The VetsConnection Podcast

Ep. 48 - Veteran Yoga Project: Healing Through Yoga

• Scott McLean • Episode 48

Share episode

Send us a text

The Veteran Yoga Project provides free yoga classes specifically designed for veterans nationwide, addressing both physical and mental health needs through mindfulness practices that complement traditional PTSD treatments.

• Founded by Dr. Daniel Libby during his Yale postdoctoral fellowship to fill a gap in veteran care
• Classes are completely free and unlimited for all veterans through in-person, hybrid, and online formats
• Instructors receive specialized training in "Mindful Resilience" to accommodate veterans' specific needs
• Focus extends beyond physical postures to mindfulness, breathing, and emotional regulation techniques
• Designed to be accessible to all veterans regardless of flexibility or fitness level
• Approaches yoga as a practical tool for managing pain, reducing PTSD symptoms, and improving daily function
• Veterans can find classes by visiting veteranyogaproject.org or using their mobile app
• The organization relies on donations to maintain its infrastructure and services

Visit veteranyogaproject.org to find a class near you or access online resources. Consider donating to support their mission of bringing yoga to veterans everywhere.


Scott McLean:

Welcome to the podcast. I'm Scott McLean. My guest today is Lindsay Hildebrandt. Now, if you've heard that name recently, it was because she did a previous episode of representing the Florida Leads Project, and Florida Leads Project is doing great work in the field of suicide prevention, including veterans. But now she's here in a different capacity Veteran Yoga Project. How are you doing, Lindsay?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I'm doing great. Thanks for having me once again and stuff.

Scott McLean:

I'm becoming a veteran in my own right in this podcast and, as we discussed before the episode, there will be another episode coming up with Lindsay.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I know you just keep allowing me time and time again and I don't know why.

Scott McLean:

Yeah, and if you want Lindsay to be a co-host on this podcast, just let me know. I think Lindsay's a busy, busy woman. I don't think she has time.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yeah, I was like I would love to have the time I really would, and stuff more like that is another thing of me biting off more than I can chew as much as I would love to do it.

Scott McLean:

I do, I know that feeling. Yeah, I know you do, yes, yes. So all right, lindsay, let's get right into it. The Veteran Yoga Project. Give us the origin of it.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yeah, so this was a project that was started by our founder, dr Daniel Libby. So this is when he was a postdoctoral fellow over in Connecticut with Yale. He kind of centered his entire research around PTSD treatments for service members and, you know, really identified this gap in care for veterans and what yoga could really do for veterans as a supplemental treatment for PTSD. So he came up with the idea that really started Veterans Yoga Project and saw that you know there wasn't really anything widely available in terms of yoga programming for veterans.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Right, it was really up to the veteran to go find a yoga studio studio and, like you know, yoga studios do cost a lot of money and stuff.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And so he wanted to come up with a like formalized plan and way to deliver yoga specifically tailored for veterans. That got after like mindfulness and then really using it as a supplement for, like, reducing PTSD symptomologies. So that's kind of how the Impetus for Veterans Yoga Project kind of started and it really ballooned out from there. It started in Connecticut and then it grew into a nationwide program where we're broken down into regions and stuff and we've actually expanded all the way up into Canada so now we're technically international, expanded all the way up into Canada, so now we're technically international and so. But it really centered around the idea of delivering, you know, relevant yoga programming for all veterans. Now it started with you know folks that you know had you know diagnoses of PTSD that he was seeing over at the VA hospital. So we pair with the VA a lot on our projects but also expanding that out so all veterans can have a place to access yoga programming.

