Life and Work with Kendra Ryan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Ryan.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2000, I reported as a Division Officer in the US Navy aboard my first ship. After my first day in steel toed boots, climbing up and down “ladders” (steep stairs) and in/out of missile tubes, I was exhausted. I came home and collapsed. My mom said, “you need yoga”. I joined her at an evening yoga class near the beach. I was hooked. In one hour, my sore feet felt relief and the “monkeys jumping in my head” had calmed. I continued attending classes and ordered Rodney Yee DVDs for my underway periods. Over the next four years, I served on three ships and during each tour I would gather a few people around my laptop in a pump room or squeezed into a small make-shift workout space on the ship to practice to together.

After five years, I left active duty and worked as a scientist at a NATO undersea research center. I continued setting up my DVDs and laptop during our underway times. But, my scientific mind wasn’t content with just the knowledge I gained from DVD instructors. I went to Canada to attend a yoga teacher training and also took anatomy and physiology classes. With this training, I started teaching regular classes – first at the research center and then during an extended bicycle trip across Africa. After Africa, life happened – I developed a chronic disease, got married, and had a baby. I stopped teaching to focus on my own health and practice, but I missed the interaction with a yoga community. The summer we moved to Estes Park, I was ecstatic to see an article in the paper advertising a new yoga studio. The first time I attended a class as a student, the manager asked if I would like to teach there – eight months later, I bought the studio. Four years later, we are happy to have six instructors offering ten classes per week.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Life is full of balances and surprises. During the first three years of owning the studio, I was also raising a toddler, finishing my PhD, and serving in the Navy reserves. I never had the time to commit to the studio 100%. I also loved to teach but had never run a business and had no background in areas like marketing. Success of the studio depended on the talents and time of the other instructors. I encourage others to find their community, learn to ask for help and trust their instincts.

Please tell us about Estes Park Yoga.
Estes Park Yoga is the only full-time yoga studio in our town. But more importantly, we reach out to different sectors of the community who may not know of yoga or think of it as a practice to consider. We teach wellness classes at our local hospital, school (for teachers and administrators), and national park. I am especially pleased about our partnerships with local first responders and veterans organizations. Elements of yoga practice (movement, breathing techniques, and meditation) are now recognized techniques of working with trauma. For three years, we have integrated these practices into the curriculum of the annual fire fighting academy and offered instruction at the American Legion.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Fostering connection and community. I have been in male-dominated career fields for twenty years, but I never felt that being a woman was a disadvantage. Instead, I found that I was able to connect with people in a more authentic way. Through these connections, I became surrounded by caring, giving people – creating community wherever in the world I was living.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.estesparkyoga.com
• Phone: 9705863254
• Email: estesparkyoga@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/estesparkyoga/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estesparkyoga/

Image Credit:
Kendra Ryan, Russ Nehrig, Joerg Hartmann

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