Guys Talking Yoga

As a first sergeant in the US Air National Guard, Dominic Stanley’s job is to provide support in regards to health, morale, welfare, etc. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also a yogi who both practices and teaches yoga. Dominic found yoga after returning from deployment in Iraq, and some of the struggles and challenges associated with the return to civilian life. He was already physically active, but his wife saw a Groupon for a hot yoga place and suggested he try it. Shortly after, Dominic was attending yoga class every day and soon after that, he did his 200-hour yoga teacher training. Dominic pursued a variety of specialized training, including the Warriors at Ease Level 1 training, which was important to him as supporting the Veteran population—of which he is a member-–is near and dear to his heart. 

https://www.dominicstanleyyoga.com

David Truesdale, a registered yoga teacher (RYT) and Certified Warriors at Ease teacher, is a founding board member of the Texas-based nonprofit Warrior Spirit Project. He serves others by sharing his passion for yoga and providing free trauma-informed yoga and iRest meditation to veterans and first responders in the great Dallas area.  David grew up in a US Marine Corps family and spent over twenty-seven years with the Department of the Navy as a Special Agent with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). As part of his NCIS duties, he was deployed to Iraq as a Counterintelligence team leader in 2004 and to Afghanistan in 2011-2012 as an Individual Augmentee to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). David has received numerous awards and commendations, including the U.S. Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, the U.S. Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, DoD CounterintelligenceTeam Award, and a Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award from CPA Administrator Paul Bremmer. David is a member of Save a Warrior (SAW) Cohort 063 and feels compelled to continue supporting U.S. military personnel whether they are still active duty or post service.  https://warriorspiritproject.org

For Dennis Kerr, his military experience and yoga path have become intertwined over the last twenty years. Dennis enlisted in the Army in 2002 and went to Iraq where his path of yoga began after being inspired by the international bestseller, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, and his curiosity led him to Rodney Yee introduction to yoga videos while deployed. Soon after, the discipline of his military experience, musical background, and yoga practice all evolved together through the breath.

After over twenty-five years of service, Chris Davis retired as an assistant chief of police at the Fayetteville (NC) Police Department with service duties consisting of patrol, investigations, internal affairs, training, and as the Investigative Bureau Commander where he supervised over 150 employees. Prior to law enforcement, he served over three years serving in Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield and ultimately left the US Army with the rank of first lieutenant. He is a certified yoga instructor (CYT-500 hours) and created Yoga911 in 2019 to help serve others through the incorporation of yoga and meditation practices in combination with his passion and expertise in resilience and operational performance.

Retired Major Mark Voelker (USMC) shares his path with yoga and how the practice has helped him develop the mind-body connection, learn to make better choices off the mat and be a teacher and leader for others in need.  He’s a certified yoga and meditation teacher, Warriors at Ease graduate and Level 1 instructor.  Mark is also a team lead at Semper Fi Odyssey where he works with injured and combat-wounded U.S. Marines and other service members through their transition back to a life out of uniform but continued service to the country. SFO is a six-day, holistic transition-assistance program that provides injured and critically ill active-duty military service members and veterans an opportunity to not only gain valuable employment resources, but also life planning skills to assist with their re-entry into the civilian sector. Primarily focused on their career advancement, SFO also reinforces the significance of mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social well-being, to ensure long-term success for these individuals. 

https://www.outdoorodyssey.org/veteran-active-duty-programs.

Christina Hickey, the Executive Director at Warriors at Ease (WAE), a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2011 whose pioneering co-founders were involved in some of the first clinical studies funded by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs 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, 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. This conversion kicks off an eight-episode co-branded series to highlight six graduates and the evidence-based, trauma-sensitive yoga, meditation, and breathing practices curriculum of WAE has made an impact on their lives.

Former litigator and corporate banker Larry Drexler entered his first yoga class curious but apprehensive. He soon realized the impact and perspective that yoga provided within his work and relationships, specifically the place of power and autonomy residing between his breath and thoughts. “When you're a litigator, when you're a lawyer, you're trained to be an attack dog. You're trained to be aggressive all the time. And what I learned was by taking a breath and stepping back, that space gives you so much more – I stopped being competitive and started being collaborative. I became a better lawyer, colleague, and person.”

Growing on the ponds of Canada, Riley Cote dreamed of playing in the NHL and eventually made it. However, after five years in the intense role as an enforcer for the Philadelphia Flyers, he realized he wasn’t living his true path. Shortly before retirement, he found yoga as a means to physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being. In this conversation, Riley shares his story of shifting his mindset from living in the competitive mode of fight-or-flight to exploring spiritual freedom through yoga. 

www.rileycote.com, www.wake.net., www.bodychekwellness, www.nastyknuckles.com

Neil Taylor is many things - a musician, a meditation teacher, a yoga teacher, and a bodyworker. In this conversation, Neil shares how travel and lifestyle as a professional musician forced him to address health and wellbeing and led him to a meditation retreat that sparked his spiritual path. For Neil, yoga is about connecting with what is most important—our awareness. As he explains, “We all have a physical body, thoughts, emotions, and an underlying sense of consciousness itself. As we become aware of these different aspects of our human experience, we can become more skillful at navigating the inward path and tuning into what is most important.” You can learn more about Neil at www.neiltayloryoga.com @neiltaylorhuman www.dharmamoon.com.