Scott McLean:

So when they started branching out, how did that? What was the evolution of that? Do you know?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yeah.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

So they got nonprofit status back in like 2011.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And so he gained a little bit of a following, started like training other trainers and stuff and using that that T2T model Right and then started also delivering what was called like the mindful resilience training.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

So it was really trying to also train other yoga teachers in how to, you know, perform yoga classes in a way that was accessible for veterans and keeping in mind the specific considerations that veterans had, you know, in doing a yoga class and stuff, because the way we teach is very different than what you would typically see within maybe like more of a traditional yoga studio, because veterans do come in with a lot of specific considerations, whether that's related to their PTSD symptomology, potential TBI trauma, and so we incorporated that into a lot of our teachings through that mindful resilience. So all of our yoga teachers go through that mindful resilience training seminar and I think from there it just kind of ballooned out because people realized like this was really important to know Veterans that were taking these classes also caught on. The yoga community caught on and it really just expanded out from there Because other VAs started hearing about this and were like, oh, this would be really great to integrate in with our you know treatments for PTSD and offering it as a as a supplement to reduce their symptomology.

Scott McLean:

So the Veteran Yoga Project. Whenever they branch out like these people say, hey, I want to start a kind of a branch of the Veteran Yoga Project.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yeah, so what's really great about Veterans Yoga Project is like you have specific regions but then within those regions you can like you can realistically start and you're listed under a location. So if, for example, a veteran was looking for you know something located over in like Tucson, arizona, where I used to teach and stuff like, they could find me and find where I taught classes and then connect in with me and attend those classes and stuff. So we get listed. But you essentially can start up specific classes as long as it's approved by Veterans Yoga Project to teach and stuff. I've taught at veteran owned breweries and stuff which always seem to be very popular for some reason, don't know why Brewery and yoga some reason don't know why, and so but the most popular class.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

we did some beer yoga. We've done, you know, we pair with the VA as well A lot of the time. So I taught at the Tucson VA center with their, with their physical therapy department, which was a really amazing experience. I've taught at, you know, at other places, in private clinics, in private studios, and so, you know, veterans Yoga Project really tries to give some latitude because it's really more about increasing that accessibility and you know, getting a yoga teacher that is trained to.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

You know, teach veterans and teach them in an inclusive way in approaching yoga and like making sure that veterans can connect with that resource, and for free.

Scott McLean:

So, as you mentioned earlier, veterans come with a different say mindset. Say you have 10 veterans in the room. How do you work that?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

We really try to approach it in a way where you know we have some general guidelines about like, hey, how are we as yoga teachers orienting the room like maybe a better way of kind of describing it is kind of compare you to a, like, private studio session. So a lot of the times you know they'll, you know they'll close the doors, they'll dim the lights, they use scents. Sometimes that might not be good for a veteran, especially if that's a particularly you know they'll close the doors, they'll dim the lights, they use scents. Sometimes that might not be good for a veteran, especially if that's a particularly, you know, triggering situation. Or like, you know, we orient them to where they can see the exits. We want to promote safety right within the space that we're in. Or at least I do a brief upfront and stuff of being like, hey, let me know of any injuries that I should know about and stuff, because then I can adapt my class in a way that you know where I'm teaching everybody, but then I can give specific, you know, modifications that will better suit that veterans like kind of like functional ability and functional movement, right. Because at the end of the day, I think one of the other things we really have to work through with veterans is really breaking that yoga stereotype about what it's supposed to look like and more being like no, this is a time that you know you can really take time out for yourself to really connect in with your body and understand what and kind of increasing that level of awareness, right, which really taps into emotional regulation, mindfulness, autonomic regulation, a lot of these core, you know, psychological principles that they're that they might be doing in like therapy and other types of treatments and stuff that we can bring to a space where it's a little bit more accessible and then also, just, you know, trying to make sure that we just meet them where they're at right.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Because really for me, like if anybody ever saw me teaching, I don't look like the world's most graceful yoga teacher and stuff like I'm like, but I'm more about like, hey, if we're coming in to develop and make sure that you can do really good functional movements, right, like you can do basic things in life, you can navigate and be able to be like not completely, you know, discomforting or in pain, you know in throughout your life and stuff, you know barring any like chronic illnesses or chronic pain and stuff that way for them to, like I said, approach it in accessible way.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

So there are ways to adapt it. And that is something that I will say I think we do a little bit more deliberately is really watching for those things and also being able to tailor our classes based on you know where our veterans are coming from and stuff, but also just kind of understanding what, what those potential like traumatic events that might lead to additional considerations in how we like kind of set up the environment of our class. So we, you know, we, I think we do a lot more kind of pre planning up front than a lot of yoga teachers might do in a traditional studio setting.

