As part of our continuing series on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and veterans, linked here, there's news that a specific type of yoga called "Yoga Nidra" is being used at Walter Reed, bringing benefits to veterans who've been trying it. An article from the Washington Post about the practice, by Eileen Rivers, called "A Breath of Hope: Walter Reed Tries Yoga to Counter PTSD," was published on May 6 and is linked here. One nice quote from the article - the yoga teacher reports that "Students in class come up to me and say, 'I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time,' " "They say that they are more patient with their family. They're not as angry," she adds. One of the participants mentioned in the article, combat veteran Derrick Farley, a 29 year old Army sergeant from Fort Bragg, who has deployed to Iraq three times, says that what he's learned in class has helped him cope. He practices what he's learned, stays in touch with the other participants he's met in the program, and appreciates the chance yoga's given him to get a more restful night's sleep. As he says as the conclusion of the article, " "It's not about finding a cure for PTSD," Farley said. "It's about learning to cope." Excellent and well-said!
To learn more about Yoga Nidra, including trainings offered for practitioners and individuals on both coasts, check out the link to the Center for Timeless Being, located in Sebastopol, CA, linked here. Or you can pick up the CD by that center's director, Richard Miller, Ph.D., called Integrative Restoration: The Ancient Practice of Yoga Nidra for Easing Stress, Healing Trauma, and Awakening to Your Timeless Presence, linked here.
