Meditation is not just for hippies and monks anymore.

When I started my daily meditation practice in 1973 at the age of 14 most people thought of meditators as hippies or monks.  In the early 1990s I spent two years studying somatic psychology with Richard Strozzi Heckler, PhD. During one of our weekend retreats he described a secret training series that he led focused on teaching meditation, Aikido inspired energy work, and simple massage techniques to U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers. His stories of helping Green Beret (U.S. Army Special forces Operational Detachment – Team Alpha) team members connect with body and spirit blew my mind.

His wonderful book, In Search of the Warrior Spirit captures the moment when mindfulness practices began expanding from folks with long hair, tie dye shirts, and beads around their necks to include men and women in uniform with crew cuts and combat boots. Richard is a psychologist, Aikido instructor, and a master storyteller who is able to make sophisticated concepts applicable to the real world. He does not shy away from hard questions about the nature of war and other difficult topics.

This fourth edition includes updates about 9/11, working with commanders at the Pentagon, and his reflections on the movie Black Hawk Down, which depicts the deaths of two of the trainees in his project.  

With all the stress and conflict in our world today this book offers a different perspective on the people who dress in uniforms every day and strategies we can all use to maintain our mental, physical, and spiritual health.