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.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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 Avampato 
Christa – NPR on yoga program for wounded soldiers
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/20/134772158/warrior-pose-part-of-rehab-for-army-veterans
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MJ,
This is such a great resource! Thank you so much!
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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.
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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!
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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
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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.
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