Today we’d like to introduce you to Judy Weaver.
As a yoga therapist and a yoga “teacher of teachers”, Judy is widely recognized for her expertise and knowledge of yoga and other body-mind disciplines, regularly conducting certified yoga teacher training classes, facilitating workshops and lecturing on the university level. She has developed three evidence-based university study protocols and created BodyMind Recalibration, a merging of multi-discipline body-mind practices and modalities to create new or different cognitive and somatic relationships to the whole being.
It is Judy’s vision and leadership that created Connected Warriors a 501(c)(3) as a result of meeting an U.S. Army Ranger in 2007 who was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and experiencing the movie “The Hurt Locker” in 2009. Using yoga and other therapeutic techniques, Judy observed the benefits her student and his family experienced while going through this journey.
As Director of Education, she developed the curriculum for CW’s yoga program which integrates the latest scientific and psychological research and development for yoga as a healing modality for traumatic stress and the specific issues that military personnel and their families face. CW provides services in 24 states and 9 countries at no cost to the participants.
Judy continues to expand her personal and professional development recently graduating from Florida State University and JMI’s Non-profit Executive Program. Judy has also developed and was one of the contributors to the book “Best Practices for Yoga for Veterans” in 2016 and is a recognized online presenter for Yoga Alliance. She serves on the Board of Directors for Smitz Labs – an innovative technology company and served on Yoga Alliance’s Schools and Studios Advisory Board from 2012-2016.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Related to founding and expanding Connected Warriors impact and reach, the major difficulties have been fundraising and creating public awareness about our program and its benefits. I have found that fundraising has it’s own hierarchy and veterans rank third. add to that the combination of yoga and the military. I have found ways to overcome and even change the dialogue with the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veterans Administration (VA) our programs are fully accepted by both entities.
Connected Warriors – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I founded Connected Warriors (CW), is a Boca Raton, Florida based nonprofit organization in 2010, providing cost-free evidence-based Trauma-Conscious Yoga Therapy programs to warriors and their families of all ages, in the U.S. and internationally. Trauma-Conscious Yoga is a progressive healing system that promotes community, self- empowerment, health, and well-being of military Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families. Trauma-Conscious classes are built upon a “safe, secure, and predictable” yoga protocol. An advanced program called Elevated Warriors provides a path for warriors to become certified yoga teachers.
Our vision and mission are “Helping the world feel better – one breath at a time by Empowering Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families worldwide through Trauma-Conscious Yoga.”
Today, classes are offered in 24 states and 9 countries and currently counts more than 2,000 visits to its worldwide locations every month provided through a national network of volunteer yoga instructors and donated locations that host our more than 100 weekly classes.
The demographic we serve and serves with us is approximately 1/3 of the US population – 22 million veterans, 3 million active-duty servicemembers, reserves and National Guard, and 60-80 million family members in the United States. Florida’s 1.5 million veterans rank it the 3rd largest veteran population. There are over 18,000 yoga studios and over 52,000 yoga teachers registered through Yoga Alliance.
The U.S. military population struggles with a multitude of physiological and psychological health concerns. The issues faced by Servicemembers and Veterans deeply affect their children, spouses/partners, siblings, parents, and the entire extended community. Families of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq face increasing pressures from repeated and longer tours of duty. Today’s military face urban and technological warfare, multiple deployments, military sexual trauma (MST), and resultant adjustment issues associated with separation from active service. Post-traumatic stress is common among returning servicemen and women, and the effects can be devastating.
According to NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness), 1 in 3 veterans suffers from a mental health diagnosis. Veterans identify issues of isolation and feelings of separation, often leading to severe depression, physiological disorders, domestic violence, and suicide. Almost a third of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq confront mental health problems. In 2006, the Army suicide rate reached its highest level in 26 years taking their own lives at a much greater rate than civilians with broken relationships or marriages considered as contributing factors. Source: NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org).
I am most proud of our work leading Trauma-Conscious Yoga therapy research. The powerful, progressive and dynamic health effects of CW yoga are now coming to surface in scientific research. In a landmark study published on July 25th 2017, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Dr. Erik J. Groessl along with researchers from the VA San Diego Healthcare System found that veterans who completed a 12 week CW yoga program reported improved behavioral-based pain management, demonstrating a significant decline in opiate use (Veterans Affairs Research Communications).
Additionally, in an earlier CW-partnered scientific study from 2015, operated in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, researchers found that 62% of participants reported a positive reduction in pain, 70% an increased level of flexibility and balance, as well as a 100% increased level of social interaction and stress management behaviors.
In 2015, Nova Southeastern University completed a multi-year study researching the short-term and long-term effects of Trauma-Conscious yoga instruction and the education/support services provided by Connected Warriors Outcomes clearly demonstrate the physiological and psychological benefits experienced by participants. Participants reported that one of the most meaningful outcomes of their participation is the camaraderie that they experience belonging to this group of “brothers and sisters” who are embracing yoga to improve their lives.
Unlike similar programs offered by U.S. based non-profit organizations, Connected Warriors is based on the premise that belonging to a trusted, lifelong community is the primary key to ensuring inner peace and purposeful living for servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Based on CW’s core values, our connection to those we serve is truly meant to strengthen and deepen for a lifetime.
The outcomes of the university and government-based research are encouraging CW to deepen and expand its work, with a focus on training servicemembers and veterans to become yoga instructors through our Elevated Warriors program, offering them an unparalleled opportunity to pay yoga forward. The power of providing the opportunity for military members to share with their military brothers and sisters what they have learned about the positive, life-changing effects of Trauma-Conscious yoga therapy cannot be over-estimated. Through this intensive Elevated Warriors training, veterans and servicemembers prepare to become well-trained, knowledgeable certified yoga teachers who share their knowledge of yoga with fellow servicemembers and veterans.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Every time I hear a story of how our program helps a Servicemember, Veteran or Family member through everyday life. The most recent story is about a combat OIF veteran diagnosed with PTSD who for the past 12 months has been regularly attending our CW weekly classes tell his fellow veterans that the “Conscious breathing” technique he learned and practices in class helped him manage through a PTSD episode in the safety of his home on his mat. He was aware that the episode was occurring and with that awareness was able to make a conscious decision to manage his state of being. This work is about one person at a time.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4950 Communication Ave., Suite 115
Boca Raton, FL 33431 - Website: connectedwarriors.org
- Phone: 954-278-3764
- Email: cwihq@connectedwarriors.org
- Instagram: connectedwarriors
- Facebook: connectedwarriors
- Twitter: connectwarriors
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