our why.
Frontline professionals are constantly facing life-threatening situations with courage and determination. These emergencies will naturally expose them to traumatic events that can lead to layers of lasting emotional scars and thick armor. Becoming aware and addressing the impacts of these experiences is crucial for their mental health and overall well-being. Prolonged stress and trauma in first responders & frontline workers can manifest in various forms, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), feelings of anxiety, depression, sleeping disorders, and burnout. The effects of experiencing traumatic events can lead to emotional numbing, hyper-arousal, intrusive thoughts, addictions, and avoidance behaviors.
Coping with trauma is a journey that requires courage, self-awareness, and the willingness to seek support. Thankfully, there is hope. There are resources, tools, and long studied practices that support our minds, hearts, and bodies. By integrating these Yoga techniques into a daily routine, frontline professionals can enhance their emotional regulation skills and foster a sense of calm and clarity in their lives. This is why we developed the Burning Layers Program.
What is trauma informed yoga?
Trauma-informed yoga is a specialized practice designed to support individuals who have experienced trauma or prolonged stress. It integrates principles of trauma theory in conjunction with the practice of yoga, emphasizing safety, choice, and empowerment. A key component of this approach is understanding and regulating the nervous system, something we focus on in this program.
Yoga means Union and is a science developed to heal the body and calm mental fluctuations. Through traditional & modern practices we cultivate clarity in our mind, truth within our heart, and balance in our physical and emotional bodies. Yoga originated in ancient India and is believed to date back over 5,000 years.
We have paired this wisdom with modern studies on the body, the brain, and the nervous system to offer a comprehensive program to guide the frontline in their personal and professional lives
meet the team.
Tim wood
Co-founder, First Responder, 200hr RYT Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher, Peer Support Member
The career of the first responder is unique in its schedule, in its sleep cycles and the thousands of emergency incidents that are experienced throughout our career. Tim found it difficult to balance his work and home life, while unprepared changes in life circumstances were taking place.Tim was determined to find clarity in his life. He worked with many great therapists, mentors, friends and work colleagues that assisted him in navigating his mental and emotional experiences. He was guided to dive deeper, utilizing Yoga and Meditation for the purpose of gaining more self awareness, mental clarity and emotional stability.
Burning Layers has been a vision of Tim’s for many years. To support the hidden struggles of our first responders. Loosing friends and colleagues to suicide, and struggling with these thoughts himself. It only makes sense to share the practice of Yoga with our community.
“Your body is constantly trying to grab your attention, through symptoms.” - Tim
Nikole skrzypczak
Co-founder, 200hr RYT Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher, First Responder Wife
Nikole has been practicing Yoga for many years. These practices became her main tool for personal healing and self-regulation while navigating marital abandonment, divorce, single parenting, and transitioning her life to a new country. These circumstances created traumatic experiences, stress, and suffering within her mind and emotional body. Nikole continues to practice Yoga everyday to build more resiliency, mental clarity, and cultivate love and harmony within herself.
As the wife of a first responder, Nikole understands there can be work related, personal and family challenges that negatively impact their lives. Nikole feels passionate about supporting mental and emotional health through Yoga and Meditation.
“When you tune into your heart, you’ll remember that you are loved, protected and guided in every moment” - Nikole
aris seaberg
Co-founder, 500hr E-RYT Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher & Educator, Prenatal & Kids Yoga Instructor
Aris came to yoga 11 years ago during and after the traumatic experience of her mother’s illness and passing. She was then disregulated, sick, and desperate to find a way to find balance and heal. Yoga was the one thing that truly supported her in transforming the pain to healing. Yoga is her way of life and the practice she continues to embrace whether she is cultivating personal clarity or navigating daily life stressors. Aris also heavily leaned on the tools and wisdom of yoga when she became the full-time, single parent of her niece. Her sister was an EMT and is currently navigating her own mental health crisis and addictions.
Aris has led countless yoga classes, been a facilitator in 6 yoga trainings, led multiple retreats, opened her own yoga studio in 2017, traveled the USA and UK as a Yoga Journal Ambassador in 2018, and is also certified as a prenatal and kids yoga instructor.
Aris hopes her experience and personal testament can further support first responders, military, and frontline professionals to thrive in their personal lives and careers.
“Through awareness we unlock the power of choice.” - Aris