Back in 2010 I met Dr. Liz Stanley when she gave a talk about her work training U.S. Marines in a new MBSR-Based training called Mind Fitness Training. Her remarkable program helped a detachment of marines bound for Iraq stay mentally and physically healthy. The program includes the components of MBSR translated for the life of those in military training: mindfulness meditation training, mindful movement (a.k.a. adapted mindful yoga, awareness training, etc.) The young Marine captain who accompanied her offered a poignant testimonial about his personal experience and declared that the training ‘saved lives.’
I had the good fortune to bring a message about the relevance of mindfulness training home with some presentations to military, law enforcement and government representatives at a Hillsboro Police Department conference about returning veterans. (See the YouTube video of my presentations) At that conference I met fellow presenter Dr. Doug Johnson from the Naval Health Research Center who would be initiating mindfulness training with the Marines. (Read the AP Story about Dr. Johnson’s work with Marines and Mindfulness Practice)
As Marie and I do here, Dr. Stanley and Dr. Johnson help translate the art and science of mindfulness practice and adaptive movement and yoga so they can be seen as practical, helpful ways of caring for our lives so as to better meet the challenges that inevitably show up regardless of what we meet along the way.