Firefighters at the El Monte Station in Los Altos Hills enjoyed some national media attention in 2001 when Oprah Winfrey featured them and their yoga regime on her television show.

The firefighters told Oprah that after a year of yoga practice, “Now we have more stamina and strength, which allow us to perform better physically. We are much calmer in emergency situations and more centered as a team.”

The department also reported a decrease in the firefighters’ blood pressure and work-related injuries.

The firefighters’ story - how they increased teamwork through yoga and experienced additional benefits - was picked up later that year by Time Magazine.

In 2002, Reader’s Digest spotlighted the department again, interviewing then department Capt. Bob Hagg, who attested to the good effect of mediation in a group setting on teamwork during emergencies.

“We’ve become calmer and more in-tune with each other,” Hagg told Reader’s Digest. “We found that the meditation had a calming effect on all of us so that even during a major alarm we stay together and don’t get rattled.”

- Lauren McSherry