Veterans Yoga Project comes local!

Veterans Yoga Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting mindful recovery and resilience among our veterans, first responders, their families and their communities. A local yoga studio, The Yoga Hive in Manahawkin, is partnering with the Veterans Yoga Project to raise funds to keep mindful practice available. There is never a cost to participants.

Veterans Yoga Project was created in 2010 to help Veterans recovering from Post-Traumatic Stress (Disorder) [PTS(D)] access practices that would help them with their recovery and support them in the post-traumatic growth process. We now serve Veterans in all stages of recovery and resilience building. We are enormously grateful to all of the current and past contributors and supporters of this Project. We are especially grateful to all of the Veterans, active-duty military and their families for their dedication, bravery and all of the sacrifices that they have made for us and for our country.

Stability is always established first before engaging in movement. This stability provides support for the cultivation of flexibility and strength throughout the mind/body.

Supports precedes action because support precedes any movement, non-movement or action. Like everything in life, it is important to know that we have the support we need before we make any move forward, take our next step in life, or even just move into a yoga posture. In other words, support precedes everything!

Veteran Yoga Project Instructors are supported by our understanding of trauma, PTS(D) and PTS(D) treatment. We are also supported by acknowledging the limits to our scope of practice (i.e., we are not psychotherapists) and by the presence and availability of mental health professionals who have experience in PTS(D) treatment. And, of course, most importantly, we are supported by our own yoga practice and the development of our ability to remain mindful.

Our first task with our students is to help them become aware of and effectively utilize their own supports. In the yoga practices, we help them develop the support of their breath, the support of their body, and the support of their ability to ground. Our students are supported by these and other available supports in their minds and bodies with the hope that they will then be able to develop the capacity to rely on additional supports from their clinicians, friends, families, and communities.

The Yoga Hive, 85 N. Main St, Manahawkin NJ loves the community, supports the community believes in giving back to the community. They do so not only through their words, but in their actions. The owners, Jenn McConnell & Kevin Corey have graciously offered their kindness in support of the Veterans Project. Their current summer-long personal challenge campaign, "Camping for a Cause" is seeking more sponsors as Jenn & family sleep outdoors all for the benefit of Veterans Yoga Project. They have also graciously opened their upstairs studio for 3 mindful movement sessions, led by Martha Kremer, CYT 200 & Veteran Yoga Project teacher. The hour-long donation- based sessions will be held Sunday, June 25, Sunday, July 30 & Sunday, August 27 at 7:00pm. All donations will help keep Veterans Yoga Project free to all who find it beneficial.

The studio has gear available and all are welcome. Sessions will include mindful breathing practices along with gentle and restorative mindful movements. Take this time to renew and refresh and join us at The Yoga Hive. If you can't join us in the studio, you can still support Veterans Yoga Project several ways.

Those wishing to sponsor Jenn's summer long "Camping for a Cause" may do so by contributing through Venmo using @theyogahive. All proceeds will go directly towards the Veterans Yoga Project.

Those wanting to contribute directly to the Veterans Yoga Project may do so here:

https://secure.veteransyogaproject.org/campaign.jsp?campaign=228&fundraiser=55824

Registration for the Sunday sessions is suggested as space is limited. Register by calling The Yoga Hive 732-300-7356, emailing theyogahivenj@gmail.com or texting 609-290-7998. Thank you and Namaste!