COMMUNITY // SEVA
Taking Positive Action
Veterans Yoga Project Approaches PTSD with Mindful Resilience
By Andy Vantrease // Rebecca Smith photographed by Jessica Serra Huizenga at The Confetti BarA
s an Army medic, Sara Limb was in
constant rotation between training
in Korea and combat in Iraq. This
resulted in four years of sleepless nights and
a schedule that no human can withstand for
long – at least not without a practice. “When
I saw that my comrades were falling apart
mentally, I started to share my personal yoga
practice with my unit,” says Limb. “I led Yoga
Nidra, deep pranayama breathwork, and one-
on-one therapy sessions for injured soldiers
who couldn’t go into the field or go home.”
Limb now lives and works in Huntington,
West Virginia, as a full-time yoga teacher and
advocate for Veterans Yoga Project (VYP).
VYP is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to improving the health and well-being of
military veterans through Mindful Resilience
Training Programs developed specifically to
undo the nervous system dysfunctions that
underlie Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) by focusing on breath, meditation,
mindful movement, guided rest, and gratitude.
VYP trains instructors on how to teach
yoga safely and effectively to veterans and
active-duty members of the military in clini-
cal settings, yoga studios, VA centers, and
individual therapy. The organization also
hosts free healing retreats for veterans and
their families at The Feathered Pipe Ranch in
Helena, Montana every summer.
“There has been an incredible increase
in awareness about how these practices help
support the transition from post-traumatic
stress to post-traumatic growth,” says Dr.
Daniel Libby, a clinical psychologist and
Executive Director of VYP. “In July, we
reported 103 yoga programs taught by VYP-
trained teachers, and they are reaching active
duty service members, veterans, families, and
even mental health staff. We are constantly
working to spread the word that these tech-
niques truly help.”
One of the organization’s largest awareness
efforts is Veterans Gratitude Week, held No-
vember 3-12. The initiative involves encourag-
ing yoga teachers around the country to host
donation-based yoga and meditation classes
or to donate the proceeds from their weekly
classes to the cause. In 2016, instructors held
425 classes across 46 states for Veterans
Gratitude Week. This year, in 2017, their goal
is to raise $85,000 for VYP programs, with
groups committed to holding more than 500
donation-based classes across all 50 states.
“Veterans Gratitude Week allows com-
munities to come together to support the
men and women who protect and serve our
country,” says Libby. “We want as many
yoga teachers as possible to get involved
through donation-based classes, fundraising
through their studios, and spreading aware-
ness in their communities. All proceeds go
directly toward our programs with veterans
and training more teachers in trauma-based
Mindful Resilience so they can pass it on.”
Larry Kofler has benefitted firsthand from
the organization’s mission. Kofler served
in the Army in the late 1960s, and came to
yoga through the Northport, New York, VA
Medical Center, where he has been attend-
ing classes for almost two years. He has seen
dramatic improvements in his physical health,
anxiety and sense of community. “After being
a couch potato for years, I now walk between
four and five miles every day, and the breath-
ing exercises have improved my lung func-
tion, according to tests from my pulmonolo-gist,” says Kofler. “The meditation helps me
cope, and the camaraderie of the other vets in
all age groups has been great.”
VYP board member and yoga instructor
Christian Allaire spent 20 years in the US
Coast Guard. He was searching for his place
in the civilian world when a friend brought
him to his first yoga class. “Once I stepped
into a power yoga studio, I found my new
community,” Allaire says. “It made sense
to me. There was a routine, a start and end
time, a leader, and it was a system that took
into account the whole person.”
Allaire raised nearly $10,000 during Vet-
erans Gratitude Week in 2016. He began his
efforts in June and educated students at his
studio in Marin County, California, on the
challenges of military service. “There were
not many veterans in my local community,
so when I began to raise awareness to the
civilians that I teach, they really showed up
through donations, volunteer time and fund-
raising ideas,” Allaire recalls. “I put a fish
bowl in the studio asking people to donate if
they weren’t going to be able to attend classes
during Gratitude Week. The bowl filled up
again and again.”
Veterans in the VYP programs have
reported that they sleep better, concentrate
and think more clearly, manage anger and ag-
gression, and generally find comfort in their
own skin. “Yoga is a transformative practice,
and I believe that it’s a complete system for
leadership,” Allaire says. He also mentions
that he is now pursuing a Master’s Degree
in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount Uni-
versity in Los Angeles, the only school in the
United States — and one of three in the world
— to offer this program. “The military never
taught us about breathing, mental fitness, or
diet to help the mind and the body function
properly. I wish I knew about yoga when I
was on active duty, that’s for sure.”
To get involved, visit veteransyogaproject.
org/veterans-gratitude-week.Andy Vantrease is a writer, wanderer and holistic
health enthusiast. She is currently traveling through-
out the Western United States, sharing stories and
deepening her connection with the earth through
simple living, spiritual practice and play. Follow her
adventures on Instagram: @andy.vand