Scott McLean:

How many sessions does the veteran get? Are there? Is there a number as long?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

as they want to come to class, like they are invited to come to class, so in yeah, it's, you know, like no bars, limited and stuff as long as the class is running, they can come and join for free. And so, you know, we have our in-person classes. Sometimes we'll offer it in a hybrid modality, and then we also have our online platform, so where they can access live classes for free, virtually, but they can also go back and look at old videos, so they, we can really meet people across the spectrum, because sometimes it's, like you know, people have to work, they have other conflicts and stuff, but they still want to be able to, you know, attend class in like a live way or like they want to see the recording later.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

We want to give them those options. So we kind of offer the full spectrum of offering those services for free to the veteran because it's you know, I think it's what's right and but it's also what? What benefits the veteran at the end of the day?

Scott McLean:

It's a of like how I here comes, my cheap plug, my cheap plug for my foundation. That's kind of how the One man, one Mic Foundation operates. I work that in.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

It was a great transition.

Scott McLean:

Yeah, we work with veterans all over the country and we teach them how to podcast, just like if a veteran wanted to go on to your website and do a live class. It's an amazing way to reach literally the world. You'll check it out. One man, one mic foundationorg. That's my cheap plug. I'm done.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I won't take your time anymore you're not taking my time at all let me uh, everybody, you should know about one man, one mic that's right, there you go.

Scott McLean:

You just really, you're just making yourself the best guest ever.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I would dispute it, but I'll take your word.

Scott McLean:

So how do veterans come into your class? Are they recommended through the VA, or is it word of mouth, or they just find it? And what? How do you handle the stigma of men and yoga, which is a thing?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Very much is a thing. So I think a lot of our veterans do find out about it through the VA because we do partner with a lot of our VA campuses in particular. So they know it's a service that's offered where sometimes it's hosted is a little bit different. As I mentioned, I was in kind of more the physical and holistic therapy department. That's where I hosted my classes, that's where they have the space for me and to do like the actual physical classes and in-person classes. But you know, sometimes we'll actually get to host those classes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis through the VA. Sometimes it's like a referral process. They can find us through the website.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

A lot of the times it's word of mouth, but a lot of the times it's also us just getting the word out as yoga teachers and being like, hey, you know, please join us for this class. Getting onto community forums and being like, hey, this is a free class for veterans. Like, please, pre-register. I would say a lot of the upfront work is like us making sure that the word gets out right, Because you know, when I was teaching at the veteran-owned brewery and stuff, it was like a completely, you know, completely separate thing from the VA. But a lot of folks heard about it from the VA being like, hey, there's this like great free beer, yoga class that's with this nonprofit and stuff and in partnership with this brewery and stuff like you should go and we would like put posters out and stuff and they would advertise.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I think word of mouth is typically how you get a lot more buy in, especially in relation to men doing yoga and having that self stigma.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Once again, I think it comes from that place of like yoga needing to really look a very specific way and that it's something where you have to have a lot of flexibility and you need to be able to go into these really intricate poses and, like you know, you have to don all the Lululemon gear and stuff and basically become a walking advertisement board. And I was like and I I'm really against a lot of that where I'm like, you know, I'm coming in as your, as a teacher, but I'm really here as a guide, like I don't know what it's like to live in that person's body, in that individual's body. So being like you need to adapt this, however you need to, to get whatever you need out of the practice. And so if I think, in approaching it in that way, when being like, hey, this is a way for you to like practice good, like you know stretching, or like a lot of the times when I, when I deal with men who are maybe a little bit hesitant, I was like think about it as like post-workout recovery or advanced recovery, right, like you're prepping your body for, like when you're going to go hit a hard workout, right, it's like making sure that you know you're warmed up correctly, like you have good, you know good functional movement, good mobility like those are kind of ways to kind of kind of promote it, where somebody who might think it's a little bit too wooey and stuff because of you know what they've seen from other studios and be like no, this is really about getting your body preps, like tuning in, faring out and developing like that body awareness, but also just making sure that we're actually like taking care of our body so we can do what we need to do in day to day life.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And approaching in that manner I think really helps reduce that that stigma. It makes it to where it's not exclusionary. I think the yoga community in particular sometimes does a really bad job of making it inclusive for veterans and active duty service members in particular, and so because they're teaching in a way that it's like you know, if you're setting off a bunch of incense and you're like doing crazy, crazy poses that like don't really help folks with, you know dealing with pain that they might have from like rucking running, you know knee pain from like jumps and stuff or like like being able to tie that to the things that you're doing in the practice will make it to where people have a lot less stigma.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

