Connected Warriors
Judy Weaver Helps Veterans Feel Better – One Breath At A Time
While we may not recognize it, the effects of being at war for more than a decade are all around us. Young men and women go off to a war zone and come home physically and mentally changed. Multiple deployments impact their family, friends and loved ones long after returning home.
Helping veterans and their families manage those experiences is why yoga teacher-of-teachers and yoga therapist Judy Weaver, with friend and Vietnam veteran Ralph Iovino, launched Connected Warriors. Weaver continues to lead the nonprofit, which relies entirely on volunteers and donations. She is dedicated to helping veterans and their families find inner peace and overcome the effects of trauma through specialized, evidence-based yoga classes.
Weaver started Connected Warriors 10 years ago with one free class for veterans. Today, volunteers provide 125 free weekly classes in 24 states and eight countries in donated spaces such as yoga studios, community centers, veterans centers, active duty military facilities and VA medical centers. Trauma-conscious teacher training is free to yoga teachers who make a one-year commitment to teach a free class.
Students learn to manage stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia as well as their physical injuries through the use of trauma-conscious yoga.
“We let yoga do what yoga does; we just deliver it in a manner that minimizes stress triggers,” says Weaver.
Classes also are a way for veterans and their families to connect with others who have gone through similar experiences.
“It’s amazing when young guys and gals speak with Vietnam and Korean War veterans,” Weaver says. “They share experiences, quickly form new friendships and support each other.”
Connected Warriors recently expanded to offer outpatient behavioral health services in partnership with interns from FAU’s Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work so therapists can prescribe adjunct therapies to be paid for by the VA. Community classes recently expanded to include first responders, and classes were the highlight for IDF Veterans attending a recent Israel Heart2Heart retreat.
“My goal is to teach our students how to be present in chaos and peace because that’s life,” says Weaver.
Connected Warriors is located at 4950 Communication Ave., Ste. 115, Boca Raton. For more information, call 954-278-3764 or visit connectedwarriors.com.
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