Winston "Cortez" Ward serves the Veterans Yoga Project as the Deep South Regional Director.

Born in Chicago, raised in upstate NY, with roots from Northern Louisiana, and as a minority, with African, Puerto Rican, and Native American heritage, Cortez had very humble beginnings —not from a place of security and nurturing, but from a place of struggle and tribulation. Joining the military while still in high school, Cortez put 100% effort into practicing trades, training vigorously, and remaining resilient after damaging his body, and eventually accruing injuries in the line of duty. Returning home to those same humble beginnings, he found further hardship and financial burden. After years of hard work and finding his way to yoga, Cortez has since obtained his Associate Degree in Exercise Science and started a business in Holistic Health and Fitness.

“We must have Function Before Fitness.” Yoga is that function. The nature of yoga is remarkable because of the power it has to help people in its versatility. Yoga can incorporate sound, aroma, and physical therapy. Yoga aligns mind, body, and spirit through its universal style. Yoga is holistic, yoga is enlightenment, but most of all, yoga is yours.