right, you want to connect it with the way where it's like, hey, this is like good for lower back pain, especially for y'all that you know deal with. You know putting on a ruck every day, or like you know we're, we're in an infantry unit and stuff, and just trying to tie it and connect it back, I think really helps. So that way people see the value in it and it's like oh, it's not just you know a pose for the sake of doing a pose. It's like something that's meant to alleviate discomfort, is meant to help them like actually tune in and pay attention to that, like that's really the best that we can do in in terms of making it an approachable practice.

Scott McLean:

So it's interesting we're talking about this. It just dawned on me, as you were telling that, that that story is so the other day I was going to breakfast and I was meeting I was meeting my daughter for breakfast and I live in Boca Raton. I go into this plaza where the restaurant is and I see all these women, like we call it, they call it like Boca babes, I guess whatever but they're all in there Like there's a yoga studio popped up, like I'd never seen it before to be there, coming in and out, and they're all fit and they're all Lululemon doubt, they're all yoga pants doubt, and you know it's just and and honestly it's it's a funny story. But I look, I kind of thought about it. I go, there's no way I would ever try to go in there. Like there's no way I would ever try to go in there.

Scott McLean:

You know, okay, as a guy, I know the guys that are listening are going. I'll go in there, yeah, but for yoga people, for yoga, for actual yoga, it is kind of intimidating to hear the yoga and that's kind of the perception that men have. I'm sure I speak for a lot of us With that like that's like you got to be fit to already do it, because everybody I see going in and out of this place is they're all fit, yeah, and and I would argue like that is really not, it shouldn't be the case.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Right, where it's like everybody has to start somewhere, like if you're coming into a yoga class where you're already in like perfect shape and stuff, I would argue you're probably not going to get that much actually out of the practice. Right, like the biggest gains are made from like smaller starting points, and really that misconception, I think, bars a lot of people from doing it, because there is this notion of like I have to be like fit to do yoga, like the most important practice in yoga is the breathing aspects and like that is what they teach us from day one in like yoga teacher training. Where it's like and I really consider this where I literally have folks that sit in like our final resting pose, like Shavasana, the entire class, and I forever love those students because all they're doing is just sitting there with their breath in their body and stuff, and for me that is like the quintessential best yoga that you can get. Right, because you're sitting down, you're paying attention to what's going on in your body, you're creating a space where you can do that and you're practicing mindfulness, you're practicing autonomic breathing, like the movement practice, is really great and a lot of people come in for the physical aspect of that.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

But I would argue that that breathing, that autonomic regulation piece, that that mindfulness piece are way more important components of it and I would say it's like it is the core things and like if the only thing you're getting out of yoga is a physical practice not that it's wrong I would say you're actually missing out on the most important things, which is like the thing that I tell most of my veterans who are like convinced that they can't come in and like do the practice. I'm like I am good with you just lying down, like if you're comfortable, closing your eyes and just breathing. Like just breathing there, taking time, paying attention to what's going on and stuff, like that's the best type of practice and stuff. I think that also helps, because I don't know if that's a bad thing, but like power yoga has kind of become the what everybody sees, like with your Boca babes and stuff, that's probably the type of yoga that they were doing.

