Damon Winter/The New York Times. 87th Battalion in AfghanistanNew York Times Quotation of the Day: “A lot of people were excited about coming home. Me, I just sat there and I wondered: What am I coming back to?” ~ Sgt. Brian Keith, part of the First Battalion, 87th Infantry in Fort Drum, N.Y., which recently finished a yearlong tour in Afghanistan
This quote perfectly encapsulates why I’m so interested in making veterans a central population I work with through Compass Yoga. On Memorial Day, we spend a lot of well deserved time paying tribute to the service of our troops at home and abroad. Most of this tribute goes toward their courage on the battle fields that are all-too-common in today’s world. I always wonder (and worry) about what that time in battle does to them in the quiet moments when they are alone, what it does to their families, and how they will integrate back into society when their tours of duty end. I worry most about the people like Sgt. Brian Keith, and I want to help them. After all they’ve done for us, I feel that this is the very least I can do for them.
Here are the facts that lead me to feel so much compassion and duty to serve veterans through Compass Yoga:
3.) Recent statistics show that 3% of men enlisted in the military get divorced each year; 7.8% of women in the military get a divorce every year. And the trend is climbing.
It’s important for us to recognize the heroic acts that all soldiers perform while in uniform. This Memorial Day, I’m also thinking about what happens to them when they return to civilian clothes, to their friends and family back home, and to their health and wellness after they’ve served with such courage. They need us to be there for them to support their transition back to life off the battle field. They have served us too well for too long to not receive as much care as we can possibly provide at they face their own battles back home.
The New York Times article referenced above has narrative and interactive features that detail the year-long deployment of the 87th Battallion in Afghanistan. It’s a tremendous look inside what it means for them troops to be on the battle field and then try to transition back to a home life that feels as foreign to them as the dangerous places where they serve.
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
6 thoughts on “Beginning: Why I Want to Work With Returning Veterans Through Compass Yoga”
Christa – NPR on yoga program for wounded soldiers
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for writing this post. It left an indelible impression on my mind.
Indeed, soldiers returning from the field of battle or a war zone find it really challenging to adapt to civilian life.
Back home, civilians don’t understand what the heck is going on. For them, the routine life is the only life they have known.
In contrast, the soldiers have experienced untold hardships, lost dear friends, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorders.
They may want to seek professional help, but I also think teaching them yoga can help them to purge their emotions.
After all, yoga itself is like a catharsis or a therapy sesssion.
Thus, I think you and your colleagues are providing a valuable service to such victims. Your help will certainly enable them to become well-adjusted human beings, given time and love.
I agree, Archan – having yoga be part of a holistic plan to help these soldiers would be a service I am really striving to offer. I’ll of course keep you updated on the progress of making that happen!
I was reading something at PTSD over the weekend and soldiers admitted the % effected is really 100%. No one walks away from combat without some level of PTSD.
Christa – NPR on yoga program for wounded soldiers
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/20/134772158/warrior-pose-part-of-rehab-for-army-veterans
LikeLike
MJ,
This is such a great resource! Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Christa:
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for writing this post. It left an indelible impression on my mind.
Indeed, soldiers returning from the field of battle or a war zone find it really challenging to adapt to civilian life.
Back home, civilians don’t understand what the heck is going on. For them, the routine life is the only life they have known.
In contrast, the soldiers have experienced untold hardships, lost dear friends, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorders.
They may want to seek professional help, but I also think teaching them yoga can help them to purge their emotions.
After all, yoga itself is like a catharsis or a therapy sesssion.
Thus, I think you and your colleagues are providing a valuable service to such victims. Your help will certainly enable them to become well-adjusted human beings, given time and love.
Cheerio.
LikeLike
I agree, Archan – having yoga be part of a holistic plan to help these soldiers would be a service I am really striving to offer. I’ll of course keep you updated on the progress of making that happen!
LikeLike
I was reading something at PTSD over the weekend and soldiers admitted the % effected is really 100%. No one walks away from combat without some level of PTSD.
I think it’s awesome that you’re doing this!
🙂
urs
LikeLike
Thanks, Urs! It’s been tough to find a group to sponsor the class so I think I may have to just advertise it myself and see what happens.
LikeLike