by Baxter |
| The Veteran in a New Field by Winslow Homer |
The other day at lunch, I reconnected with an old acquaintance of mine, Dan Libby. Dan and I first met when I was attending one of my first ever yoga retreats as a student at the Feathered Pipe Ranch in Helena, MT in 1999. Dan had the great opportunity to work there for nine summers, beginning in his senior year of high school. He went on to become a psychologist who was interested in working with veterans returning home from war with a variety of psychological challenges, with PTSD in the forefront. His strong connection to this community led him to found the Veterans Yoga Project, which is dedicated to improving the health and well being of military veterans. VYP sponsors classes, provides resources, and leads retreats and teacher trainings for yoga teachers interested in serving this particular community.
As we talked, I asked Dan, “Why should people who do yoga for healthy aging care about veterans and VYP’s Veterans Week?” These were his thoughts:
“Numerous studies have shown the psychological and physical health benefits of kindness, altruism, and volunteering, including lower stress levels, increased levels of the cardio-protective hormone oxytocin, and greater feelings of happiness and well-being. Research has even shown that giving support to others is associated with greater longevity.
“Conversely, post-traumatic stress is associated with increased risk of a host of physical, mental, and social problems including cardiovascular disease, depression, homelessness, and suicide. And although the difficulties encountered by the veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are well-publicized, there are over one million veterans from the American War in Vietnam who are over the age of 60 and are still recovering from post-traumatic stress and all of the associated psycho-social problems that accompany this terrible disorder. In addition, the majority of the 22 suicides per day among veterans are committed by those over 50. Unfortunately, despite a lot of effort by a lot of caring people, the needs of our wounded warriors are not being met. And regardless of our political views or views about war, it is our collective responsibility to take care of those who take care of us.”
Dan then told me about this amazing project happening next Tuesday, November 11th, all around the country. Here are the details!
This Veterans Day, Veterans Yoga Project invites you to do one small act of kindness to support your own well-being, and to support the health and well-being of the men and women who serve and protect us by serving in the US Military. During the week of Veterans Day, there will be more than 90 donation-based yoga classes happening across the U.S. to support the work Veterans Yoga Project is doing to support recovery and resilience among veterans and their families. These events are designed to be an opportunity for communities to come together to honor and support in a tangible way, military veterans who continue to suffer the visible and invisible wounds of war. Please go to Veterans Yoga Project site for a list of all classes being held during Veterans Week and make plans to attend, or to make a tax-deductible contribution.
And for those who might want to reach out to Dan personally, here's his info.
Dan Libby, PhD, RYT
Executive Director, Veterans Yoga Project
veteransyogaproject.org
Let’s help Dan get the word out about this important work!