Scott McLean:

That's right.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And like but and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's it. I would say it's not really like the. The point of yoga, like the physical practice is there to help tap into those other things, like it's a bridge to make sure those other portions happen. But it's not the only way to practice yoga. And like those foundational pillars, with breathing and like mindfulness and really just like paying attention, is far, far more important. And I would argue the better yogis are, the ones that can tap into that, the better students and stuff are, you know, the ones that kind of really pay attention to those core pillars. And at the end of the day, I would much rather have a veteran sit down and do those things than engage in a physical practice if they're not ready.

Scott McLean:

So so like that's, let's talk about that. It's not just the physical aspect of yoga, it's the mental aspect of it too. Now you have veterans coming in, some with, like we said, ptsd, tbi, which this is way more important than the physical aspect of it. Now you know, healthy body, healthy mind, they say. I question that sometimes.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I don't know if that's always the case right, it's a dual, it's a dual relationship, right, and you know, we know this from the research, right, it's why you know chronic pain in particular is so debilitating to mental health and stuff into physical health and like it, and we're really encouraging to, to practice both and that's one of the great things about yoga is you have the capability to practice both and there's different types of yoga for for different types of folks and what they need, right. Like you can do a power yoga class if you need something, where it's like it's keeping your attention, you're hitting it really quick, you're doing like one breath for movement and stuff. But you know, sometimes that's maybe not what you actually need or what that veteran actually needs, right, maybe they need like a slower class where they're stretching, they're sitting longer and poses and stuff.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And but they're, you know, they're getting deeper into those stretches, they're working a little bit more into that, into those muscles, like that's a little bit, that might be what that day calls for, what that veteran needs and the and the teacher has to really be able to kind of like tune in and adapt to that and but it's like realistically we should be taking care of both as yoga teachers, but it's also something that we have to build for the folks that are coming into these classes to really make sure that they tune into, cause I think with you know, with military and veterans, one of the hardest things to really get them to do is to listen, to listen to what they actually need in that moment.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Because what are you conditioned to do in the military? A lot of the times is to push and push and push and kind of tune out those and tune out those signals. And what we're asking to do is the opposite of that. Right, where we're like we need you to really tune in and listen and understand when you're it's like to kind of push a healthy edge or when you need to take it back and stuff for the sake of your body, for the sake of, like, your mental health and stuff, and I think yoga is a really great conduit where that can happen. And when we get that balance right, we're taking care of their physical body, so that way they can take care of their mind, but they're using those, those mental skills, to be able to tap into that physical space too.

Scott McLean:

Is it a sort of?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

meditation involved with yoga. Yeah, sometimes with yoga there is a little bit of a I would say, a misnomer about like meditation has to happen in yoga. About like meditation has to happen in yoga. It's the um, and I specifically, you know, speak to more of like what we try to get after in veterans yoga project, which is really more of the mindfulness piece. So it's kind of like the whole. Like you know, a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is in a square right or vice versa. I might've screwed that up.

Scott McLean:

I think, I think the listeners get it.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Mindfulness can be a meditation, but not all meditations are mindfulness. Mindfulness is in. John Cobbetson, who was kind of the founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction, would define it as like paying attention on purpose in the moment, which is ultimately what you know. When you're doing a yoga class, what are you doing? You're paying attention to your body, you're using proprioception, like where your body is at in time and space and being able to coordinate movements, like you're inherently paying attention right, because otherwise you'd be like falling over constantly and hurting yourself, which is not what we want, and so. But there are some meditation aspects if it's comfortable to the veteran, sometimes it's not right, sometimes it's not something some people feel comfortable with. So what I usually do for like meditation is like we don't.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Some people practice mantras and stuff, and if that's okay for them, that's great, and so I really try to focus on more of the mindfulness based stress reduction aspects.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

