What is my WHY? What is my passion? To heal! I thought I was done with my education when I went to school to be a Physician Assistant through the United States Air Force, but that was just the start. Two and a half years into my practice, I realized my frustration with the lack of accessibility for mental health and chronic pain patients.
When I lost my mother in September 2023, I was devastated. I was on auto pilot. I didn’t know how to crawl out of the grief. I was given an opportunity to start an online yoga teacher program. Initially, it was for me and my personal healing and growth. Very early on in my yoga training, as I began to heal, I had the idea to incorporate yoga and wellness into my medical practice on base.
I presented the idea to my leadership…along with a well put together slideshow as any good Air Force officer would. The Air Force and my leadership loved the idea! This Wellness Initiative program is not only for my dependent and retiree population, but for the active duty population and overall resiliency in the military forces. I’m now three weeks into a wellness program that I piloted that incorporates yoga, mindfulness, and battlefield acupuncture. This has become 'just the beginning!'
Capt Crystal L. Cowan, PA-C, USAF
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