Yoga Meditation Benefits For Veterans PTSD

Yoga meditation benefits anyone seeking self improvement mentally, physically, and spiritually. Yet, there are those who have suffered an injury, be it either physical or psychological in nature. These individuals would benefit even more from yoga meditation were they to start practicing it with the proper guidance and instruction. There is one group in particular, and unfortunately this group is growing in number each month. They are our ex-military who suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). There is quite a backlog at the VA (Veterans Administration) for them to get approprite treatment. Studies have shown, however, that practicing yoga and meditation can bring significant relief of the sometimes overwhelming symptoms of PTSD. A recent article by Elizabeth Jones at PCS-Lodging.Com describes what is happening with our returning veterans and how yoga meditation has been able to bring some benefit to them.

Yoga Meditation Benefits For Veterans PTSD

Yoga meditation benefits female soldiers with PTSD.

PTSD can affect an individual in many ways. It can manifest as hyper-vigilance, causing one to be on edge and alert to the environment at all times. Symptoms also include flashbacks and nightmares, emotional numbness, and the inability to feel love, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published a study that found a group of female patients who completed eight hatha yoga classes showed great improvement in their symptoms, including the frequency of intrusive thoughts and anxiety levels.

"This is a really promising area that we need to examine," says Rachel Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the PTSD program director at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Bronx, according to Yoga Journal.

Soldiers returning from Iraq have high rates of PTSD and other mental health problems at one in five. Veterans from other wars continue to suffer from PTSD, at times worsened by news from Iraq that reminds them of their own experiences, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Read the original article here at pcs-lodging.com:

Yoga meditation benefits for military veterans affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder could help to alleviate the backlog of care needing to be provided. While more research is certainly needed, preliminary results seem very encouraging and worth pursuing. Our veterans deserve nothing less than the best care we as a nation can deliver to them.

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Warrior pose battles inner weakness and wins focus. You see that there is no war within you. You're on your own side, and you are your own strength.                          -- Anonymous