So we go through, like progressive muscle relaxation or a body scan or like deliberate breathing exercises, to where that person is paying attention to what is going on within their body and using kind of like their top-down processing, their cognitive you know their, you know cognitive attention and control to be able to really monitor what is going on and being able to, like regulate their breathing, you know, and know what's going on with within their body, like where they feel pain or tension or whether they don't feel anything at all, and being able to use that, I think, is a little bit more helpful than maybe what people think in a traditional kind of like meditation sense for your kind of gain, this ethereal feeling and stuff, and transcending like I would rather bring it back to that body, make that good mind body connection, because we know that's so important is a huge predictive outcome.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And in terms of like reduced you know, symptomology, whether it's related to PTSD, whether reduced like somatic symptoms as well, but also like reduce distress, anxiety, depression. It's been shown time and time again in the research what yoga can do on that aspect, especially when it incorporates those mindfulness-based stress reduction strategies. So while I think meditation is traditionally a part of yoga, it doesn't necessarily have to be.

Scott McLean:

So it's more of a grounding.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

There is a lot of adage to the whole, like take a breath and so, because that's you know, it's tied to your autonomic nervous system, right, like when we feel anxious, our heart rate increases, our pupils dilate, like we get really that's why we get tunnel vision. Like, really, you know, learning how to regulate that through breath work that's offered in yoga and through mindfulness practices is, I think, a really key component to that emotion, that higher level emotion regulation piece. So when things do feel overwhelming, you know, in life, and when we're taking on our daily stressors, like our veterans already have the tools to deal with that because they're practicing it on their mat, they're practicing it in a space that feels safe. So when they're in a space that is, you know, an environment that feels distressing or uncomfortable and stuff, they already have those tools available to them to where they're transferring it, you know, not just on the mat, right, but the whole point is to take those skills off the mat and into daily life right Like that is the like.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yoga is a tool to be able to do it Right and like, and I think that's really where Dr Libby saw like the value in it is being like you know how these veterans are really transitioning a lot of the skills that we were teaching to. You know normal everyday life so that way they could have like social, occupational and just daily well being and so because that was something that was just being taken away a lot of the times with veterans that have experienced, you know, traumatic events like TBI, ptsd, like depression, anxiety, even sleep and stuff like there's a lot of these translational outcomes coming out of you know yoga and how a lot of those skills really help with those core emotion regulation pieces. And you know being able to really function throughout daily life. So you know being able to really function throughout daily life. So you know being able to do that just even on a like 30 minutes to an hour with a veteran on the mat right, like they're hopefully taking those skills and kind of moving them on and finding a way to make them relevant.

Scott McLean:

Right, Real quick. You mentioned you're involved with animal therapy.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yep, so one of the. I see another episode, I see another episode.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Everybody's going to get sick of me at some point, like, yeah, so I've worked a lot with canine research, in particular with veterans and active duty service members. So I'm going to give a shout to my research mentor, james Whitworth, who is unfortunately retiring. Great on him. I'm very sad to see him go, but he's done so much for this field. But he was like one of the really great pioneers in establishing the efficacy of canine and animal assisted therapy for veterans in particular. So he's run some of the few like randomized trials and controlled trials for like equine therapy and canine therapy. So been a part of his research team and I decided I was like, wow, I love this research.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I see, you know, I've gotten to see the difference it makes with different subpopulations for veterans that have PTSD related to military sexual trauma to combat exposure, and so in my work, moving forward as an MSW, I'll be pairing with a animal assisted therapy clinic, and so we particularly specialize in animal assisted therapy, canine, equine. We also have cats, birds, whatever veteran. We primarily work with veterans and first responders, so that's animal assisted therapy of the triangle. If anybody's located in north carolina, so we're in and around the research triangle, but it was set up by dr christina strayer, and so we have a passion for working with veterans in particular with these means, because we've seen the the difference it makes we're definitely going to talk again about that, because that's extremely interesting.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yes, we have two in the queue.

Scott McLean:

Yes, we do so. Another, another question, Lindsay, and we're going to get back to the yoga. Where do you find time for all of this? When do you sleep? She's a very busy woman. We've come to that conclusion.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I just make a lot of time. I don't know, like it never seems. I think this is for everybody, but like there's never enough time in the day, like I don't know.

