauma Healing with the NYPD | Annie Labrada

02/20/23 • 70 min

In this deeply touching and sensitive episode, I'm in conversation with a long-time friend and colleague, former Sergeant for Transit District One, Annie Labrada. In this conversation, we discuss Annie's time at the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the traumas she and her colleagues experienced. She shares her coping mechanisms, her journey to becoming a certified yoga teacher, and her and her colleagues' efforts to bring yoga to the NYPD through NYPD Blue Karma Yoga and NYPD Health and Wellness. We talk about one particular officer, Aaron Lohman who has a very inspirational health story. We also dive into how we met and my work with Three and a Half Acres Yoga (THAY) to bring yoga to the NYPD. Annie is a graduate of the (THAY) Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training. We have our next training coming up on March 4th and 5th. You can find more info on that HERE. In 2019 after the department lost ten members who died by suicide, Annie decided to join the founders of NYPD Blue Karma Yoga. Realizing how much her yoga practice helped regulate stress, handle intense emotions and find the peace she knew it would only help others. Annie completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in May 2020 and taught her first class for BKY on May 18 on Instagram live. In-person classes would follow, and often officers were surprised by how good they felt after class. Introducing several officers to their very first taste of yoga was one of the most rewarding parts of her career. She was promoted to Sergeant in July 2021 and served for Transit District One in Columbus circle. Stepping into a supervisory role was challenging but fulfilling. Again Annie fell back on her yoga practice. The Labrada family is living in Mal Pais, Costa Rica. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Previous Episode

21 | Humanwork | Betsy Polatin

In this conversation, I interview my former teacher, Betsy Polatin who taught me Alexander Technique at Boston University as part of my theater studies. Those teachings had a profound impact on my life, helping me to recognize where I was making unuseful efforts both with my body and in my life. I began to understand personal responsibility in a new way and my relationships shifted. Twenty years later those lessons are still with me and resonate strongly as I prepare to release my first book. Here we talk about the mind-body connection and Betsy's expanded model for releasing trauma with her clients. Internationally recognized breathing/movement specialist and best-selling author, Betsy Polatin, MFA, SEP, has been teaching for more than forty-five years. She was a master lecturer at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts for twenty-five years. Her background includes many years of movement education and performance, as well as training in the Alexander Technique, music, dance, yoga, meditation, trauma resolution, and the broader healing arts. Her work is greatly influenced by the teachings of Spiritual and Meditation Masters. Betsy leads international trainings where she presents her unique and revolutionary fusion of ideas: scientific knowledge combined with ancient wisdom and intuitive human creativity. A sample of her teaching experience includes Berklee College of Music, Touch and Movement in Trauma Therapy for PESI, Kripalu, The Embodiment Conference, Tanglewood Music Festival, Opera Institute of Boston, Psychotherapy Networker, Performing Arts Medicine Association, U.S. Association for Body Psychotherapy, Science and Nonduality Conference, and International Trauma and Yoga Conferences in the US and abroad. Since 2016, she has been co-teaching ongoing traveling workshops, themed “Trauma and the Performing Artist” and “Trauma in the Public Eye,” with Peter A. Levine, PhD. She also teaches “Returning to Ourselves, the Wisdom of Trauma,” with Dr. Gabor Maté. Betsy is the author of the best-seller, HUMANUAL, an Epic Journey to your Expanded Self, and The Actor’s Secret. As a well-known educator, she has published numerous articles in the Huffington Post. She maintains a private practice online internationally. Please visit: HUMANUAL.com ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Next Episode

23 | Trauma Sensitive Jiu-Jitsu | Dr. Jamie Marich

In this episode, Dr. Jamie Marich discusses why the martial art Jiu-Jitsu is so specifically good for healing trauma. We discuss in detail the overlaps with yoga and where these practices differ. We offer some ideas for why all facilitators should have trauma sensitivity training and what that might look like. We talk about exposure to triggers, and breathwork, and finally get into some really clarifying discussions about disassociation. Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) describes herself as a facilitator of transformative experiences. A clinical trauma specialist, expressive artist, writer, yogini, performer, short filmmaker, Reiki master, TEDx speaker, and recovery advocate, she unites all of these elements in her mission to inspire healing in others. She began her career as a humanitarian aid worker in Bosnia-Hercegovina from 2000-2003, primarily teaching English and music while freelancing with other projects. Jamie travels internationally teaching on topics related to trauma, EMDR therapy, expressive arts, mindfulness, and yoga, while maintaining a private practice and online education operations in her home base of Warren, OH. Jamie is the author of numerous books on trauma recovery and healing, with many more projects in the works. Marich is the founder of The Institute for Creative Mindfulness. Jamie is the author of Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu. Her new book Dissociation Made Simple is now available. Check out Jamie's website. Follow Jamie on Instagram. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.