Meet the Founder:
MISSY KAI
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A Student of Life, Mind, Body, and Spirit
The Body Intuitive Founder, Missy Kai, is a Bay Area native entrepreneur who graduated from Northern Arizona University’s Franke College of Business as valedictorian and prestigious Gold Axe Award winner in 2012.
After earning her CPA license just before her 21st birthday, she pivoted careers into holistic healthcare after being diagnosed with an autoimmune digestive disorder. Missy founded her practice in 2016 after quitting a successful accounting career to learn how to heal her own chronic health conditions.
Despite doctors stating that she would need to be medicated for life, Missy discovered methods which successfully addressed the underlying causes of her physical illness which were intricately linked to mental and emotional stress.
Now an industry leader with nearly a decade of trauma-informed experience working in private practice, hosting retreats, and teaching nationwide, Missy has mastered her craft and is bringing holistic somatic therapy to new world-class levels.
PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
Missy has over 2500+ hours of combined therapeutic training and experience in functional mobility rehabilitation, trauma-trained bodywork, medical massage therapy, lymphatic massage therapy, breathwork, meditation, Ayurveda, relationship and life coaching from master teachers and prestigious organizations.
Her integrated modalities uniquely allow her to use an integrative and holistic therapeutic approach that is individually tailored to each of my clients and rooted in empirically-supported treatments.
VOCATIONAL TRAININGS
& CREDENTIALS
JULY 2024
12-hour Lymphatic Drainage Massage
Advanced Massage Arts & Education
Phoenix, Arizona
- Anatomy and physiology of the lymphatic system
- How the lymphatic system interacts with other body systems
- How to create treatment plans for clients with conditions like lymphedema, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome
- How to incorporate lymphatic drainage techniques into massage practice
JULY 2024: Continuing Education (12 hrs)
Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals
Online
- Blood Clots: Causes, Concerns, and Consideration
- Massage and Pathology: Chronic Inflammation
- Neuromuscular Considerations in Cervicogenic Headaches
- Assessing and Treating Tennis and Golfer's Elbow
- Breathing Pattern Dysfunction and Pelvic Pain
- Fascia as a Sensory Organ
- Findings from the Largest Research Review in Massage History
- Protect Your Practice: Public Health and Contagious Diseases - Part 1
- A Global Approach to the Knee
- Lumbodorsal Fascia and Low-Back Pain: Research Update and Clinical Implications
JUL 2022:
1000-hour Certified Int'l Yoga Therapist
International Association of Yoga Therapists
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles
- Yoga therapy (certified through the IAYT) is a distinct and separate profession from Yoga (professional registry managed by Yoga Alliance).
- The yoga tradition views each human being as a multidimensional system that includes numerous aspects—including body, breath, and mind (intellect and emotions)—and their mutual interaction.
- All yoga may be considered to have a "therapeutic" effect. However, these two professions (yoga & yoga therapy) formally distinguished their standards and credentialing in 2018 are NOT the same.
- While the focus of a regular 200-hour yoga teacher is usually more sequencing of asanas or physical postures, the focus and training of a yoga therapist is much more clinical and geared toward learning how to apply specific yoga techniques to mitigate or reduce symptoms for a specific health concern or condition.
- Yoga therapists often work in private practice and/or clinical, medical, and institutional settings alongside board-licensed medical providers to provide integrative and complementary care; and often have specialized experience in specific treatment areas (cancer, autoimmune, musculoskeletal imbalances, etc.)
- Yoga therapists draw from the principles of yoga and the full range of yogic practices and assessment skills, as well as familiarity with biomedical and psychological foundational knowledge.
- Yoga therapy is the therapeutic professional application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote holistic health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices for individuals or small groups.
- The goals of yoga therapy include eliminating, reducing, and/or managing symptoms that cause suffering; improving function; helping to prevent the occurrence or re-occurrence of underlying causes of illness; and moving toward improved health and well-being through teaching Personalized Practices
- An IAYT-Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) has undertaken specialized training beyond that of a yoga teacher, in accordance with the IAYT’s educational competencies for the training of yoga therapists or has met IAYT’s requirements for certification under alternate pathways.
- IAYT certification provides recognition to highly-trained yoga therapists who meet or exceed an established set of rigorous standards (1000 total hours of education and supervised clinical experience) to make a professional contribution to health, healing and integrative healthcare environments.
- IAYT-Certified Yoga Therapists adhere to the professional ethics, guidelines, and codes relating to the practice of yoga therapy as defined by the IAYT and commit to not making false or inaccurate claims about yoga’s therapeutic and healing capacities.
MAY 2022:
38-hour Accessible Yoga Teacher Training
Accessible Yoga School
Online
- This training is trauma-informed and intended to train yoga teachers on suiting the practice to address the needs of special interest groups and populations such as veterans, prisoners, disabled, and victims of domestic violence.
