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Yoga studio offers classes to veterans, first responders to deal with added stress

A Tampa yoga studio is taking its classes online to help those on the front lines.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Tampa area yoga studio is taking its classes online to help veterans and first responders during this tough time. 

Trinity Yoga Studio is offering free online classes, N-95 masks and yoga mats for military members, veterans or first responders who sign up for classes.

Ray Norton is a paramedic and co-owns the yoga studio with his wife, Janel.

He says there's a lot of daily stresses being a first responder, which can lead to health issues and PTSD. Now you throw a pandemic on top of that just makes it more difficult. 

"Like I always say, you can either deal with the stress now, or you can deal with it later and you've seen the mental health thing and the suicide rates that's what happening when the stress isn't being mitigated throughout your career and I think it's a good stress mitigation tool." 

Janel is an Air Force combat veteran, but says yoga is a simple tool to help manage every day stress whether you're a first responder or somebody who is anxious.

"We are all working now with a whole new nervous system basically, our heightened level of awareness and alertness and being cooped up at home and not being able to discharge all that stuff is really building up in people. It's very important to have some kind of a practice of mindfulness practice or some way to reset whether it be five minutes of breath work or just movement of the body."

If this is something you or someone you know could benefit from, you can sign up for the Free Hero Online Class Pack, by emailing the studio with the subject line: Free Hero Online Class Pack. Include your proof of ID. 

SynDaver, which employs many military veterans, is donating the masks and the mats to help. 

If you don't want to join a class, we've put together 10 yoga poses to help with tension. 

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