There’s been a good amount of buzz about trauma-informed yoga lately, and in general, a focus on trauma-informed approaches across disciplines. It’s fascinating to see this sort of cultural shift that’s been emerging over the past decade or so. In this post, I’ll focus specifically on the Warriors At Ease approach to teaching yoga, and why I chose to become a Warriors At Ease Certified Teacher.

What’s the History of Warriors At Ease?

Warriors at Ease was established in 2011 as a non-profit organization focused on providing evidence-based, trauma-informed yoga and meditation for military populations. The amount of Post Traumatic Stress and combat-related injuries (both invisible and invisible) in Post 9/11 Veterans, was a main driving force behind Warriors At Ease’s mission.

The organization was founded by Robin Carnes, Karen Soltes, Colonel (ret) Pat Lillis, and Molly Birkholm.  These pioneering co-founders were involved in some of the first clinical studies funded by Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) involving the use of yoga and meditation as an adjunct therapy for combat-related health conditions.  In response to the success of these early studies at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as well as VA Medical Centers in Washington D.C. and Miami, the founders developed a teacher training curriculum to meet the growing demand for specially-trained instructors who have the knowledge and skills to share yoga in a way that is safe, effective, and relevant for warriors and their families. 

Warriors At Ease

I chose to become a certified Warriors at Ease Teacher (WAET) because I am a military family member, and I personally understand the incredible benefits that regular yoga and meditation can provide for a more balanced, peaceful life. Yoga and meditation have proven to aid in post-traumatic growth, reduced stress, a balanced nervous system, and overall increased wellbeing.

Warriors at Ease has been a leader in the industry for well over a decade, providing valuable research to better advocate for our veterans, and the health, resilience, and connection of the entire military family and community.

Warriors at Ease instructors are trained extensively about the brain and trauma, and learn to create adaptable, accessible, trauma-informed yoga for all members of the military community.

Although this training is military-specific, it provides a wonderful approach to teaching yoga from a trauma-informed lens, which helps even when teaching yoga to students who may not be a part of the military community, but may also be working through their own experiences with severe stress and burn-out, and desire a more peaceful, balanced life.

Are you ready to book your private yoga class package? Click HERE for more information.

Click HERE to learn more about Warriors At Ease.