183 - Warrior Spirit with Mikal Vega

How are you dealing with all the fear and anxiety in our uncertain times? We talk this week with former Navy Seal Mikal Vega, who has been to the brink and back. He shares with us some of the practices that saved his life. The traditional route fighting depression with SSRIs failed him, so he found what worked for him-- modalities like Kundalini yoga, sensory deprivation tanks, acupuncture, massages, and meditation.

 

Whether in a war zone or at the grocery store, the easiest and cheapest way to handle stress is to learn how to properly breathe so that you can down-regulate your nervous system. Breathing is something that we certainly for granted and yet is so powerful.

 

We covered a lot of ground in this episode, including

His definition of being a warrior How everything starts and ends with love-- the universal truth What it’s like to be on the front lines  How do you deal with intense levels of fear every day  How to come back from life-threatening injuries and the emotional trauma associated with them  How he found peace amidst all the chaos in his life

 

Mikal Vega is a combat veteran that served 22 years within the Naval Special Warfare (Navy SEAL Team) and EOD (bomb squad) communities. While deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and while manning the turret of an HMMWV, an IED detonated dangerously close while returning from an otherwise uneventful mission. The injuries sustained included severe cervical trauma, ulnar nerve damage, and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI). He has since created The Vital Warrior Program to help active military and retired veterans find peace and deal with their PTSD. He has created an album that is available on your favorite streaming platform called Vital Warrior.

 

Enjoy this Episode with Mikal Vega!