Right feet at the front of their mats, knees bent, leaning forward, they stand with their arms in the air in a warrior pose.

It is a fitting movement toward the end of this Warriors at Ease yoga class.

The class is designed to help those dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly veterans, find relief from their symptoms. Those include hyper arousal, anxiety, hyper vigilance, depression, insomnia, social avoidance and nightmares.

The class is held three times a week at Mt. Sinai Congregation, 2610 Pioneer Ave. It is free for military personnel; civilians are asked to make a $7 donation.

For Deb Causey, who spent 23 years in the Wyoming Air National Guard, yoga has taught her to be more aware.

"(It) gives you an awareness of your body," she says.

That awareness, and the control that goes with it, are two reasons the class aids those with post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD.

The class was started here by clinical psychologist Sherry Gardner and Natalie Vernon, a certified yoga teacher.

In the last few years, professional literature has begun to show that yoga practice is good at relieving symptoms of PTSD, Gardner says.

"Researchers have been able to demonstrate that many of the (PTSD) symptoms result not from the horrible story but from the residue of the trauma," she adds.

See the article here:
Yoga Helping Veterans With PTSD