As the seasons change and the weather shifts, checking in and ensuring your winter wellness routine is in good shape is always a good idea.  If you are in the ​northern hemisphere, the days are shortening and the evenings feel even shorter.  It is important to recognize the challenges your normal wellness routine may have in the winter months, so you can adapt and overcome.
 
If you are willing to try something new (or again), I would recommend yoga. 
 
I enjoy a yoga practice year-round, but I admit it can be challenging during south Louisiana summers because of a yogic idea tapas, which means “to build heat/burn”.  Tapas warms the body, and during the winter months is an added benefit. It seems every month there is a new study that validates yoga as a wellness method, but the Yogis have always known this.  The most important aspect of yoga is the self-identification of the effect yoga has on you.  If yoga doesn’t work for you, don’t do it. 
 
Yoga has great benefits to all who practice it and is an excellent supplement to existing wellness routines.  Yoga is also a great way to transition from inactivity to a new wellness routine.  Yoga also has many different styles and I encourage you to try several classes and teachers before you give up on it.  Yoga is an effective method to building wellness in the mind and body, but yoga is not magic. Yoga requires effort. Pattabhi Jois, one of the founders of Vinyasa Yoga said, “yoga is 99% effort and 1% theory”.
 
Yoga exists in most corners of the US and around the world.  Look for classes in yoga studios, community centers, fitness clubs, and through organizations to promote wellness like Bastion Community.  Bastion, 1901 Mirabeau Avenue in New Orleans, has yoga every Thursday at 6:30pm.  When the days are longer, there is an outdoor vinyasa (movement linked with breath) yoga class with Marion, and year-round, there is an indoor chair yoga class that is accessible to anyone with Jason.  The classes are free and geared towards veterans, but yoga is for everyone, and everyone is welcome.
 


​Jason Davey is a Kansas native, Marine Corps Combat Veteran, and community yoga teacher.  He is also the founder of NolaSeva.org, a nonprofit org dedicated to bringing wellness to the community through yoga.  Jason and Nola Seva believe that yoga is for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
 
 

 
 
 

Bastion held it's first annual Evening of Appreciation event on November 9, 2017! The theme of the night was gratitude, as residents, staff, and a wide range of supporters gathered together in mutual thanks for the Bastion Community. Entertainment was provided by the musical styling of Dr. Brice Miller and his band, whose jazz melodies flowed throughout the night. Guests also enjoyed a cigar rolling station, a bar and lounge area, passed appetizers, Bastion home tours, and even a children's play and food station. A notable moment from the night includes a speech from Bastion's Executive Director and Founder, Dylan Tête, stating that, "gratitude has a way of attracting more gratitude. It builds on itself and it builds and builds until there is a Bastion." Needless to say, our community has so much to be thankful for and the first annual Evening of Appreciation was truly a night to remember.
 
​Our staff would like to take a moment to thank everyone who played a role in creating our special community. Bastion would not be possible without your support, generous donations, and veterans to serve. We’d also like to thank our volunteers for being so generous with their time, to Brice Miller Entertainment for creating the beautiful ambiance, to ILEA New Orleans for being the most amazing partner in making this event a success, to our amazing speakers - Christine Lemoine, Brandon Dorrington, and Michael Pitre, and last but not least to our sponsors for enabling us to dedicate an evening that was truly just for appreciation. Thank you.
 
Sponsors: UBS, Humana, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, Kappa Designs LLC, Just Ask Rental, George Kuchler Photography, Big Easy Event Rentals, River Parish Disposal, BRG and Boucherie Catering!
 
We cant wait to see you next year!
 
Want to relive the excitement? Leave comments and scroll below!
 

It was not too long ago on Tuesday, June 21, 2016, that Bastion Community of Resilience broke ground as the nation’s first intentionally designed neighborhood for returning warriors and families with lifelong rehabilitative needs. Since then, Bastion has continued to thrive and is home to 73 residents, who have over 196 years of combined military service!

As our community grows, Bastion offers this blog as a resource for all! Here, you can find out about Bastion events, wellness tips, and day to day life in the community! This post is the first of many, check us out each month for content dedicated to warriors, caregivers, volunteers, Bastion residents and more. As a Bastion our community stands to defend, protect, and serve. Our team is dedicated to fulfilling our mission and we are excited for the journey ahead!

        In Service,
       The Bastion Team!