Photo via www.yogajoes.com
According to Wikipedia, "Ooh Rah is a battle cry common in the United States Marine Corps since the mid-20th century. It is comparable to hooah in the US Army and hooyah in the US Navy and US Coast Guard. It is most commonly used to respond to a verbal greeting or as an expression of enthusiasm."
Two days after we celebrated our nation's vets, I'm writing a post about the use of yoga for helping those who have served. I chose not to post on the day itself, because our vets deserve to have our understanding and appreciation for more than just one day of the year.
Whether you agree with the use of the military or not, our vets live with the effects of their service every day, many suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The use of yoga to help treat the effects of PTSD has gained a great deal of attention and research in recent times. According to this peer-reviewed article on trauma-sensitive yoga:
“An essential aspect of recovering from trauma is learning
ways to calm down, or self-regulate. For thousands of
years, Yoga has been offered as a practice that helps one
calm the mind and body. More recently, research has shown
that yoga practices, including meditation, relaxation, and
physical postures, can reduce autonomic sympathetic activation,
muscle tension, and blood pressure, improve
neuroendocrine and hormonal activity, decrease physical
symptoms and emotional distress, and increase quality of
life. For these reasons, Yoga is a promising treatment or
adjunctive therapy for addressing the cognitive, emotional,
and physiological symptoms associated with trauma, and
PTSD specifically.”
My handsome dad
Organizations such as the Veterans Yoga Project provide resources for vets, yoga instructors and community members on the use of yoga to serve our vets. There are also many articles that have been published on the subject. On a personal note, I have lead yoga and meditation events for organizations who serve those impacted by trauma and found it to be very effective in assisting the participants in utilizing strategies to help stay calm and self regulate; as well as to be able to take those skills outside of class and use them in their everyday lives-which is of course the ultimate goal.
Anyone affected by depression or PTSD should seek the assistance and guidance of professionals, and may find the practice of yoga to be beneficial as a part of a holistic wellness plan.
My Granddaddy
A huge shoutout to all of our servicemembers for all you do, please know that you are appreciated. Namaste.
If you are a vet or know of one affected by depression or PTSD, please reach out to the Veteran's Crisis Line.
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