Stevenson Student Organizes, Leads “National Yoga for Veterans” Class in Owings Mills Gym

Stevenson University senior Sam Eddy ’15 helped lead a yoga class for more than 65 individuals Sunday at Stevenson’s Owings Mills Gym in conjunction with National Yoga for Veterans Day. Through the nationwide initiative, hundreds of yoga classes are being held across the country this week to raise awareness about the benefits yoga can provide for veterans looking to heal both their visible and invisible wounds after returning from service. The event also aimed to raise money for the Veteran’s Yoga Project.

Sunday’s class included veterans, students, and representatives from veteran support organizations Catch a Lift Fund, Veteran’s Resource Podcast, Wakeful Warriors, Music 4 Vets, and IAVA. It also raised more than $400 in donations for the Veteran’s Yoga Project.

Eddy, a certified yoga instructor whose brother served in Afghanistan, jumped at the opportunity to organize an event in Maryland along with friend and fellow yoga teacher Jessica Rodgers.

“It is absolutely imperative to find new ways for veterans to seek out help for their wounds,” said Eddy, who will graduate this winter with a degree in Psychology. “Yoga can be a complementary tool for veterans. It is cost-efficient and there are numerous studies that have shown how effective it can be.”

Eddy explained that yoga is beneficial for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) primarily because it helps them regulate their own awareness and helps them to regulate their own thoughts through mindfulness, breathing exercises, and poses.

Veterans interested in learning more about yoga can contact Veteran’s Yoga Project to learn more about local resources by emailing info@veteransyogaproject.org.

Stevenson University, known for its distinctive career focus, is the third-largest independent university in Maryland with more than 4,400 students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and adult bachelor’s programs at locations in Stevenson and Owings Mills.