By Laura Nott, Live Well San Diego Support Team, on behalf of OG Yoga

For John, the war did not end when he came home. It was just beginning.

After multiple tours as a U.S. Marine in the Middle East, his time on the front lines had left scars, most of them invisible. He suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and was haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leaving him in pain and suffering. He was in crisis, even finding himself running afoul of the law.

Then he found yoga. He found peace.

For John, not his real name, yoga became a sanctuary, providing a source for some healing of the pain and fear, and helping him temper his reactions to the trauma, breaking a destructive cycle that, if untreated, seemed destined to lead him deeper into trouble.

John began his journey on his own, but his path led to our door. OG Yoga offers programs aimed at veterans, teaching the practices and philosophies that allow veterans to live with PTSD and reclaim control over their actions. John enrolled in our yoga teacher training program and now imparts his knowledge and experience to veterans and other trauma survivors who come to OG Yoga with the hope of reclaiming their lives.

We extended our hand to John, empowering him to lift himself up and move forward, and now he is extending his to others in need.

Although John’s injuries were combat-related, there are many other ways to incur a traumatic brain injury: car crashes, falls, sports injuries and assaults, to name a few. The long-term results are life-altering and can include seizures, sensory dysfunction, chronic and severe headaches, memory loss and difficulty with reasoning, judgment, and communication. In some cases, living with TBI is living with chronic disability.

While there is strong science supporting yoga as a healing modality for TBI, it’s a specific type of yoga taught with firm intention and understanding of the brain that is effective while other, more common forms of yoga can actually worsen TBI symptoms. John trained specifically to teach methods that address TBI and various disabilities.

John teaches chair yoga to a diverse range of students, some with limited mobility, some with physical disabilities. He helps students transform their quality of life with practices designed to heal the brain and regulate TBI symptoms.

This remarkable service work comes from a man who needed a helping hand of his own at one point. It was thanks to generous donors that John was able to enroll in our yoga teacher training.

We believe the practice of yoga transforms lives holistically and, through the physical and mindfulness aspects of yoga, empowers vulnerable members of our community to reclaim their bodies and minds from trauma and thrive. The ripples John and the rest of our teachers are creating with their students continue on and on, and our communities are lifted up with every wave.

Click here to learn more about OG Yoga.