Vet Center offers yoga classes to stretch minds and bodies

Here’s a Vet Center that offers yoga classes to stretch minds and bodies.

Working a full-time job, raising a family and everything else in between, the hours and days fill up fast for one Army Veteran. It can be hard to slow down and to find time for important self-care.

Every other Monday, Army Veteran Abena Ntoso joins a yoga class at the Houston West Vet Center to help her decrease stress and to be more physically active.

“One of the things I really like about yoga is that it allows you to find a sense of inner calm and peace. Yoga allows me to feel grounded within my body,” Ntoso said.

Layla Becker is a readjustment counselor at the Vet Center and trauma-informed yoga is one of the classes she teaches. The class is held both in-person and virtually for Veterans. Becker teaches Veterans of all ages, all levels of experience and many first timers.   

“Everybody feels welcome.”

“Class sizes can vary and what feels super good to me when I’m teaching is if I have diversity where it feels accessible and inclusive, regardless of gender, age, cultural background or medical history. Everybody feels welcome. I feel it’s especially important with trauma-informed yoga. It’s normalizing and validating people’s experiences,” Becker said.

Ntoso said Becker’s virtual yoga classes helped her through the pandemic and that having the opportunity to practice yoga was relaxing. By combining meditative practice with physical practice, she was able to find her calm.

“I think having gone through the service and other life experiences, yoga has made me appreciate meditation. I’ve learned how important breath is. I rely on the self-care practices I have learned, and it’s definitely one of the key components for me,” Ntoso said.

Houston West Vet Center’s trauma-informed yoga classes create a safe and supported space where students can learn and practice.

“It’s okay to start somewhere.”

“I want Veterans to know it’s okay to give yoga a try,” said Becker. “It takes a lot of bravery just to try something different, to feel uncomfortable and not be perfect. We don’t have to be good at everything. It’s okay to start somewhere.”

Veterans attending the yoga class range from Vietnam Veterans to Veterans in their early 20s, all in different physical conditions and different stages in their therapy.

“There’s not a wrong way to do yoga. As long as you’re not injuring yourself, it doesn’t have to look a certain way. It doesn’t have to be this rigid, very specific shape. No matter what your body condition is, you can move it in yoga,” Becker said. She also encourages Veterans to try something new, whether it’s yoga, writing, going for a walk or trying a support group. “If something isn’t working, use your voice because it’s your therapy and not one thing works for everyone.”