Scott McLean:

I don't know how.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I get as much as I do done, because for me it's like it never feels like. I get enough done, but I do a lot you love research.

Scott McLean:

I think that's pretty obvious.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I love clinical work and stuff like I. I love working with the veteran population in the non-profit space, like it's just like I just think it's such a I think for me it's just it's fun, so I don't really view it as yeah.

Scott McLean:

Well, on behalf of all veterans, I thank you because we need more people like you that want to be involved and that are passionate, and the people that do get into this. All these know they are passionate about what they do. It's just we need more. Like the veterans need more. There's always room for more. How did you get involved with the veteran yoga? How did that happen?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yeah, I was down in Tucson at the time. I was recently transitioned out of the military and I had taught active duty service members throughout my time while I was serving in the army. So I taught on deployment I, you know, I taught active duty brigades over at Fort Campbell and was, you know, moving away from the nonprofit I did work for over there and I was like you know, this sucks I, you know, I really love being in this space, like I see the value in it. Like do you know of anybody that might be wanting like a volunteer yoga teacher for veterans? And she was like, well, why don't you consider joining like Veterans Yoga Project because they're nationwide Tucson VA campus in their holistic health department.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And so I got to partner with an amazing PTA named Dave and he was extremely gracious and just setting up every part of the program. And so I worked with my region director and after that I got really involved within the Tucson area so I hosted classes at a private studio I would sub for other teachers. And so I, you know, even worked with like ROTC at the time and really trying to instill a lot of these principles within folks that were even joining into the military and just really trying to, you know, get the services out there for folks and making it, like I said, accessible for everybody to get the benefits of yoga, if that's what they were wanting and stuff. So, you know, I had a lot of opportunity to, you know, kind of reach out to veterans at different spaces. I got to teach at a brewery, which was always really fun.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

And so like it's the most fun place I get to teach. And they would always give me free beer after, so definitely was the best place.

Scott McLean:

All that workout just goes right down the drain Pound down a couple of beers. They paid me in beer. They were like, since you're a volunteer, we can't pay you for this, but here's a free beer and I was, I said, sold.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I was like that's the best payment that I could possibly, that I could possibly receive as a yoga teacher, and I got. Yeah, no, what we got to do in terms of Veterans Yoga Project when I was down there was really awesome, because there was just there was just so many touch points that we got to do and working with the University of Arizona's Student Veterans Center and being able to teach them a class as well and stuff. So I got to do a lot and I, and hopefully some folks, picked up some stuff along the way.

Scott McLean:

So if somebody wants to, if a veteran is interested to see if there is a veteran yoga project in their area, how would they find out?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Yes, so you can log on to veteranYogaProjectorg and so you can find us on Google and you can actually search for classes based on your zip code, city and location. If you are finding that you know you don't have one, that's at a convenient location for you. On that website there is also a storehouse of old classes. If you access our application, veteran Yoga's project Veteran Yoga's project it's on Google Play, apple Store you can see the list of live classes that are being held. There's at least a minimum of, I would say, of like two to three classes held every single day on the live platform nationwide, so you can join from anywhere at that scheduled time. So you know, wherever you're at like, whether you want to, you know, attend a live in person and then, or if you want to join a hybrid modality or you know what is a hybrid modality?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

So sometimes when we teach live classes, we, um, some folks can't maybe make it into the physical location but want to join that class or, like, have that community. I used to teach that sort of class. We actually got people, you know, zoom in and so so like the class was going on at the time and stuff, but we have people that were actually in session and stuff. But they were also able to connect with with some folks that maybe weren't able to make it in just due to you know, just timing or just physical location and stuff, so it creates that sense of community as well and whatnot.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

so that that's particularly helpful, especially for our veterans are maybe located in more rural areas and stuff where a class might not be available, an affiliated class might not be available, but also, like, feel free to send us like a probe and stuff If you're like having any questions and want a class set up in your area. If we find out about it, sometimes what we'll do is maybe reach out to the teachers that are asked like hey, is anybody willing to teach a class in this area or is located in this area and could set that up as well?

