JOSEPH L. DAUGHERTY
Joe Daugherty is one of the student yoga teachers at Indigo Yoga pursuing his 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification. He is a 100% disabled veteran of the U.S. Army. Joe began his military career as an enlisted Infantry Paratrooper and advanced to the rank of Sergeant before earning a commission as a Field Artillery officer. During his 15 years in the military, Joe earned bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and English, and a master’s degree in Leadership & Management. He was medically retired in 2004 as a Captain.
Joe was involved in a parachuting accident that caused extensive spine and hip injuries which led to spinal fusion surgeries and early retirement at only 34 years old. For more than two decades, Joe has struggled with chronic pain, neuromuscular spasticity, addiction to prescription medications, and depression – all related to his injuries and the loss of his chosen career. Following a third spinal fusion surgery in 2017 that left him with five consecutive levels of his lumbosacral spine fused, Joe began to apply his will power toward trying to rebuild his life. He simply was tired of living an isolated, frustrated, sedentary lifestyle that clashed with his personal values and needed to make changes. By combining physical therapy efforts, mental health education and counseling, changing and eliminating medications, fine-tuning his nutrition, and revising his overall pain management approach, Joe found new hope and made a decision to reinvent himself in acceptance of his physical limitations.
One important piece of Joe’s transformative experience came as a “Eureka!” moment when he took his first beginner’s yoga class at the Dayton VA Medical Center in 2020. One class per week for four weeks were the small steps forward that Joe needed to rediscover and reignite a fire from within that he had been missing for too long. United with his other medical and therapeutic efforts, yoga provided Joe with a lifestyle approach to overall health that combines psychology, philosophy, breathing exercises, meditation, mindful rest, physical fitness with a focus on strength, flexibility and mobility exercises, and even healthy nutrition. Joe was able to start hiking and bicycling several times a week. He lost 70 pounds that he gained after injuring his back. Joe continued to explore yoga at home by practicing alongside yoga videos. When Covid-19 restrictions began to relax, Joe took his first Beginner’s Mind Dynamic yoga class at Indigo Yoga, and then he joined as a full-time member so he could try every class available at Indigo, experience different yoga teachers’ approaches, and benefit from the supportive and encouraging social aspects of community. Joe began the Indigo Yoga Teacher Training program in 2022, vastly expanding and enhancing his knowledge, understanding and growing experiences with himself through the study and practice of yoga.
Joe still struggles with chronic pain, tight muscles, and physical limitations, but he has pieced together a healthy way of managing these circumstances so that he can once again enjoy living and feel purpose in his life. Part of Joe’s new mission in life is to try to help others by sharing his experiences and encouraging them to try to overcome their own obstacles (we all have our own unique obstacles in life) through a multi-faceted approach aided and guided by a mindful yoga practice.
You will often see Joe listening to loud music and banging his head, dancing, singing – although neither of the last two well. He is a funky rock star disco king in his own mind and the shower. Joe is a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. You may catch playful references to classic literature, song lyrics and movie lines in his yoga classes. He is frequently laughing and joking around, but he is also serious about his values, learning from his past without letting it hold him back, and developing himself by studying, experimenting, exploring, and experiencing all that he can.
Joe is married and has six adult children/stepchildren and five grandchildren. Joe enjoys hiking and bicycling year-round, lounging at a local pool during the summer, and following both Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds baseball teams.
