Whole Health | VA Houston Health Care – Veterans Affairs

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According to the Centers for Disease Control, our current transmission level in the community is high. As such, here are the health protection guidelines you need to be aware of before you enter one of our facilities:
View health protection level for all Houston VA locations
Our Whole Health approach empowers and equips you to take charge of your health, well-being, and quality of life. Whole Health goes beyond your illnesses, injuries, or disabilities, and focuses instead on your values, goals, and overall health. It includes self-care and complementary therapies along with conventional medical care.
Our Whole Health program includes:
The chiropractic approach to health care is holistic. Natural drugless, non-surgical methods of chiropractic treatment rely on the body's inherent recuperative abilities to promote healing. Chiropractic care restores, improves, and maintains your function, activity, and health. Acupuncture and massage therapy are also available within the chiropractic clinic.
Learn more about chiropractic care at VA Houston. 
These classes are virtual, live, and interactive.
Introduction to Mindfulness Workshop: 60-minute workshop offering an overview of mindfulness and its benefits, opportunities to try out mindfulness exercises, and resources on ways to begin a mindfulness practice or to go deeper after the workshop. No appointment needed.
When: 1st Tuesday of every month starting April 5,  11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Where: Join WebEx meeting
Meeting Number: 2762 450 9480
Passcode: umGjgeu@325
Dial in: Join by video system. Dial 27624509480@veteransaffairs.webex.com. You can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter the meeting number.
Join by phone: 1-404-397-1596 (USA toll number)
Access code: 2762 450 9480
Sign up: No appointment needed! Follow the link above or for an iCalendar invitation. This workshop can also be accessed by requesting a Whole Health Well-Being Program consult.
Questions? Contact Shannon Sisco at 832-438-0454
Meditation class: Free virtual meditation class on Tuesdays. 
When: Tuesdays, 12:30-1:00 p.m.
Where: Join ZoomGov meeting
Meeting ID: 161 356 5738
Passcode: 567159
Dial in: 1-669-254-5252
Sign up: No appointment needed!
Questions? Contact Jordyn Forsyth at 713-791-1414, ext. 26166.
Mindfulness group: Virtual mindfulness group open to all Veterans by appointment.
When: Tuesdays from 2:00-3:30 pm.
Sign up: Contact Sharanya Udipi at 281-578-4600
MOVE! is a weight-management program designed to help you live a longer, healthier life. With the help of your MOVE! care team, you can eat a healthier diet, get more exercise, reduce your health risks, and improve your quality of life. 
Learn more about MOVE! weight management at VA Houston. 
These classes are virtual, live, and interactive through VA Video Connect.
Provides personalized health planning, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for pregnancy, a Resilient Relationships class, prenatal yoga and coming soon, prenatal nutrition classes. All offerings are virtual and open to any pregnant Veteran enrolled at MEDVAMC. Contact Shannon Sisco at 832-438-0454 for details.
These classes are virtual, live, and interactive through VA Video Connect.
These classes are available to anyone able to participate in gentle, low-impact physical activity. 
How are Tai Chi and Yoga different?
Yoga is a kind of mindful movement focused on sustaining various postures, whereas Tai Chi is a mindful movement practice that emphasizes continuous motion.
Weekly class schedule for Veterans:
Yoga for wellness is a movement practice that brings together the mind and body. It incorporates breathing exercises, meditation, and poses designed to encourage relaxation and reduce stress. There are several types of yoga. VA Houston offers gentle yoga classes, which are typically calming, relaxing, and less physically demanding than other classes. 
Tuesdays: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 
Wednesdays: 5:30-6:30 p.m. 
Thursdays: 1:30-2:30 p.m. 
Fridays: 5:00-6:00 p.m. 
Saturdays: 10:00-11:00 a.m. 
Tai Chi for wellness is an ancient Chinese tradition that today is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. It involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner and accompanied by deep breathing. Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion.
Tai Chi is low impact and puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, because Tai Chi is a low-impact exercise, it may be especially suitable if you have mobility issues which interfere with other forms of exercise.
Tuesdays: 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Thursdays: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Yoga Therapy is the application of yoga tools to address an individual’s physical and emotional needs. Those tools can include therapeutic movements, postures, breathing exercises, and meditation techniques. Yoga therapists have in-depth training in applying yoga for medical and mental health conditions, to help them assess and keep their clients safe. They work with you to address your specific goals, while also considering any limitations you might be experiencing.
Prenatal Yoga Therapy offers yoga practices tailored to your pregnancy trimester.  The facilitator will also provide links for video recordings of each weekly session, so you can return to complete the practice again on your own any time you like.
Prenatal Yoga Therapy is a part of the Whole Health Maternity Care program. Contact Shannon Sisco, Whole Health Coordinator, at 713-775-4394 to learn about other Whole Health Maternity Care offerings.
First trimester classes: Mondays: 6:00-7:00 p.m. 
Second trimester classes: Wednesdays: 12:00-1:00 p.m. 
Third trimester classes: Fridays: 8:00-9:00 a.m. 
Trauma-informed yoga therapy is offered as a virtual, live, and interactive class once a week. This kind of yoga is based on the understanding that trauma impacts the entire mind-body system, as opposed to emotional processes happening separately from the physical body. Neuroscience and developmental psychology suggest that body-based therapies like trauma-informed yoga therapy can play an important role in healing from trauma in addition to traditional psychotherapies.
Fridays: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
How to join a class: 
A Veteran can ask their healthcare team to enter a request to be contacted using the Whole Health Well-Being Program educational consult. Veterans will receive a call with information on the classes available and can choose to receive email invitations to weekly classes of their choosing. 
For more information on Whole Health or enrolling in Whole Health services, contact: 
Shannon Sisco
Whole Health Coordinator
832-438-0454
Learn more about VA whole health.
VA’s new Live Whole Health is a free, easy to use mobile application created for Veterans and others who are ready to take the next step in their Whole Health journey.
These resources and tools will help you as you start your Whole Health journey and develop your Personal Health Plan.
Last updated: March 21, 2022

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