Moving the Body
Moving the body can help prevent and treat dozens of diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Read An Introduction to Moving the Body for Whole Health
Why is Moving the Body Important?
Moving the body is any activity that uses your energy to move the large muscles in your body. Some activities increase your stamina, while others improve your strength, flexibility, or balance. Moving your body in these ways can improve your ability to do more of the things you want.
The resources and tools offered here will help you explore ways to move your body, set goals, and be successful.
Whole Health Handouts
Get Moving: Adding Physical Activity into Your Routine
An Introduction to Yoga for Whole Health
An Introduction to Tai Chi and Qigong for Whole Health
VA2K
The annual VA2K Walk & Roll is a walk of approximately 1.24 miles that encourages people to live active lifestyles. It also allows participants to support homeless Veterans through voluntary donations of food and clothing items.
A Patient Centered Approach to Working Your Body
Part of the Components of Health and Well-Being video series.
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System: Center of Innovation Tai Chi Program Overview and Testimonials
Learn more about the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare Systems Patient Centered Care Tai Chi program, and how it helps Veterans receive the care that helps achieve their goals.
Breathing, Stretching, Relaxation (BSR) Yoga
BSR Yoga is gentle and includes modifications for all levels of fitness and flexibility. This 10-minute exercise in BSR uses simple physical postures and breathing exercises to help participants feel a connection and balance between body and mind.
Note: VA Integrative Health Coordinating Center identifies the following resources as options for your consideration, but VA does not endorse them.
7 Minute Chi
This app allows you to move and meditate at the same time with simple moves from Tai Chi and Qi Gong.
Tai Chi Fundamentals: Standing
This video shares the basic moves involved in tai chi to train posture, balance, and coordination.
Tai Chi Fundamentals: Adaptive with Walking/Walker Aid
This video shares the basic moves to train posture, balance, and coordination for a participant using a medical walker or walking aid.
Tai Chi with Tricia Yu
This collection of videos and provides a complete tai chi experience.
Veterans Yoga Project
Mindful Resilience-Home Practice Library is a collection of mind-body practices to help you develop practices related to breath, meditation, mindful movement, guided rest, and gratitude. It includes downloadable audio files for each of these tools of mindful resilience.
Kula For Karma: Yoga for Veterans
This six-part guided yoga and meditation series consists of 30-minute videos that take you through asana, adaptive yoga, restorative practice, easy flow, power yoga, and meditation.
Yoga Journal
A unique offering of free online yoga videos with tips and tutorials for beginners and advanced participants.
Simply Yoga - Fitness Trainer
A free mobile app offering 20, 40, and 60-minute yoga videos with certified personal trainers demonstrating each pose. It is compatible with the iPhone and integrates with the Apple Health app.
Exalted Warrior Foundation
An adaptive yoga instruction program, designed for wounded warriors. This includes two videos, one for Adaptive Yoga for Comfort and Ease and another for relaxation.
Warriors at Ease
This resource offers a guided iRest Yoga Nidra session, experiential breathing techniques, and yoga demonstrations.
Mindful Yoga Center
Free downloads, includes a series of short breathing practices that are part of the Mindful Yoga Therapy Program.
Give Back Yoga Foundation
This resource provides access to video practices, free downloads, and live streaming.
Comeback Yoga
Free yoga classes to help military personnel, their families and supporters develop resiliency in response to their experience.
MOVE! Coach
The MOVE! Coach app helps Veterans, Service members, their families, and other users track and receive feedback on their progress with weight, diet, and exercise goals as part of a 19-week weight loss program.
Change your Behavior
Tips on setting goals from VA’s MOVE! Program.
