- THE BEAUTY OF THIS TYPE OF FOCUS
IS THAT IT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU AT ALL TIMES,
AND IT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU AT ANY TIME,
AND IT JUST TAKES TRAINING, AND FOR ME,
IT'S JUST BEEN A REAPPLICATION OF MY MILITARY TRAINING
TO FOCUS ON MY BREATHING.
ALL MINDFULNESS TAKES PLACE THROUGH THE BREATH,
AND ONCE YOU RECOGNIZE THE POWER THAT YOU HAVE
IMPLICIT TO YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES, NO MATTER WHAT,
YOU THEN APPLY THAT TRAINING.
SO IT'S THE SAME KIND OF THING AS WHEN THE MILITARY TEACHES YOU
THE VALUE OF DISCIPLINE OR THE VALUE OF INTEGRITY,
AND THEN IT SHOWS YOU ITS UTILITY.
SO, THAT'S THE THING, IT'S SEEING THE UTILITY.
NOW, IN THE MILITARY, THEY TEACH YOU
THE UTILITY OF BREATHING FOR SHOOTING A WEAPON.
AND THAT'S GREAT TRAINING.
YOU IMMEDIATELY SEE THE CONNECTION,
YOU SEE ITS USEFULNESS, AND YOU APPLY IT IMMEDIATELY.
THE DIFFERENCE WITH THIS TYPE OF BREATHING TECHNIQUE
IS THAT IT'S NOT GEARED TOWARDS PRECISION
AT A TARGET 300 YARDS DOWN RANGE,
IT'S GEARED TOWARDS THE TARGET INSIDE YOU,
AND THE TARGET INSIDE YOU IS--
COULD BE, YOU COULD SAY, YOUR CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.
- I HAVE SEEN IN THE YEAR THAT I'VE BEEN HERE,
HUGE TRANSFORMATIONS FOR THESE GUYS.
ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MOMENTS IN MY LIFE
WAS ONE SOLDIER A COUPLE WEEKS AGO SAID
THAT WHEN HE WAS EXHALING,
HE COULD FEEL THE ANGER JUST LEAVING,
AND IT WAS JUST THIS DEEP SORT OF BREATHING
BEING PRESENT.
I HAVE ZERO, UH...
BASICALLY, MY JOB IS TO OFFER THE TOOLS,
AND THEN THEY TAKE IT ON, AND THEY BREATH, AND THEY MOVE,
AND THEY COME BACK TO THE PRESENT,
AND IT'S BEEN A HUGE PASSION FOR ME.
I WANT IT TO GROW, I WANT IT TO GET BIGGER,
I WANT IT TO BE OUT OF THE HOSPITAL,
I WANT IT TO BE, YOU KNOW, IN THE AIRPORTS.
I WANT IT TO BE EVERYWHERE WHERE THERE'S ACCESS
FOR THESE VETS TO BE ABLE TO GO.
I WANT IT FOR THE WIVES, BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING,
YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH THE PTSD,
IT'S NOT JUST THE SOLDIERS, IT'S THE FAMILIES,
IT'S THE CHILDREN, YOU KNOW.
IT'S HARD FOR THESE MEN AND WOMEN TO COME BACK
AND NOT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO TO KIND OF BE
IN THAT MEDITATIVE STATE, BE IN THAT PRESENT.
- THERE'S ONE THING THAT I REMEMBER IN YOGA
WAS TO CHANNEL THE ENERGY, WHICH IS, YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES,
AND YOU PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER LIKE THIS,
LIKE YOU'RE ABOUT TO PRAY.
YOU PUT YOUR THUMBS CENTERED TO YOUR CHEST,
AND YOU JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES, AND YOU TAKE A DEEP BREATH IN,
IN YOUR NOSE AND OUT YOUR MOUTH,
LIKE... [INHALES]
AND YOU HOLD IT FOR, LIKE, 5 SECONDS,
AND THEN YOU LET IT OUT THROUGH YOUR MOUTH.
[EXHALES]
AND YOU DO THAT A COUPLE TIMES, AND AS YOU'RE DOING THAT,
YOU PRETTY MUCH WANT TO THINK IN YOUR MIND
ABOUT SOMETHING REAL GOOD, LIKE, SAY, FOR INSTANCE,
I LIKE THE BEACH, AND I LIKE WATER,
SO YOU PRETTY MUCH HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU REALLY LIKE,
LIKE WATER, AND YOU JUST THINK ABOUT WATER BEING IN THE OCEAN,
THINKING OF THE SOUNDS OF THE WATER,
THE MOTIONS OF THE WATER,
AND YOU JUST KEEP BREATHING IN...
[INHALES] AND BREATHING OUT...
[EXHALES]
AND WHEN YOU BREATHE OUT, YOU JUST LET IT ALL OUT.
LIKE, WHEN YOU BREATHE IN,
IT'S LIKE BREATHING ALL THE BREATH IN TO YOUR HEAD,
AND THEN WE LET IT OUT, JUST RELEASE IT
ALL THE WAY OUT TO YOUR FEET.
AND DO THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES, MAYBE LIKE 5 OR 6 TIMES,
AND THEN OPEN YOUR EYES,
AND THEN YOU FEEL YOURSELF MUCH EASE,
LIKE, ESPECIALLY YOU WANT TO DO IT,
LIKE, IF YOU'RE FEELING SAD, OR IF YOU'RE FEELING TENSE,
OR A LOT OF US SOLDIERS HAVE ANXIETY, WE HAVE TENSION,
THEY SAY WE HAVE HYPERTENSION,
SO WE GET STARTLED ON A LOT OF THINGS,
AND IF YOU FEEL YOURSELF ABOUT TO LOSE CONTROL,
JUST DO THAT A COUPLE TIMES AND THEN OPEN YOUR EYES,
AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BETTER.