The Ishaya Foundation March, 2015
THE ASCENDING TIMES Meditation in the Military
January 2013 marked an era of new beginnings for the Military.
The US Army and Marines began offering mindfulness meditation
courses!
Camp Pendleton School Infantry-West offered an eight-week course
in mindfulness beginning January 2013 to about 80 Marines. The
course gave Marines a tool to regulate their own stress
levels before they lead to problematic behaviors: "We have
doctors, counselors, behavioral health scientists, all sorts of
people to get help for Marines who have exhibited stress type
symptoms but what can we do before that happens? How do we armor
Marines up so they are capable of handling stress?" said Jeffrey
Bearor, the executive deputy of the Marine Corps training and
education command at its headquarters in Quantico.
Adding to behavioral issues while in the military, veterans by
the thousands are seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress. A
record number are committing suicide, causing the military to
search for ways to reduce strains on service members and
veterans.
Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training" or "M-Fit" was designed
by former U.S. Army Capt. Elizabeth Stanley, a professor at
Georgetown University who found relief doing yoga and meditation
for her PTSD. (“Mindfulness” includes practices that emphasize
non-judgmental active attention to keep the mind in the
present.)
The Army Study Program Management Office, or “ASPMO funded
nearly 30 studies at about $335,000 each for 15 agencies in fiscal
year theishayafoundation.org �1
Meditation is just as
effective as antidepressant
drugs in treating anxiety or
depression but without the side effects
http://theishayafoundation.org
The Ishaya Foundation March, 2015
2013 to inform Army leaders on issues of importance to the Army
such as combating PTSD, according to a recent Army article. ”Dr.
Valerie Rice, chief of U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Human
Research and Engineering Directorate in San Antonio said the team
has seen the mindfulness methods used to “lower blood pressure,
reduce anger and increase calmness.”
Stanley, who is also involved in studies for the Army, said the
techniques can help those in battle think more clearly under fire
when they are often forced to make quick decisions that could mean
life or death, and help them reset their nervous systems after
being in combat.
"If indeed that proves to be the case, then it's our intention
to turn this into a training program where Marines train Marines in
these techniques," Bearor said. "We would interject this into the
entry level training pipeline - we don't know where yet - so every
Marine would be trained in these techniques.
A study conducted by John Hopkins concluded “Meditation is just
as effective as antidepressant drugs in treating anxiety or
depression, but without the side effects.” With these kinds of
studies, why wouldn’t our soldiers and vets be interested in
learning some of these techniques?
One might be surprised to learn that there is a non-profit
retreat center just outside of St. James Missouri dedicated to
teaching simple techniques in Mindfulness and Meditation. The
practice they teach is called “Ishayas’ Ascension”. The word
‘ascension’ refers to the ability to rise above the self-defeating
and limiting thoughts that stimulate behaviors we judge in our
lives. Ishayas’ Ascension is taught over 2 and a half days, often
in people’s homes. Classes are also available at the retreat
center, if people so choose. Free introductory talks are available
through online webinars and are also given frequently at specific
locations in this area and by request.
By Jyo& Ishaya
h+p://www.13abc.com/story/20632304/marines-‐test-‐adding-‐medita&on-‐stretching-‐to-‐training)
h+p://www.army.mil/ar&cle/127523/Mindfulness_study_explores_way_for_Soldiers_to_manage_stress/
h+p://www.army.mil/ar&cle/127523/Mindfulness_study_explores_way_for_Soldiers_to_manage_stress/
h+p://bowdoinorient.com/ar&cle/8875
theishayafoundation.org �2
It takes a few hours on the first evening followed by two full
days to learn how to Ascend.
Workshops are scheduled at various times, but most often on a
weekend. Once you decide to learn, you have 3 options for
learning the First Sphere:
1 Attend a Workshop scheduled anywhere around the world.
2 Create your own Workshop by becoming a Sponsor
3 Attend a First Sphere Retreat - this extends our normal
workshop into 3 days of Rest and Relaxation in a peaceful
Retreat
http://www.13abc.com/story/20632304/marines-test-adding-meditation-stretching-to-traininghttp://bowdoinorient.com/article/8875http://theishayafoundation.org
