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Kristen Ryder, Certified School Psychologist, RYT
List of Trainings & Certifications Stillness and Strength Yoga LLC, was created in 2015 to house my specific certification to work with cancer survivors and grew to include my training and passion: helping youth and families heal from complex adversity and trust their inner resilience. I am the only Yoga for Survivors-trained instructor in Michigan, and have trained to provide outreach services to both the at-risk youth and cancer survivor community. Currently, I am a Certified School Psychologist and community yoga instructor. I also am contracted to teach yoga classes through Munson Medical Center's Cowell Family Cancer Center. I specialize in private and small group sessions that focus on nervous system regulation, stress-reduction, and better client mental and physical health. I am passionate about the connection between our lived experiences, our nervous system, mindfulness, breathwork, and movement, and strive to help clients understand this connection as an act of self-care during times of discomfort. As a Yoga for Survivors instructor, my training consisted of a year-long, 150-hour certification program under the supervision of the Yoga for Survivors program creator, Laura Kupperman, and my personal mentor, Barbara Gallani of The Life Centre in London, UK. Our certification requirements included a 50-hour, two-week intensive training with Laura at The Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, and a 100+ hour, year-long mentorship training consisting of online coursework, mentor sessions, and multiple group and private sessions, as well as reviews of current reading materials on cancer and cancer-related topics. My specialized yoga training has provided me with specific knowledge, skills, and techniques to work with clients who have been diagnosed with cancer. Clients may deal with physical and/or emotional symptoms that accompany their current or post-cancer treatment, including lymphedema, fatigue, stress, emotional distress, insomnia, gastrointestinal distress, and other side effects of treatment, both short and long-term. I aspire to contract with local and state-wide cancer centers and hospitals to provide their clients with yoga services during and post-cancer treatment, and help hospitals heal the whole client. My Yoga for Survivors certification is in addition to my traditional 200-hour yoga teacher certification in Hatha Yoga through Yoga 4 Peace, a non-profit yoga studio located in Metro-Detroit. I am a lifelong learner, consistently attending new yoga trainings or reading newly-released and research-based publications. Recent trainings and workshops include: Trauma-Informed Youth weekend training with Street Yoga, Hamsa meditation weekend retreat with Swami Nityananda Giri, weekend workshop with Seane Corn, weekend workshop with Noah Maze, day-workshop with Viniyoga instructor Sandy Gaunt, and Ashtanga Immersion with Kino McGregor. Work specific to trauma and social justice via Off the Mat Into the World includes: Yoga for Self-Regulation and Trauma with Hala Khouri, Rituals for the Modern Activist with Michelle Johnson, Susanna Barkataki, and Suzanne Sterling, and Yoga, Purpose, & Action with OTM Founders Hala, Seane, and Suzanne. My life experiences blend the worlds of psychology, yoga, neuroscience, non-profit research, public education, trauma/resilience, and social justice into offerings of yoga, shared compassion, and mindfulness. I want my clients to feel cared for, listened to, and validated. I love the field of neuroscience and enjoy learning about how yoga, mindfulness, and other stress-reduction practices affect our brains and bodies. As I am currently taking a break from the public school setting, my current studies include the Applied Educational Neuroscience Graduate Certificate via Butler University, the Medical Neuroscience Graduate Certificate via Michigan State University, the Clinical Master of Social Work program at Michigan State University, and the Trauma-Centered Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Teacher Training Program via Justice Resource Institute's Center for Trauma and Embodiment. I am truly grateful for my life experiences and am honored to be able to provide trauma-informed services to my community through various outlets. I am thankful for the trust and support of my community, my clients, and their families. I look forward to growing and sharing Stillness and Strength's offerings! Wishing you stillness and strength in all that you do. |
**Available for private sessions, group sessions, and teacher consultation remotely or in person**
