SeiteNeuWarriors At Ease-Supporting Those Who Serve & Sacrifce

Supporting Those Who Serve & Sacrifice
Our mission is to increase awareness about the power of yoga and meditation and
educate a network of professionals qualified to share evidenced-based practices
through programs that support the health and healing of service members,
veterans and their families.
Our History
In 2006, our co-founders were part of the first Department of Defense (DoD)
funded research on yoga and meditation as an adjunct therapy for Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the Walter Reed National Military Center in Washington,
D.C. With the success of this and other pilot programs came an increasing need
for appropriately trained yoga and meditation teachers. Thus, we developed
advanced yoga teacher training to support the demand for specialized teachers
equipped with tools to support students with trauma-related health conditions.
Our Vision
Our vision is to integrate yoga and meditation into military, veteran, and civilian
settings to support the health, resiliency, post-traumatic growth, and connection of
service members, veterans and their families.
www.warriorsatease.org

What is Unique about Warriors at Ease Yoga?
Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness have become increasingly popular around the
world. However, not all yoga is appropriate for those with combat or traumarelated
health conditions.
Our Warriors at Ease (WAE) teachers are trained in mind-body practices that are:
Culturally Appropriate
Evidence-Based
Trauma Sensitive
We provide training on the
unique aspects of the
military profession and
culture. WAE teachers are
trained on how to teach in
a way that is relevant and
accessible to warriors.
Our curriculum is based on
research and the
combined experience of
our seasoned faculty. We
continually provide our
teacher network with the
latest research.
Our approach and the
practices we teach are all
trauma-sensitive - safe,
effective, and appropriate
for those with visible or
invisible injuries incurred
from trauma.
Our Global Network of Warriors at Ease Teachers
Since becoming a 501(c)(3) organization in 2014, we’ve trained over 750 teachers
who serve warriors and their families in the U.S., Australia, Japan, Canada, Korea,
Germany, and throughout
the Middle East. Warriors
at Ease Certified Teachers
have the knowledge, skills
and ability to integrate
evidenced-based, mindbody
practices into a variety
of therapeutic settings as
well as to support the
readiness and resiliency of
our active military.
www.warriorsatease.org

Our Impact
Our growing global network of teachers impacts an estimated 100,000 service
members, veterans, and family members by sharing yoga and meditation in a
variety of settings:
• Veteran Administration (VA) Hospitals, Clinics and Vet Centers
• Hospitals, clinics, and fitness centers on active military installations
• Unit physical training (PT) programs for active and reserve components
• In partnership with civilian healthcare providers who serve warriors and their
families
• Retreats specifically for service members, veterans, family members, and
caretakers
• In collaboration with other Veteran Service Organizations such as Team Red,
White and Blue, The Wounded Warrior Project, and The Mission Continues
• DoD schools and other schools where military children attend
• United States Military Academy and veteran-friendly colleges and universities
• Yoga studios and community centers
“Yoga and meditation give me a sense of
peace that I cannot find in other parts of my
life. Just learning to sit and breathe has
become medicine doctors cannot prescribe….
Being a part of this women veterans retreat
has restored my faith in humanity.”
~ Staff Sergeant Cyndi Lee, USMC Retired
www.warriorsatease.org

Our Accomplishments
The achievements of our esteemed faculty and highly trained teachers are
exponential and have helped us to advanced our long-term goal of offering
standardized yoga and meditation classes across the full spectrum of health care
on military installations and in VA facilities. Additionally, our organization has
accomplished the following in 2016-2017:
• Served on The George W. Bush Institute’s Health and Wellbeing Task Force and participated in
Stand-To, A National Veterans Convening in Washington, D.C. in June 2017, where we helped
outline key priorities and created an action plan to drive improved outcomes for veterans and
their families
• Launched Train, Teach & Transform in
January 2017, a program that provides free
yoga classes across four key regions as well
as teacher training scholarships to injured
service members, veterans, and military
spouses funded through a $100K grant from
the Bob Woodruff Foundation
• Developed and successfully launched a
pioneering on-line training called “Teaching
Yoga to Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma,”
funded through at $24K grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation
• Offered yoga and meditation retreats in four key regions for service members, veterans,
spouses, and caretakers in partnership with other veteran service organizations and Military
Family Readiness Groups, funded by the Walter Reed Foundation, private companies, and
individual donors
• Expanded an innovative mind-body program for veteran college students in partnership with
Manhattan College and Sivananda Ashram (Bahamas)
• Participated in a national symposium of subject matter experts that resulted in a publication
released by the Yoga Service Council called “Best Practices for Yoga with Veterans,” a book
distributed nationally to support the integration of yoga and meditation into VA facilities
www.warriorsatease.org

On the Horizon
In addition to improving, sustaining, and expanding our current programs, we are
considering or in the process of developing new initiatives to further support
warriors and their families. Projects include:
• Updating our teacher training curriculum and launching it on a world-class, on-line teaching
portal in fall of 2017 in partnership with Yoga International.
• Expanding Train, Teach & Transform to at least 4 new regions in 2018
• Broadening the scope of our offerings at the United States Military Academy
• Expanding our mind-body programs to more colleges, universities, and service academies
• Partnering with major research organizations to study the effects of using yoga and meditation
as adjunct therapy for service members and veterans with sleep issues, chronic pain, PTSD,
and other common health concerns
• Developing Warriors at Ease Kids, an emerging mind-body program specifically for children of
service members and veterans
• Working with leaders within Department of Defense to further integrate Warriors at Ease
teachers into pain management clinics, unit PT programs, and other areas where our teachers
can be effective
• Working with Department of Veterans Affairs to fill newly dedicated positions for “yoga
instructors” in the VA system with our Warriors at Ease teachers
• Establishing Warriors at Ease affiliates in rural areas where veterans may be underserved
www.warriorsatease.org

