This is an interview with Crystal Hinton, who started her yoga service career caring for her younger sister, Chanda, when Chanda moved to Colorado in 2000. A shooting accident at the age of 9 left Chanda paralyzed, a C/6 injury.

"Downward dog certainly didn't cure my eating disorder, but the practice did teach me how to relate to my body in a more compassionate way."

This is an interview with Molly Lannon Kenny, who credits her "service" endeavors to the original value system in which she was raised -- "that no human being is greater than any other and all deserve a chance to be seen, acknowledged, and cared for."

"The emotional connection for yoga service is the human connection. Sharing yoga is another way of saying "I love you" to total strangers. We're using our bodies to find that common ground and language of love, and nothing is lost in translation."

It just so happened that the theme for the lesson was interconnectedness. We would spend the time exploring partner poses, designed to build community and interdependence within the class. I told the students that this would be a chance to lighten the load that we'd all been carrying the past few days.

Nikki Myers is an accomplished yoga therapist, addictions recovery specialist, and somatic experiencing practitioner. In 2004 she founded Yoga of 12-Step Recovery (Y12SR).

Many of the women thought yoga was just for the thin, or the super-athletic, or suburban housewives. Once they realize yoga is available to everyone, they get excited.

This is an interview with Traci Lundstrom, who began learning yoga while serving time in the Boulder, Colorado, county jail the fall of 2009.

This is an interview with John Morgan, an Army veteran in recovery from alcohol abuse. John's yoga service began on Veterans Day 2012 at a treatment center in eastern Connecticut for veterans, active duty personnel, and dependents.

This week, I've participated in a resiliency training for vets suffering from PTSD. Located in a beautiful residential facility perched on a mountain overlooking the Pacific in Malibu, Calif., the program offers vets tools for dealing with their trauma.

"It's time to offer yoga electives in social work and other helping professional degree programs (for nurses, therapists, special educators, first responders, etc.). These professionals and their clients will benefit from an education in the foundational principles of yoga healing."

The brain's malleability during adolescence marks a crucial stage in both cognitive and emotional development. Luckily, researchers are now able to paint a clearer picture of some of the factors that allow students to thrive throughout high school and into adulthood.

Many people refer to a single point of awakening at which recovery and transformation begin. It may be a near-death experience, a rite of passage, or even a poignant word from a friend that makes us pause and re-evaluate.