Yoga Expands in Popularity With Active Military Members and Veterans

With well over 16 million people practicing yoga by some counts, it's not shocking that some would be in the military, despite what may appear on the surface level of there being a contradiction in the goals of yoga and of building a “ready to act” armed forces. Deeper reflection reveals that active duty military and veterans often need a way to decompress that's safe, healthy, and delivers other important benefits. Popular yoga accessories company, Now Athletics, pointed to this as likely being the reason why the Defense Department recently made statements that they are researching yoga as a therapeutic intervention with hopes it will help PTSD.

“People who are serving or have served in the military are often under great stress both seen and unseen,”commented a spokesperson from Now Athletics. “It's been our experience that yoga removes stress so it's not a surprise at all that veterans and people in the service are finding it useful, and that the government is exploring it further. We hope that yoga is taken seriously. It would be wonderful to know that there's work being done to help people with PTSD beyond giving them drugs, with all the problems associated with them.”

According to the research, yoga is thought to deliver many of the same benefits Tai Chi has delivered to the Chinese military. While Tai Chi is a slow sets of deliberate movement and physically quite different than yoga, most experts regard the mental state while doing the exercises as similar to yoga.

Now Athletics (www.starlightyoga.com/product) is happy to serve the military community along with their civilian clients and offer a premium quality thick yoga mat, the Eco Yoga Mat, which has been a consistent best seller. The mat sets itself apart from competitors with its hypoallergenic surface, designed to be resistant to both sweat and bacteria. The mat is large, available in a number of colors and the right thickness to be able to be used comfortably both indoors and outside. Most users are praising it as being far beyond its closest competition.

Amy Connell is one of the many customers calling it the best yoga mat available today in a recent review. “Hands down the best yoga mat. I'm pushing a decade of practicing yoga and I've used plenty of different mats in all the studios I've been at - and this one trumps them all! Soft and supportive, easy to grip (even pouring sweat in those heated classes) Kind on the knees. And absolutely Built to Last! The NOW studio I go to has these mats for rent and I just learned that they have not yet had to replace these rental mats in over two years which is an incredible feat since they offer around 50 classes a week. And their mats still look and feel brand new! I am a very cheap person but being able to see the longevity of these mats, even frugal ole me will say they are a really good bargain.”

For more information be sure to visit www.starlightyoga.com/product.