Help Warriors at Ease Make a Deeper Impact
Individual donors, charitable foundations, and corporations, have an opportunity
to directly impact the health and wellbeing of active service members, veterans
and their families by:
• Sponsoring an individual or group
for Warriors at Ease yoga classes
• Providing scholarship to teachers in
training
• Helping to fund research on yoga in
military and veteran communities
• Sponsoring an individual or group
for a Warriors at Ease Retreat
• In-kind donations of yoga mats,
yoga props, professional services, lodging for traveling faculty, accommodations
for a Warriors at Ease retreat, etc.
Volunteers, health care providers, yoga studio and retreat center owners, Family
Readiness Groups (FRG), unit commanders, and other leaders can us make a
deeper impact by:
• Hosting a Warriors at Ease yoga class, teacher training, or retreat at your facility
• Connecting patients or clients with a local Warriors at Ease teacher
• Supporting or hosting Warriors at Ease special events and presentations
• Inviting a Warriors at Ease teacher to share yoga at unit FRG events, Physical
Training, pre/post Deployment workshops, etc.
• Sharing about Warriors at Ease and our efforts to support the health, resiliency,
post-traumatic growth, and connection of warriors and their families
www.warriorsatease.org

I have been serving in the Army for the past 18 years.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico until the age of 12
when my family moved to Worcester, MA. At 18, I
enlisted in the Army and graduated from Basic
Training. After seven years, I was accepted into the
“Green to Gold” Program where I earned both my
commission and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
I have supported several humanitarian missions and
deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom
(OIF) in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
in Afghanistan. I am married and the proud father of 3
girls and 3 boys (ranging from ages to 10 to 26 years). I
met my wife, Joan, while stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) in Washington. Joan also served
in the Army but was medically retired due to injuries sustained in Iraq.
Before joining the service, I had no understanding of the type of commitment, dedication and sacrifice it
takes to be a soldier and military family. My grandfather served during the Korean War but didn’t share
any of his experiences during that period of his life. He chose to bury those memories, and I respected his
wishes. War is a terrible ordeal and the scars sustained, whether visible or invisible, last a lifetime.
I joined the Army before the events of 9-11 unfolded. My second deployment to Afghanistan was a
transformational experience that changed me at my core, and I had a difficult time upon my
redeployment. The images in my mind were a constant presence. I struggled with anger issues and was
unable to maintain my emotional balance at times.
The mind and body connection is real. My lack of mental focus resulted in decreased physical
performance. I pushed my body so hard due to my early indoctrination from drill sergeants who
introduced me to mentality of “stop whining and drive on.” After the humanitarian missions and
deployments, I had several chronic conditions which I ignored for some time. My knees and back finally
started deteriorating to the point that I couldn’t run or bear any weight for almost 2.5 years. My wife
invited me to attend some yoga sessions that were helping her heal and grow. I initially declined, but
eventually decided to attend. After only a couple of classes, I started noticing that I was more flexible,
relaxed, and focused.
For the first time in years, I was able to successfully complete my physical fitness examination, including
the run with no issues because of yoga. In fact, I achieved the highest score ever in my 18 years of military
service. Yoga has been a tremendous source of strength to me. It has enabled me to obtain inner peace,
and control the memories which caused me anxiety for many years. I was once a skeptic, but now I’m
proof of its effectiveness and restorative properties.
Captain Enrique Incle, United States Army
Warriors at Ease Student
www.warriorsatease.org

Testimonies from Warriors at Ease
Our impact is evident in the teachers we train and the students we teach.
Watch this moving testimony about the power of yoga featuring Army veteran and
Certified Warriors at Ease Teacher, Jeffrey Sergeant and Warriors at Ease Co-Founder,
Robin Carnes.
“I used yoga and meditation while
deployed to a Forward Operating Base
in Afghanistan in 2013. I meditated and
practiced yoga daily to combat my
anxiety and insomnia. My experience
inspired me to become a yoga teacher.”
Robin Cushing, U.S. Army
Physician Assistant Warriors at Ease Teacher
Find more inspiring testimonies at www.warriorsatease.org
www.warriorsatease.org

Susan Alden is the Executive Director of Warrior at Ease. She is
a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served as
a logistics officer in the 82nd Airborne and 3rd Infantry
Divisions. Susan started practicing yoga before she entered the
military and continued practicing throughout her career. She
first began teaching yoga in the military in 1997 as a Second
Lieutenant, sharing the practice with her own soldiers as part of
the unit fitness program. Whether through her yoga studio
once located near Fort Bragg, North Carolina, teaching on or
around various military installations, or hosting retreats across
the globe, Susan has been fully committed to bringing the
power of yoga and meditation to the military community since
2003 as a certified yoga and meditation teacher. Susan has been married to an Army Special Forces
soldier (Green Beret) for the past 19 years and has been especially involved in serving the Special
Operations Forces community and Gold Star Families. Susan resides in Hawaii with her husband who
recently retired from the military and their two boys.
For information on partnership opportunities, please contact
Susan Alden at salden@warriorsatease.org or (808) 469-5279.
Warriors at Ease is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting
service members, veterans and their families. Federal Tax ID #45-4010067
CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW
Our Board of Directors and our team of staff, faculty, and volunteers, consist of veterans,
business leaders, and subject matter experts in the field of yoga, meditation, and health.
CLICK HERE TO MEET THE TEAM.
www.warriorsatease.org