Yoga Therapy for Military & Veteran Communities
ABOUT MELISSA AGUIRRE'S PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Author, Educator and Subject Matter Expert- Melissa Aguirre's work explores how yoga therapy, mindfulness and mind-body practices can support the real-world needs of service members, Veterans, military families and the professionals who serve them. Her experience spans yoga and mindfulness education, stress management, rehabilitation and recovery, human performance, military family programming, professional education and organizational implementation. Through partnerships, program development and years of direct experience within military communities, her work has focused on making these practices relevant, accessible and sustainable within occupational settings.
Aguirre's book, Yoga Therapy for the Military Community, brings together more than a decade of experience teaching, developing and advocating for yoga within military and Veteran communities. Written for yoga teachers, yoga therapists and professionals interested in bringing mind-body practices into military and other unconventional settings, the book explores how yoga can be contextualized for service members, Veterans and their families while addressing the realities of implementation.
Learn about Melissa and her work with the military. This video was created during the 2022 Department of the Air Force Storytelling Workshop.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Melissa Aguirre, C-IAYT, has spent more than a decade teaching, developing and supporting yoga therapy, mindfulness and mind-body education within military and Veteran communities. As an expert in stress reduction and mindfulness, Aguirre focuses to mitigate stress factors and provide experiential education and training for the military community. This scope can be applied in work, personal and spiritual capacities that go beyond general military education but implemented through operational duties and combative tasks.
Currently, Aguirre serves as a subject matter expert and advisor to educate, innovate and guide leaders in implementing holistic strategies to improve metrics, quality of life and readiness.
HISTORY
Melissa Aguirre began fulfilling unit requests and working with the military community over a decade ago at Fort Bragg and has pioneered and supported operationalizing mind body modalities within the military through volunteerism, partnerships and program development.
In 2019, when H2F 7-22 was being strategized to be integrated throughout the Army, Melissa Aguirre began supporting operations and program development initiatives at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. As an established Program Director and owner of MelMarie Yoga Academy where she trains and certifies individuals in Yoga Therapy and Mind Body Medicine modalities, Melissa Aguirre organized and instituted the first “Yoga Studio” to open on a military base on Fort Sam to facilitate mindfulness, spiritual hygiene, physical performance and rehabilitation, along with other holistic capabilities for soldiers readiness. This partnership was on behalf of working with the USO for both military families and personnel.
Since 2019, over 700 military families have benefited from her Yoga Foundations Course, hundreds medical personnel and staff have been supported by Melissa’s guidance in Holistic Health and Mindfulness, thousands of soldiers have experienced classes from Melissa Aguirre through unit requests and MOU partnerships based in nonphysical performance initiatives. Aguirre also began working with the Gladiator Program in 2019 providing twice a week yoga for PT, specialized education and advising to improve rehabilitation and increase soldiers returning to duty.
Below are a few of the many influences Mel has had in implementing Mindfulness, Stress Reduction and Recovery within the US Army. Mel continues to innovate, volunteer and advise implementation.
Aguirre’s strategy includes the importance of experiential fitness-related knowledge, behavioral modification skills, soldier-centered training, and incorporating a mindfulness based foundation to address all five domains of H2F as an integrative system for soldier performance and optimization. Aguirre’s strategy is to optimize movement and day to day tasks through mind body practices that address mental health, injury rehabilitation and improving organizational metrics.
DOCUSERIES
See inside the work through these episodes of Live Like You Practice Docuseries: This episode zooms into yoga in the military and why this modality offers such a profound benefit to our service members and veterans. See first hand ways mindfulness and yoga are being implemented into the military and leadership through enhancing recovery and regulation skills. Hear experiences on the benefits and use of yoga while understanding the importance of soldier well being, accessibility and the evolution happening within our force.
Learn about the journey of opening the first yoga studio on a military base that has led to a now full operating Meditation Center through the D.O.D. Witness the passion, insights and work carried out by those making changes in organizational structures and environments to better mental health for military and first responders. This episode demonstrates practical application of yoga in these arenas while also breaking the heart open to new ideas and ways proactive health can be threaded into communities for lasting change. This episode is a prayer, a testimony and an invitation as we continue serving those who serve.
EXPERIENCE
Some experience includes; teaching weekly yoga for the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Bragg (2012-2013), developing programs and leading retreats for the Wounded Warrior Project (2013-2015), Co-Authoring The Innate Design with an Army Medicine Physician to aid lifestyle medicine tools, teaching yoga to Warrior Transition Battalion on Fort Sam (2018), Program Developer, Educator, and Partnering with the USO (2018-2020), Teacher Trainer and Education for the Veterans Yoga Project (2019), US Army Subject Matter Expert (2019-Present), Humana Military Board Member and Podcast Host (2019-2022), Founder and Director of milmindbody Yoga Studio with the USO (2019-2021), Yoga Therapist and Educator for Gladiator Program for Soldier Medics (2019-2023), H2F Yoga Class series through DVIDS utilized for PT and as adjunct recovery for soldiers across the military, Army North H2F Program Analyst (2020-2021), Fulfilling Unit Requests including BAMC, Army Wellness, and across Fort Sam (2018-2026), Author and Educator of MPMT for Drill Sergeants, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Personnel, Leadership and SLC ( 2021-Present), Key Note Presenter for Military Symposiums and Events (2021-Present), Training Medical Teams in MPMT, contributing as an SME and Advisor for integrating Stress Management (2022-Present), fulfilling specific requests through Mindful Tactical and more.
Learn more about Mel's personal and professional portfolio here.
