Christa in New York

“The Bhagavad Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious.” ~ Eknath Easwaran

“We prepare soldiers for war. We train them to kill. Why don’t we also prepare them for peace and train them to stop killing?” ~ Wartorn 1861 – 2010

The quote above is by a mother who was interviewed in the HBO documentary Wartorn 1861 – 2010. 4 weeks after her son returned from Afghanistan, he was arrested for aggravated assault of a taxi driver of Middle Eastern decent. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison and has untreated PTSD, as do 39% of incarcerated vets in our country. “They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he tells his family the night before his sentencing. “That’s bulls*it because I came back from Afghanistan weaker than I was before.”

It was interesting to watch this film on the heals of talking to a friend of mine about my desire to help veterans and their families through Compass Yoga. “Yoga for veterans? Um, aren’t you trying to offer classes to the population most unlikely to take them? What kind of business plan is that?” It was the first time I ever received this kind of feedback on the idea and it gave me pause. And then I asked myself the question that every entrepreneur asks herself at one point or another: “Am I crazy?”

Yoga-strong
My moment of doubt lasted only a moment but it was a powerful moment. It gave me more objectivity; it helped me to strengthen my story in a more creative and powerful way. There’s a perception that yoga is some kind of hippy dippy practice, that we all decorate our homes with butterflies and unicorns and rainbows, and that its main purpose is to figure out how to tie ourselves into pretzels. The truth is that the practice of yoga has much more in common with the United States Military than we realize, and therefore makes it an ideal complement to soldiers’ training and should be an integral part of their wellness programs when they return home.

The idea of war is an integral part of yogic texts
The Bhagavad Gita is a central text for all yogis and many consider it the most important text. It is a small part of the larger Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. I’m re-reading it right now to remind myself all of the wisdom it stores in its 97 short pages. It’s setting is a battlefield likened to Armageddon, and its central characters are Lord Krishna (who also plays the role of guide and charioteer) and Prince Arjuna, a warrior. The Gita is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna prior to the climatic battle of the Kurukshetra War. Arjuna is plagued by inner moral conflict over going to battle with his own loved ones, even though those loved ones have done horrible things to others, and the potential harm he will inflict on them. Krishna talks him through the conflict, ultimately explaining that the battle Arjuna is about to wage is the manifestation of karmic action, a righteous war for the purpose of justice. At the recent NYS Health Foundation conference I attended, guest speaker Colonel Sutherland explained, “War is vile, but there are things more vile to us: injustice. And that is why we fight.” Krishna concurs.

And this is only one example of war in Vedic texts. There are many others including the epic Ramayana, the story of how a war was fought by King Rama to rescue his kidnapped wife, Sita. Hanuman, the famed monkey-god of strength and masculinity and devotee of King Rama, is largely hailed for his never-say-die attitude that ultimately led him to rescue Sita and return her to Rama and to her home.

Where the gap isn’t being closed is that all of these text explain when war is necessary and then how to come down from conflict. It takes peace as the baseline, and gives warriors a context for understanding not only how to prepare for war in a time of peace but just as importantly how to prepare for peace in a time of war. This latter points is the great teaching of these texts. We need to provide that to our military – to arm them with tools to protect themselves in mind and body even in a time of war so that when they return home they can find peace.

Meditation seeks to settle the war of the mind
Many beginning meditators will say:
“I can’t meditate.”
“I can’t get my mind to calm down.”
“I can’t get my mind to stop wandering.”

Meditation is a practice to strengthen the discipline and focus of the mind. It drives our clarity and creativity. It helps us to quiet the chatter so that we can access the deep wisdom that already exists within each of us. It, in and of itself, is an act of faith. To be certain it is a hard thing to do – I failed on many attempts before I was finally ready to learn and understand it. We have to approach the mastery of our minds as a warrior approaches battle – with steadfast resolve and commitment to see the mission through. Because of a soldier’s strong sense of commitment and determination, the self-nurturing practice of meditation is a natural process to undertake in their own healing of mind and body.

Postures for warriors
Several of the base postures of the asana (physical) practice of yoga are named for warriors. There is a series of Warrior postures – 1, 2, 3, and Peaceful Warrior – that are central to all standing sequences. In yoga practice, warriors are emulated and admired as masters of poise and control.

Authenticity is critical for soldiers and yogis alike
There is a common belief that yoga is about peace at any cost. When I tell people I practice and teach yoga I sometimes garner a funny look. Someone once said to me, “Aren’t you a little too tough to teach yoga?” And by tough, he meant honest, strong-willed, and opinionated. I am all of those things, and yes, I’m a yogi, too. And no, that is not a contradiction.

For me yoga has always been about authenticity, about having the strength to honestly call a spade and spade. It’s in this honesty to recognize the actual state of being that allows us to then transcend that state. Without honesty and awareness of self and others, without a strong sense of justice and a desire to make things right, yoga has very little hope of achieving anything, peace included. The same is true for the missions of our military forces.

Bringing more yoga to the U.S. military
For all these reasons, I have to disagree with my friend who felt soldiers would never take to yoga. Soldiers are the perfect population to focus my yoga teaching efforts on through Compass Yoga. I’m doing a lot of business development and networking at the moment, and hope to announce my first yoga program for veterans and their families in short order. Stay tuned!