Kim Richardson, MS, C-IAYT, E500-RYT

Kim’s passion is creating truly inclusive spaces for collective healing by bringing yoga, sound and other integrative wellness modalities to people and places that historically have not had access to the practices and philosophies. She specializes in cultivating open and welcoming experiences that reduce beginners’ anxiety and that lay the foundation for consistent practice, immersion. and embodiment. Her motivation is to add representation and diversity within the wellness community.

Credentials

Kim’s credentials includes her distinction as Alabama’s very first African American Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). She is also an E500-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher, with Yoga Alliance, a highly trained sound and vibrational therapy practitioner, a registered children's yoga teacher (RCYT), a registered prenatal yoga teacher (RPYT), a Certified Forest Therapy Guide, doula, and community herbalist. She is extensively trained in trauma-informed approaches, including sexual trauma. In 2020, she was the first yoga teacher in Alabama to go into Donaldson Correctional Facility to lead a pilot yoga program for incarcerated men under the Prison Yoga Project. After the passage of legislation in 2021 allowing yoga in Alabama’s public schools, she spearheaded and co-led the first pilot yoga program in Birmingham City Schools. In 2024, she curated Birmingham’s first Rest as Liberation event, a restorative yoga and sound healing experience. She works with highly diverse populations including veterans, children with complex behavioral health needs, incarcerated persons, older adults, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Clinical Expertise

A significant part of Kim's work includes the integration of wellness modalities and research in hospital and clinical settings. As a yoga therapist, she contracts as an Artist in Residence with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where she facilitates trauma-informed yoga sessions for children and teens within complex mental health needs in the Behavioral Health Unit at Children's of Alabama. She leads therapeutic yoga sessions for patients experiencing traumatic brain injury (TBI) or stroke at UAB's Spain Rehabilitation Center which serves as a Clinical Affiliate of the Love Your Brain Program. She leads a weekly virtual Yoga for Cancer class in partnership with UAB's O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and also conducts patient referrals and rounding throughout UAB's medical units. In collaboration with the Whole Team at the Birmingham VA, she leads a recurring Yoga for Veterans series focused on addressing anxiety, depression, and pain.

Kim is also carving a path in terms of yoga research. She is a co-author of a research study published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (December 2025) titled Effects of Coach-Guided Online Yogic Breathing Program on Quality of Life for People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A Mixed-Methods Pilot RCT. In collaboration with the ALS Clinic team at UAB, she developed the yogic breathing protocol for the study and facilitated all online sessions for study participants. She is also currently partnering with Auburn University's School of Nursing on a second study examining the effects of a weekly yoga practice for patients experiencing hearth failure and mild cognitive decline.

Distinctions

In 2024, Kim was named the IAYT's Seva Award Winner! Selected from an international pool of applicants, her Yoga for Veterans Project was nominated and selected for her impactful work with veterans in Birmingham, Alabama. Working in collaboration with the Birmingham VA and the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) Arts in Medicine program, she facilitates trauma-sensitive virtual and in-person classes for veterans and their partners. She also partners with the Birmingham Museum of Art to lead chair-based yoga sessions for blind and low-vision veterans participating in the VA's Rehabilitation and Mobility Program.

In recognition of her community work and impact, Kim has also served as a lululemon yoga ambassador. As a partner with the international brand, she helps drives community connection and provides insightful feedback for innovation and growth.

Vision

Armed with a Master of Science in Urban Studies and Policy Analysis from Cleveland State University, Kim firmly believes that holistic healing can be a powerful tool for transforming and revitalizing communities. Her interest is in exploring how health disparities can be reduced through the practice of integrative modalities like yoga which support improved physical, mental and spiritual health. With this goal in mind, Kim strives to make each of her sessions engaging, as well as informative.

Stay up-to-date on Kim's activities @yesyouyoga_wellness.