Mindfulness Training — A Plan for the Army
On Thanksgiving morning, I met a man at yoga class whose Strategic Research Project (SRP) for the US Army War College centers on bringing yoga and meditation to active duty military.
I’m retired military, a yoga and meditation instructor, and just launched a travel business where the revenue goes towards bringing mindfulness, meditation, and yoga to active duty military.
Coincidence? I think not. I offered to help in anyway I could and since then we’ve been collaborating and reaching out to those that can help.
His SRP is a catalyst for a much larger and longer term project and inspired me to put my ideas for implementing mindfulness training (MT) in the Army onto paper.
So where to begin in an organization as vast as the Army which is also slow to integrate new concepts involving cultural change?
For MT would indeed require culture change. Asking people to sit and breathe for two minutes before a meeting or prior to conducting maintenance makes me laugh out loud thinking of the look on people’s faces or the “well that’s two minutes I’ll never get back” comments.
The science behind how focused breathing calms the body and mind is well known. A google search on Amishi P. Jha and Elizabeth A. Stanley produces ample published research on their work with the military and mindfulness training.
Colonel Christopher W. Waters makes a solid argument in his 2015 SRP for the Army War College (Cognitive Training: An Imperative to Win in a Complex World) for how brain fitness and mindfulness are critical to achieving the “cognitive dominance” the Army so desires for its force of the future.
So again the question is how to implement MT in such a way as to reduce backlash while also making the process as systematic as possible for long term sustainability?
The following plan aims to reach all Army populations by leveraging systems and resources already in place; specifically the Army Wellness Centers, currently 27 facilities strong and growing.
Of course the Army will need to continue to invest in these centers to increase capacity and in some cases capability of the centers to meet an uptake in usage demand. Essentially though, a working framework already exists in the mindfulness training capability of these centers.
1. Start with the schools via Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
There exists current institutional resilience training that is a part of the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Program.
Refine this training to include experiential learning on Deep Breathing, Mindfulness Meditation, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, and Guided Imagery; all of which the wellness centers already offer as part of their Stress Management Education program.
Building the base for a career long adherence to MT begins with the schoolhouses. The Army can prioritize its establishment of new or enhancement of existing wellness centers on TRADOC’s Centers of Excellence.
2. For Deploying Units, incorporate Elizabeth Stanley’s Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT)
Include MMFT as a part of pre and post deployment training. Increase the wellness centers’ staff to include more trainers and yoga therapists certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).
These certified experts can then deploy on a 30, 60, or 90 day rotation to deployment bases and provide continued daily MMFT and yoga for deployed service members.
3. For Line Units, include MT as a part of routine daily activities and the Periodic Health Assessment (PHA)
Meditation can easily become a part of daily activities and Physical Training programs (PT). Just two minutes of deep breathing, say before maintenance or weapons qualification, can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and improve mental focus. For daily meditation, a trained person is not necessary.
How hard is it to push play on a sound system and listen to a five minute guided meditation after PT?
It’s not.
For yoga or iRest, trained and certified instructors must lead the exercise. This is for safety in alignment of the postures and in case of any abreactions due to emotional releases. Beefing up the wellness centers with certified staff trained in these disciplines solves that hurdle.
A weekly yoga or iRest session during the PT hours would provide numerous documented benefits (visit the Warriors At Ease or iRest websites) to mind/body awareness.
Soldiers can also receive MT as part of their annual PHA by including a personalized visit to the wellness center as a part of the overall process. This would give service members one on one training to address their individual needs and concerns.
4. For Major Headquarters and Garrison Units, use the PHA, deployments, and any organized PT
These units admittedly are the hardest to reach. The thought of any additional mandatory training to an already lengthy list will result in much eye-rolling and great resistance.
However, these service members still have their annual PHA and can possibly deploy as individuals receiving MMFT as a part of their Soldier Readiness Processing prior to deployment.
It’s also easy to incorporate MT as a part of any weekly or monthly organized commander’s or leader’s PT. If the implementation of mindfulness training is systematic, at some point this population will receive it when in one of the three other unit types previously mentioned.
The key to a successful implementation is consistency over time through multiple diverse touch points.
Getting MT once in basic training or the Basic Officer Leadership Course and then never again is less useful than getting consistent and routine exposure throughout the career.
5. For the National Guard and Reserve, use deployments and monthly/annual training
This population attends the same schools as the active duty and will get MT there. They can also receive MMFT during deployment mobilization, at the deployment bases, and during demobilization.
Additionally, monthly and annual training provide the perfect opportunity to incorporate MT as a part of PT, maintenance, and weapons qualification — same as the active duty line units.
6. For Family Members, educate them about the wellness center programs
Family members can benefit from MT just as much as their beloved service members. Making them aware of the plethora of services available at the wellness centers is easy through Family Readiness Group communication and meetings, the sponsorship program available when families move to new duty stations, and through visits at the health clinic.
Family members do influence and reinforce each other’s habits. Educating the spouses about the benefits of mindfulness, meditation, and yoga can only help to solidify the usefulness of the training the service member receives while at work and perhaps even encourage using the training at home.
7. For civilians, educate and make available the wellness center programs
Though the Army cannot mandate training for this population, completely leaving them out would be a dire mistake. Their brain fitness is just as important to the overall efficiency and productivity of the Army. Additionally, civilians do deploy and can benefit from pre and post deployment MMFT as well as daily at the deployed base.
I write this plan in the hopes that it generates discussion and gets decision makers to realize that implementing MT does not have to be a difficult or expensive process at all. Yes it will take culture change.
The key is coordinating and synchronizing all the efforts that are already ongoing and getting the mindfulness message out there.
Soldiers will understand the importance of MT if told how it improves brain health, reduces stress which could lead to better performance at work and happier family life, and increases their overall well being.
Perhaps two minutes of breathing or five minutes of meditation a day will seem quite simple after all.
