Comstock's magazine 1119 - November 2019 | Page 69

pauses and thinks. “I guess time will tell. I do know that we’re a lean com- pany that works really hard.” He says three of the execs are now taking regu- lar yoga classes. And yoga helps the body, whether you’re an office worker or a firefighter. Just ask Ron Berryhill, a health and fit- ness consultant who has worked with local fire departments for more than 20 years. Berryhill brought in Spotted Dog to teach yoga to Cosumnes Fire Depart- ment firefighters. Berryhill concedes that in the hypermasculine world of firefighters, “There’s a stigma that yoga is for women, and it’s about becoming a pretzel, and that there’s this religious undertone.” Some firefighters were doubt- ful. Then they tried it. “I really liked it, and it’s not what I expected,” says Capt. Dustin Hanna, who’s stationed at Cosumnes Firehouse 76. He says firefighters benefit from both the f lexibility and mindfulness of yoga, and that the breathing exercises help keep him calm and control his heart rate. “We’re not any good to anybody if we arrive on a scene and we’re al- ready worked up,” says Hanna. “We have to keep ourselves calm.” The department invited Spotted Dog back multiple times. The job of a fire- fighter — lifting ladders, swinging axes, running up stairs with 50 pounds of gear — is brutal on the body. Yoga helps with the muscles, tendons, joints. “Baptiste yoga gives you just the type of mobility work that can help firefighters extend their careers,” says Berryhill. He ac- knowledges there’s no scientific study as proof, but thinks “almost without ques- tion, every task they do would have some benefit from yoga.” But if office yoga doesn’t have a positive return on investment, maybe that’s OK. “Yoga is part of the conscious company movement,” says Sharifza- deh, referring to the new corporate phi- losophy that includes nearly 200 CEOs, such as Apple’s Tim Cook and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, signing a pledge they would no longer prize shareholder value over everything else, but would instead con- sider their impact to the community, customers and employees. Shouldn’t a conscious company want happy em- ployees? Lovejoy says that for her, the bottom line is simple. “Yoga helps us feel better.” And for more and more companies, that is reason enough. n Jeff Wilser is the author of “Alexander Hamilton’s Guide to Life.” His work has appeared in print or online in GQ, New York Magazine, Esquire and Mental Floss, among others. On Twitter @JeffWilser. For years, throughout the HVAC industry, Airco Mechanical has taken pride in creating and maintaining excellent client relationships. Our service department supports the needs of our clients in operations and maintenance of their commercial and industrial buildings, throughout Northern California. In order to sustain this valuable and efficient partnership, our technicians attend an extensive five- year training program. We also utilize our equipment manufacturers for factory training to stay on the cutting edge of new technology. At Airco, we are capable of, but not limited to: • Customized maintenance programs to increase efficiency, reduce breakdowns and improve equipment life expectancy • 24/7 Service and repair support for commercial and industrial facilities for HVAC and plumbing systems • Data center optimization • TABB Certified Air Balancing • LEED Certification • HVAC Equipment repair and replacement • VFD Additions and other energy enhancements • Equipment evaluation for real estate transactions and energy savings Please contact us at: [email protected] aircomech.com November 2019 | comstocksmag.com 69