Every Sunday, Annika Rustad stands at the front of Coronado Fitness Club’s yoga studio, guiding first responders and veterans through deep breaths and deliberate movements. Having once stood in their shoes, she has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of these practices, and has made it her mission to equip others with the skills that navigated her through military service.
“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” said Rustad.
As one of the first women to join the U.S. Army as an officer in the combat arms branch, responsible for leading infantry during land combat, the path before her was not paved.
“Having women in the infantry was new to everyone,” said Rustad. “When you’re in a position like that, there’s nowhere to hide. You learn a lot about yourself.”
Throw in two traumatic brain injuries over the course of four years, and Rustad said her journey was marked by self-discovery, resilience and plenty of push-back.
Inspired by her older brother, who graduated from the United States Military Academy West Point, Rustad enrolled in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Point Loma Nazarene University, where she graduated in 2019.
Right after graduation, and just three years after the U.S. Army opened up combat arms to women, Rustad reported to Fort Moore, Georgia, for training as a second lieutenant. In a class of 208, she was one of eight women.
Intensive training
For 18 weeks, Rustad spent her days in the wilderness enduring intensive training and completing operations alongside her classmates. From every angle, Rustad said, the program was tailored to men.
“The guy next to you was a 6’3” linebacker at West Point and you’re carrying the same weight and you’re wearing the same gear,” said Rustad. “This was before they had female body armor.”
To adapt, Rustad would spend weekends in her garage configuring her gear and rucksack to fit her 5’3” frame.
“We just had to figure out how to be in the least amount of pain,” said Rustad. “You had to learn how to win because there wasn’t anything set up for you.”
“We just had to figure out how to be in the least amount of pain,” said Rustad. “You had to learn how to win because there wasn’t anything set up for you.”
While male trainees were supportive of their female counterparts, Rustad said, it was always a game of “cat and mouse” with her superiors.
“These guys that were our instructors were in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004 and 2005,” said Rustad. “They had a much different perspective on what it meant to be in the infantry, and I think they just weren’t able to see how a woman could fit into that.”
That perspective became evident to Rustad and the seven other women in her class when they had reached “the Gate to the Infantry,” a compound in the woods that signified the end of their training. After spending five days in the field, her class was exhausted and ready to celebrate the accomplishment.
While the men passed through the gates and received their blue cords, officially designating them as officers of the infantry, the women were pulled out of line and told to sit on their rucks – watching the rest of their classmates pass through.
Eventually the women were given their chords which, according to Rustad, were essentially thrown at them. She said the reason as to why they got singled out was never fully explained.
“There was always some kind of excuse that they would give us,” said Rustad. “It would be a rule that was already implemented, then the rule would later be revoked. They gave us a rebuttal for everything.”
Experiences like that stuck with her throughout her service.
“That initial training ended up creating this chip on my shoulder that I brought into my first unit, like an ‘I have to prove myself’ attitude,” said Rustad. “Looking back now, I don’t have any hard feelings. There were situations that I wish would have been handled differently, but we were all doing this for the first time.”
Working through brain injuries
After training, Rustad was stationed at Fort Cavazos in Texas.
In January of 2022, Rustad suffered her first traumatic brain injury after passing out from a heat stroke while in Ranger School.
“I was found unresponsive on the side of the road,” said Rustad.
Pinned face-down under 60 pounds of gear, Rustad underwent 23 minutes of CPR and intubation. Upon leaving the intensive care unit, Rustad experienced severe depression and anxiety, balance and memory issues, and was left reading at a fifth-grade level.
“I felt like an alien,” said Rustad. “I would get in my car to drive to work and I would have to pull over because I had no idea where I was. I remember talking to my brigade surgeon and being like, ‘I don’t recognize myself.’”
Rustad was placed on convalescent leave just four months before her scheduled deployment to Eastern Europe, responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During that time, she moved in with her father, who was living two-and-a-half hours south of her station.
“A lot of healing went on during those six weeks, physically and emotionally,” said Rustad.
Her dad taught her how to read and follow directions again by printing off simple recipes every night, like Rice Krispy treats, for them to work on together. They would go on daily walks and sit and drink coffee together every morning.
After Rustad learned to manage her symptoms, she went off to her deployment in Europe.
John Coleman, Rustad’s mortar platoon sergeant, said Rustad was his platoon leader throughout their rotation in Europe, which is not a common role in the infantry for women.
“She was one of the first women to graduate from [the] Infantry Mortar Leader course prior to going to Europe,” Coleman said.
Just a month into deployment, while on the border of Belarus, Rustad suffered her second traumatic brain injury due to a training accident.
This time, she couldn’t seek refuge in her dad’s home. Rustad endured the same symptoms as before, this time stuck living in a tent with 61 men.
“I was super sensitive to light and sound and it was just the worst case scenario,” said Rustad. “You have all these young guys that are playing their music super loud, they’re watching football games at 2 a.m. because of the time zone difference – that’s really when I got into mindfulness and yoga.”
Coleman said that from a warrior point of view, Rustad pushed through the injury and soldiered on.
While her plan already was to get her yoga instructor certification during deployment, the intent behind that goal had shifted.
“I went from ‘Okay, I’ve been practicing yoga for 10 years, I really want to teach when I get back,’ to ‘How can I use this to fix my brain,’” said Rustad.
She began her 200-hour program, practicing yoga everyday.
“I basically just relied on yoga and mindfulness to heal my brain,” said Rustad.
Daily yoga sessions
As part of the curriculum, she was required to teach yoga classes. Being a first lieutenant – the highest-ranking officer in her tent at the time – she ordered all of the men to join in her daily yoga sessions.
Initially, the guys would complain, Rustad said. But as time went on, she noticed a change.
“You know, it’s really different, you’ve got a bunch of alpha male personalities, and they just want to lift weights and run, and she’s bringing in yoga,” Coleman recalled.
Despite initial pushback, he added, the guys eventually saw the benefit of the practice.
“These guys that were once complaining about doing it had completely shifted to where they were like, ‘Hey, lieutenant, are we doing yoga today?’” said Rustad. “We practiced mindfulness every day. We practiced meditation every day, and it was so cool to just see a complete behavioral change. There were lower levels of irritability, there’s less bare-knuckle fighting – it was just an entire mentality shift.”
What started as an aversion to her idea turned into the men practicing mindfulness next to their bunk beds on their own time.
“Yoga is very vulnerable, and you have these people that are self-proclaimed hard-chargers – self-proclaimed tough guys – and it was so cool for me to see them really buy into the whole process.”
“Yoga is very vulnerable, and you have these people that are self-proclaimed hard-chargers – self-proclaimed tough guys – and it was so cool for me to see them really buy into the whole process,” said Rustad.
In her last days of duty, Rustad was awarded the Order of Saint Maurice, given as a recognition to those who make significant contributions in the infantry.
“Through the entire experience I had with her, she was always true to herself,” Coleman said. “She knew who she was, she knew what she wanted to do. … She just kind of soldiers on through adversity. Definitely a strong person, a strong personality.”
After her discharge in 2023, Rustad began teaching yoga – reaching out specifically to the veteran community.
It wasn’t until a month ago that she began work at Coronado Fitness Club, after moving to the island. While her classes on Sundays are open to everyone, her Siren Wellness company – which focuses on teaching resilience, optimization and mindfulness to first responders and military personnel – is heavily incorporated into her practice.
“Knowing what it looks like to work in a really high-stress environment, you’re able to connect more with those individuals and you’re not just some yoga instructor rolling into class,” said Rustad.
Earlier in November she offered a free hour-long yoga flow in celebration of Veteran’s Day.
