Ramón Salazar is the Executive Director of Warriors at Ease, an Army veteran, and an experienced educator with a master’s degree in education. He is also an instructor at the University of Arizona and an E-RYT500 yoga teacher with extensive training in trauma-informed and mindful movement practices. Since joining Warriors at Ease in 2020, Ramón has brought his passion for service, education, and holistic wellness to support the healing and resilience of the military community.
Warriors at Ease is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the healing power of yoga and meditation to service members, veterans, and their families. Through evidence-based, trauma-sensitive programming and advanced instructor trainings, the organization supports the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the entire military community. MysticMag features an exclusive interview.
What are some of the unique ways yoga and mindfulness practices can be adapted to meet the physical and emotional needs of service members, veterans, and their families, particularly those affected by trauma?
At Warriors at Ease, we’ve seen firsthand how yoga and mindfulness can be powerful, accessible tools for healing within the military community. What makes our approach unique is how we adapt these practices specifically for service members, veterans, and their families, especially those who have experienced trauma.
We don’t teach yoga the way you might see in a typical studio. Our instructors are trained to deliver trauma-informed, military-sensitive practices that are grounded in both modern science and ancient wisdom. That means we consider everything—from the language we use, to the physical setup of a room, to how we offer choice in every movement—so participants feel safe, in control, and empowered.
For example, we might use breathwork and grounding techniques to support emotional regulation in someone struggling with hypervigilance or anxiety. We may modify postures to accommodate injuries, prosthetics, or limited mobility, ensuring no one is left out. And we often integrate practices like body scans or guided meditations that help reconnect individuals to their bodies in a gentle, non-triggering way—something that’s incredibly important for those healing from trauma.
What’s even more powerful is that these tools don’t just support recovery—they build resilience. We’ve had service members tell us that practicing mindfulness helped them show up more calmly with their families, sleep better at night, or feel more present and less reactive during the day.
At Warriors at Ease, we’re not just teaching yoga—we’re creating pathways to healing and reconnection, helping our military community find tools that support their whole well-being: body, mind, and spirit.
How does your teacher training approach differ from standard yoga certifications, and what key elements are included to prepare instructors to work effectively with the military population?
While a standard yoga teacher training focuses primarily on anatomy, postures, and sequencing, our Warriors at Ease training goes several steps further. We train instructors not just to teach yoga, but to understand trauma, military culture, and the unique needs of service members, veterans, and their families.
Our approach is grounded in trauma-informed care, military competency, and evidence-based mind-body practices. Trainees learn how to:
● Use language that is sensitive and empowering, avoiding cues or touch that may trigger trauma
● Create safe and inclusive spaces that accommodate physical injuries, PTSD, anxiety, and other invisible wounds
● Understand military culture and service-related challenges—from deployment stress and moral injury to the reintegration process
● Work in settings like VA hospitals, military bases, community centers, and even online platforms
● Adapt classes to various populations—including caregivers, Gold Star families, and wounded warriors
What also makes our program unique is that many of our faculty are veterans or military-connected themselves. That lived experience adds a layer of depth and relatability that helps trainees not only learn the content, but embody the mission.
By the end of our yoga teacher training, instructors are not only certified yoga teachers—they’re confident, compassionate leaders equipped to serve those who have served. And that, to us, is the true purpose of yoga in the military space: building connection, trust, and healing where it’s needed most.
With your organization having worked with so many individuals, could you share a meaningful story that illustrates the real-world impact these practices have had on someone in the military community?
There are so many stories that remind us why this work matters, but one that stays with me is about a veteran who attended one of our in-person trauma-informed yoga trainings.
He had served multiple tours and was living with PTSD. When he first arrived, you could feel his hesitation—he kept to himself, avoided eye contact, and physically sat near the exit during every session. But he stayed. And he practiced.
As the training progressed, something began to shift. By the third day, he shared during a group reflection that it was the first time he’d felt safe enough to close his eyes in a room full of people since returning from deployment. He told us, “I didn’t realize how disconnected I had become from my own body. I’ve been living in a constant state of alert for years, and now, for the first time, I feel like I can exhale.”
What’s more, he decided to continue his training and bring these tools back to his community. Today, he leads mindfulness and adaptive yoga classes for other veterans, many of whom say
they wouldn’t have tried yoga if it weren’t for someone who understood both the military experience and the power of these practices.
That’s the ripple effect of this work. It’s not just about healing one individual—it’s about empowering them to become a bridge for others in their community. And those moments, when someone reclaims a sense of safety, agency, or connection—that’s when we know we’re doing something meaningful.
Building trust and understanding is crucial in working with service members. How do you ensure that teachers are not only trauma-informed but also culturally competent in relating to those with military backgrounds?
Trust is everything when working with the military community. At Warriors at Ease, we recognize that being trauma-informed isn’t enough on its own. To truly serve service members, veterans, and their families, our instructors must also have military culture awareness—meaning they understand the values, language, and lived experiences of the people they’re serving.
Our yoga teacher training and our Warriors at Ease Level 1 and Level 2 include a dedicated focus on military cultural awareness. We cover the structure of military life, the transition to civilian life, deployment cycles, and the moral and psychological injuries that often go unspoken. We help our trainees understand the nuances of military identity—things like rank structure, service branches, camaraderie, and the deep sense of duty that can make asking for help feel like failure.
In addition, many of our faculty and trainers are veterans or military family members themselves. Their lived experience brings depth, credibility, and connection to the training, helping participants truly grasp how to show up in ways that are respectful and effective.
We also emphasize language and choice—avoiding commands, using invitational language, and providing modifications that honor autonomy. This builds a safe, empowering space where military participants don’t feel judged or exposed, but supported and understood.
Ultimately, we want every teacher who completes our training to walk away with not just tools, but humility, empathy, and cultural fluency—because when someone feels seen and respected, that’s when real healing can begin.
What future directions or goals do you envision for your work in supporting the health and resilience of military personnel and their families? Are there any new initiatives or collaborations on the horizon?
As we look ahead, one of our core goals is to expand the reach and accessibility of our Yoga Teacher Training, especially for veterans, service members, and military family members who want to become certified and bring these tools back into their communities.
We are seeing incredible success with our in-person and online trauma-informed training programs, and we want to grow that impact by offering more trainings, more scholarship opportunities, and deeper mentorship support for our trainees.
Another exciting direction is building stronger collaborations with veteran organizations, universities, and military health systems. We’re currently exploring partnerships that would allow us to integrate our training into clinical settings, campus wellness programs, and even law schools—anywhere our holistic, culturally competent approach can support resilience, mental health, and emotional regulation.
We also see tremendous potential in training veterans to teach veterans. There’s a unique power in peer-led healing, and we’re committed to equipping veterans and caregivers with the skills they need to step into leadership roles as yoga and mindfulness instructors.
At the heart of it all, our vision is to embed trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness into the fabric of military life—not as an afterthought, but as a proactive tool for wellness, connection, and healing. We believe every service member and veteran deserves access to practices that help them not just survive, but truly thrive.
If you would like to find out more about Warriors at Ease, please visit https://www.warriorsatease.org/
