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Military service is fulfilling but can be demanding.Research suggests that breathing exercises, meditation, and relaxation techniques can help combat stress and improve wellness, well-being, and performance. In this article, learn the basics of mind and body practices, how they may benefit your health, and tips to get you started.
Mind and body practices integrate cognitive, emotional, functional, spiritual, social, and community considerations to promote holistic health. Below are just a few examples and their potential health benefits.
Breathing exercises may help strengthen the parasympathetic (i.e., “rest and digest”) branch of the autonomic nervous system, which together with the sympathetic (i.e., “fight or flight”) branch alters physiological variables like blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension to optimize your response to stress. Those physiological changes can also help you manage anxiety, improve concentration, and assist with sleep onset. Learn how to harness the power of breathwork with this instructional video (https://www.hprc-online.org/mental-fitness/stress/tactical-breathing-military) from the Consortium for Health and Military Performance.
Meditation involves the deliberate use of attention to notice and modify your relationship to, thought content. Meditative techniques can strengthen focus, augment common therapies for mood and anxiety symptoms, and assist with management of transitions, reintegrations, and occupational stressors. Check out the National Center for PTSD's Mindfulness Coach app (https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/mindfulcoach_app.asp) and DHA’s Virtual Hope Box (https://mobile.health.mil/Apps/Native-Apps/Virtual-Hope-Box) app for mindfulness meditation tools on the go (https://mobile.health.mil/Apps/Native-Apps/Virtual-Hope-Box).
Structured, mindful movement—or ‘yoga’—takes many forms and can focus on physical fitness, mental well-being, or both. Yoga as an adjunct to treatment may benefit your health by lowering blood pressure, relieving stress, improving physical strength, flexibility, and balance, and addressing sleep problems. Try out HPRC's video series (https://www.hprc-online.org/mental-fitness/sleep-stress/practice-yoga-improve-physical-fitness-and-mental-fitness) on yoga sequences to learn the basics.
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| Date Taken: | 12.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2025 16:04 |
| Story ID: | 555021 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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