Scott McLean:

Nice, so you're a nonprofit. So this is the part of the show where I say and the listeners they know where this is going. I think nonprofits, the engine that runs the machine of a nonprofit, is money. That's the bottom line, that is the absolute, and I say this all the time give them your money, give them your money, and I say this all the time give them your money, Give them your money. Go to veteransyogaprojectorg if you think that their program is amazing, because it is. Give them money. That's what helps this program continue on. There's a nice big red donate button right on the page, which is where it's supposed to be one of the first things you see.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

It's the first thing you see. It's the first thing you see. It's the easiest button to access.

Scott McLean:

Exactly. This is a very unique program where it is nationwide and which basically makes it worldwide, because anybody in the world can find any veteran in the world can find this, this program, this product, the veteran yoga project, and that's always amazing. That's always amazing. There are a lot of expats that are out there that listen to podcasts like this and they'll be like, hey, you know what, I'm going to give that a shot. And they go online. And so what if it's 12 hours ahead? In the Philippines, yeah, you can do yoga at three in the morning.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Anytime, any place. That's right you don't feel like doing it at three in the morning, anytime, anyplace, that's right. If you don't feel like doing, it at three in the morning.

Scott McLean:

You do have videos that you can access at any time. That's right, Anything else. Did we forget anything? Do you have any fundraisers coming up? Is there anything going on? Is it just?

Lindsey Hildebrand:

business as usual right now so be on the lookout. What we tend to do around, you know the Memorial Day and Veterans Day as you could imagine being a veteran organization is that is the time that we tend to host a lot more. That time we really appreciate it. All of those funds go into holding up the infrastructure of our nonprofit. It does not go to my personal fund.

Scott McLean:

I've never been paid for yoga in my life. There you go.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

But it is going there to make sure that we can continue hosting classes in locations and stuff and making sure that veterans have access to programming and have access to, you know, videos and live streams and in those online classes. So any support that y'all are willing to give during that time, just you know feel free to attend those classes. We usually post the schedule on the website within your specific area, but you know, if you feel like donating ahead of time, please feel free to click that red button right and stuff.

Scott McLean:

So break out that credit card people give them your money. Give them your money. Come on, I know you got some there. I know you got some money there for yoga. Come on, give them your money, you're getting a big push. I don't usually give this big push.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

I appreciate it and I'm sure our CEO, brianna, would love it if we saw an uptick in that. But if nothing else, what you can do, just let people know that we're out there, right? Because at the end of the day, what yoga teachers like myself love to do is show up and to teach and be able to just, you know, create a community and create a space for folks where, where they can access our services, where they can access yoga. So if you know anybody that might be mildly interested, you know, pop onto our website, find a class and stuff and just get involved, because it's out there for you.

Scott McLean:

VeteranYaprojectorg. Well, lindsay, thank you again, thank you again, and I think I'll be thanking you two more times. Yeah. The way this is lining up. But that's fine, that's fine. You're a very unique guest, you're multifaceted, you have a lot going on and I want to tap into all of it. I want to know, we want to know, lindsay, we want to know.

Lindsey Hildebrand:

Well, I appreciate you having me on as much as you do and looking forward to the next time.

Scott McLean:

Yes, absolutely so. Again, stick around, I'm just going to do my outro and then we'll talk a little afterwards. So well, we built another bridge today, second bridge with Lindsay and a yoga bridge this time, and it's a beautiful thing. Again a veterans yoga project dot org. Go check it out, give them your money. I want to thank willow and palm construction, willow and palm construction, delray beaches, premier builder. They are a big sponsor of this podcast. They're a big, big support for the one man, one mike foundation. They're really good in the veteran space and I would be remiss if I didn't mention them every episode, although sometimes I get carried away, as you know. I can talk a lot sometimes, as I'm doing right now. Anyway, let's move on with the end of this. Listen to the end. There's a good public service announcement in relationship to 988 and 211. It's about 30 seconds long. It's very informative. So give it a listen and, as I always say, you'll hear me again next week with a new episode.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Scott McLean

Host