Menu
🧘♂️ Veteran & Military Healing: Yoga Dharma Studios in Niceville offers free, trauma-informed sessions for veterans, active-duty members, and their families.
🤝 Partnership for EOD Community: New collaboration with the EOD Warrior Foundation expands access for Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel.
💪 Bodywork Impact: Service members report reduced pain, improved mobility, and stronger mental health through Kitty Normand’s personalized bodywork.
In the heart of Niceville, Yoga Dharma Studios has become a sanctuary for healing, transformation, and connection.
Guided by the vision of experienced yoga instructor and bodywork specialist Kitty Normand, the studio is expanding its mission to offer free, trauma-informed healing sessions for veterans. In addition to supporting veterans, Kitty is also working with active-duty military personnel and their families at Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base.
With more than a decade of experience—and a personal connection to the military through her father, who served in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)—Kitty brings professional expertise and deep empathy to her practice. “This work is close to my heart,” she says. “It’s a way to give
back with respect and care.”
VIDEO: Eglin EOD Tests New Robot
Veterans and active-duty personnel are invited into what Normand describes as a calm, supportive space for one-on-one or small-group sessions tailored to each participant’s needs.
Sessions focus on nervous system regulation, breathwork, mindful movement, pain relief, and myofascial release. The aim is to help individuals manage physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
pain and begin the healing process.
“These sessions aren’t about performance or perfection,” Kitty explains. “They’re about meeting yourself exactly where you are. Sometimes the experience is intense, sometimes euphoric and often, something in between. It takes time to unwind the layers of stress, trauma, and pain we carry, but the journey offers deep relief and the possibility of healing.”
To help expand the work already underway in Niceville and at Hurlburt Field, Yoga Dharma Studios will soon partner with the EOD Warrior Foundation to offer no-cost healing sessions to active-duty and retired members of the EOD community.
This partnership is especially significant given that the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) located at Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County hosts more than 2,000 students annually.
As a joint-service training center staffed by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the school provides highly specialized basic and advanced EOD training to U.S. and partner nation personnel.
Students and graduates of this high-risk, physically demanding program could directly benefit from sessions focused on pain relief and recovery. Beyond physical wellness, pain management contributes significantly to mental health by improving clarity, emotional regulation, and resilience—all critical for those serving in high-stress environments.
“This kind of care is valuable for the EOD community,” says Jerry Shelton, Executive Director of the EOD Warrior Foundation.
“Kitty’s work helps address the chronic conditions many of our service members carry and that relief is directly tied to stronger mental health and recovery.”
One service member shared the lasting impact of Kitty’s sessions:
“Years of flying in the Air Force had taken its toll on my body,” said Captain James Kersey of the United States Air Force, “Mobility in my shoulders, hips, and legs had been affected, impacting my ability to exercise and function the way I desired. After my first Bodywork session with Kitty, I noticed an immediate and profound change. I hadn’t been able to press with my shoulders for months, and was able to do so again.
My hip and leg mobility greatly improved, correcting years of issues.
Continued work with Kitty has vastly elevated my quality of life. I strongly recommend her Bodywork sessions for anyone looking to improve their functionality, movement, and for chronic issue management.”
Thanks to the generosity of local sponsors and grants, all sessions are provided at no cost.
Pro Communi Bono
