​Kristen Ryder (she/her)
​RYT 500, TCTSY-F
MI-Certified School Psychologist

Trainings & Certifications
Bookworms Unite! Resource Page

​Stillness and Strength Yoga LLC, was created in 2014 to house my specific certification to work with cancer survivors and grew to include other areas of training and passion: offering support via yoga and mindfulness to teens, caregivers, adults, and direct service workers who have experienced toxic levels of chronic stress, complex trauma, PTSD, compassion fatigue, and/or secondary trauma.

Currently, I am a Certified School Psychologist and community yoga facilitator. I am contracted to offer yoga classes through Munson Medical Center's Health & Wellness Suite at Cowell Family Cancer Center (paused due to covid). I specialize in individual and small group offerings. I am passionate about the connection between our lived experiences, our nervous system, mindfulness, breathwork, and movement, and strive to help participants embody this connection as an act of self-care during times of discomfort. My 150hr Yoga for Survivors oncology certification, as well as my 300hr TCTSY-F training (Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga-Facilitator), is in addition to my foundational 200hr Hatha yoga teacher certification through Yoga 4 Peace, a non-profit yoga studio located in Metro-Detroit. 

I am a lifelong learner and actively follow research in the field of Interpersonal Neurobiology. I am passionate about learning how yoga, mindfulness, and other stress-reduction practices impact our nervous system. After twelve years practicing as a School Psychologist in the public education system, I recently stepped away from public ed to open a community wellness center that blends trauma-sensitive, body-based, sensory and somatic practices (bottom up) with more cognitive-based mental health supports (top down).  In order to reach this goal, and in addition to my yoga & mindfulness certifications, I've completed graduate certificates in both Medical Neuroscience and Applied Education Neuroscience, and am currently completing an additional masters degree, this time in Clinical Social Work, with the end goal of obtaining my PhD in Neuropsychology.

My goal is to support clients in ways that they decide feel supportive. I look forward to increasing Stillness and Strength's offerings and am grateful for this opportunity to be of service to those who feel these practices might be valuable. Wishing you stillness and strength in all that you do.
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Land Acknowledgement: Leelanau County
From Leelanau County Conservancy: "We acknowledge the waters and lands the Leelanau Conservancy cares for and owns are located on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg—the Three Fires Confederacy of the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi peoples. Since time immemorial, the Anishinaabeg have lived, worked, honored, and respected these lands. We further acknowledge that the land known today as Leelanau County is comprised of lands acquired under the 1836 and 1855 treaties between the United States and the Ottawa and Chippewa Nation of Indians. Our recognition of the full history of the land we cherish and work to protect is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those on whose ancestral lands we reside. We give thanks to the generous care with which the Anishinaabeg, and those of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, have given and continue to give to this land and our Leelanau community."
https://leelanauconservancy.org/land-acknowledgement/ 


*Offerings of TCTSY through Stillness and Strength Yoga are not intended to be a replacement for mental health services; moreso adjunct/in addition to/supportive of current mental health services or chosen support teams

​How to find mental health supports: ​