Kim Richardson, MS, C-IAYT, RYT-500

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 a 500-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 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 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.

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 currently serves 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 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.