I was a bit diffident about participating in the Solider to Civilian Sunday Wellness program at the Sherman Phoenix.
While I had agreed to write an article about the health and wellness program geared toward Black veterans, I was cautious about the benefits of chair yoga, breathing relaxation, and healthy food sampling.
You could say I’ve been there and done that.
I took slow movement and chair aerobics at the Veteran’s Administration, and with 40 years of martial arts under my belt–which included breathing exercises to tap into your ‘chi’–I thought I knew it all.
We call breathing exercises by another name, but the premise is similar, although we used it in a different application.
But moments into my observations on a bright Sunday afternoon at the Phoenix, watching a dozen Black veterans of varying ages sitting in a fraternal circle, my hesitancy quickly evaporated.
Within 30 minutes, I was hooked.
Maybe it was the sobering voice of group leaders Alahna Taylor and Dr. Robinson or the relaxing atmosphere created by Camille Mays, who operated the singing bowls.
Then again, it could be the sense of comradery among the participants, who ranged from young to mature. Each veteran was a member of a lifelong fraternity of men and women who have often served in horrid conditions or life-threatening scenarios.
This unique brother/sisterhood makes relatives and acquaintances and creates shared memories that transcend time and circumstances. The fraternity of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines is a unique bonding experience that often requires spiritual as well as physical exorcisms.
Given the title, I had mistakenly assumed the participants would be younger vets, many of whom suffer from PTSD or related anxieties born of military experiences, particularly those encountered by war.
Instead, the participants covered a wide range of ages and shared experiences.
As a Vietnam vet, I found it easy to tune into the vibrations of that wave link only military veterans can find on the dial, making it all the easier to appreciate the health session.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disease -or Disorder) is incurred when soldiers are placed in positions of witnessing or participating in deadly conflict. But that trauma is often doubted by Black military, who also face racism during their service and discrimination when they return home.
The military is a microcosm of America; in fact, racism is alive and well within military structures, as is blatant sexism.
One of the benefits of programs like Wellness Sunday is that it affords African American veterans an opportunity to express themselves—to vent—with people who can relate to their unique experiences.
Those shared experiences formed the foundation of the project, explained Taylor, owner of Earth Angel Studios and one of the two ‘instructors’ for the sessions.
“My studio focuses on nutrition, breathing, and relaxation,” she explained, adding the singing bowls therapy, which allows participants to block out the world around them as they focus on themselves.
Mayes provides soothing vibrations through her orchestration of the ‘singing bowls,’ a technique that entails circling various-sized bowls with an instrument to create different tones.
Mayes said coordinated vibrations are considered a therapeutic form of music used by dozens of cultures but under different names.
She was first introduced to the concept “as therapy for my son” but has seen the relaxation process expand throughout the community for different audiences. “Still, there are only a handful of (musicians) in our community, but the system is growing,” she explained.
Taylor elaborated, explaining that different relaxation techniques have similar impacts. “Color represents a similar process used for relaxation.”
At the session I attended, which was led by Robinson, who moved among the circle, encouraging participants to “tap into” themselves and “allow the energy to flow to your muscles,” a sense of calm came over the circle, feeding veterans both physically and spiritually.
Ambrose, a breathing instructor for a Black male cancer support group coordinated by the Medical College of Wisconsin, led the team in breathing exercises.
He unexpectedly allowed me to show the different techniques we used in the marital arts. They were easily adaptable.
Taylor is also a certified breathing specialist and focuses on chair yoga.
Dr. Stacia Thompson, executive director of Sherman Phoenix, lamented during a telephone conversation that the Soldier to Civilians platform comfortably fits into the hub’s network of programs.
The program is funded by the State Veteran’s Foundation for one year.
The foundation offers numerous veterans programs, but this may be one of a handful designed explicitly for Black vets.
Check the Sherman Phoenix website—Sherman-phoenix.com—for dates, times, and registration. The program is free, and transportation is provided.
The next session is at 1 p.m.on March 17. Chef Nunu willprovide a healthy meal.
Trust me, I attended as ajournalist but will return as astressed-out vet.
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