- Addresses how to be a better community ally and ambassador to create a welcoming environment for working with specific population needs and all bodies of all abilities
APR 2022:
40-hour Therapeutic Yoga for Heart Health
aUM hOMe Shala
Florida
Online
- This training trained yoga therapists on how to work with clients who suffer from cardiac disorders, including heart attacks, stroke, bypass surgery, bradychardia, tachycardia, arrhythmias, and other related disorders
- Training included review of anatomy/biology, medical terminology, medical procedures, physical exercises/stretches, lifestyle changes, and contraindications
- Learned to guide clients at all levels of physical / emotional capacity through a comprehensive and tailored yoga therapy practice including asana (poses), pranayama (breathwork), mudras (hand and mind exercises), and other therapeutic activities to improve quality of life and daily functioning
- Tools can be incorporate into all environments (1x1, groups, clinics/hospitals, social work settings, and working with special interests/special needs populations)
MAR 2022:
30-hour Yoga Nidra Meditation
Teacher Training, Level 1 Certified
Yoga International / Integrative Restoration Institute
Online
- This training is trauma-informed and clinically tested to positively effect symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other psychosomatic imbalances
- Yoga nidra is a type of meditation which includes a variety of techniques like body sensing, breath sensings autogenics, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), and welcoming of opposites of emotions to evoke feelings of ease, relaxation, peace, and well-being in mind-body-spirit
- Learned to guide students through a 38-step exploratory map of meditation including delivery of teachings to all kinds of populations and environments (1x1, groups, clinics/hospitals, social work settings, and working with special interests/special needs populations)
March 2022:
Licensed Massage Therapist
AZ State Board of Massage Therapy
- FSMTB exam passed 11-23-2021
- Officially licensed in the state of Arizona as a massage therapist
- Officially licensed in the state of Arizona as a massage therapy establishment manager
DEC 2021: Pathology Externship, Dermatology Clinic
Center for Dermatology & Plastic Surgery
Phoenix, AZ
Massage therapists and bodyworkers are some of the few providers who touch and see their client's skin for at minimum an hour at a time. The skin is a telling indicator of holistic health; and sometimes, certain skin pathologies are contraindicated for massage. So it is important for massage therapists to be aware of dermatological health and its implications for total well-being.
- Shadowed the preeminent dermatologist in the state in high-volume clinic for all patient sessions
- Deepened knowledge of dermapathology and skin examination protocols
- Learned backend procedures for SOAP notes and charting for insurance-based treatment purposes
- Gave suggestions for integrative medical massage treatment to patients within scope of practice
- Discussed patient charts and treatments with doctor
OCT 2021:
20-hour Holistic Pelvic Care
Level 1 Provider Certification
Tami Lynn Kent
Portland, Oregon
Intended for pelvic physical therapists, advanced bodyworkers, and other somatic healers, this 20-hour specialized training focused on manual therapies and internal massage to heal pain and trauma in women's pelvic bowls, including from birth, trauma, or stressful life transitions and circumstances.
Tami Lynn Kent is a pioneer in holistic preventive care for women's pelvic floors and has authored books such as Wild Feminine, Wild Creative, and Mothering from Your Center.
Leveraging a holistic blend of techniques from rehabilitative sciences, lifestyle modifications in alignment and harmony with natural cycles, myofascial release, and energetic work, Holistic Pelvic Care offers a vitally profound and healing component of trauma-informed somatic treatment for women.
SEP 2018 - MAY 2020 & Sept 2024-May 2025:
Holistic Healer Mentorship
Her Mystery School
Ashland, Oregon
I have completed three cycles of Her Mystery School, a 9-month immersion into holistic somatic practices with weekly workshops, daily practices, and weekly teachings into temple arts. The temple was built by Jumana Sophia, my mentor in the field of teaching what it means to embody wholeness and awareness from a deep feminine approach. This training incorporates the following healing modalities:
- training in temple arts such as rituals, ceremonies, dance, and oracular wisdom for guiding oneself and others through intense or unwanted initiations in life
- purification of the mind and body through rigorous meditation practices (about 1 hour per day) plus weekly trainings
- embodiment practices for identifying sacred needs, taking ownership of desires, and navigating boundaries
- living in alignment with the natural cycles of the moon; tending to the body and "sacred mundane" of everyday life
- embodiment practices for somatic healing of our inner energetic states
- what it means to reclaim your confidence and embody your own sovereignty in navigating relationship choices
- a strong focus on women's issues and imbalances
Sept. 2019:
Functional Range Assessment
Functional Anatomy Systems
Costa Mesa, California
Functional Range Assessment (FRA)® builds on the systematic concepts of the FR and FRC systems, focusing on how to quantify a client’s basic movement capacity. It provides a better understanding of the patient/clients’ needs and where they fit within the spectrum of the Functional Anatomy Systems.
- FRA measurement procedures
- Advanced Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) assessment and interpretation
- Removing confirmation bias’ during assessment
- Neurophysiology as it applies to the Functional Anatomy Systems
- Dynamic Systems Theory as it relates to movement creation and interpretation
- Advanced FRC programming
- Advanced clinical assessment and interpretation
Feb 2019:
500-hour Massage Therapy Training School
CAMTC License #79057
South Bay Massage College
Manhattan Beach, CA
- 140-hour massage therapy internship
- 200-hour Swedish Massage
- 125-hour Deep Tissue Massage
- 50-hour Advanced Anatomy
- 35-hour Acupressure
- 24-hour Myofascial Release & Massage
- 24-hour Kinesiology/Physiology
- 24-hour Pathology
- 12-hour Nutrition
- 12-hour Business/Ethics
Feb. 2019:
Reiki Level 1
Sarah Bliss, Certified Reiki Master
Joshua Tree, CA
- 2-day healing immersion included Reiki 1 Level Handbook
- Coaching on use of sacred runes and energy healing work
- How to incorporate and apply Reiki to healing work
Dec. 2018:
Yoga Therapy Levels 2 & 3 Certification
Dr. Larry Payne
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
9-month supervised practicum in clinical Yoga Therapy with live and standardized patients
- Lower Back (Spinal Stenosis, Sciatica, Disk Pain)
- Upper Back & Neck
- Spine (Scoliosis, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis)
- Cardiovascular System (Hypertension, Heart Disease)
- Endocrine System (Diabetes, Hyper/Hypothyroid, Obesity)
- Respiratory System (Asthma, COPD, Difficulty Exhaling)
- Cancer
- Digestive System (Indigestion, Heartburn, IBS)
- Nervous System (Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, Headaches)
- Mental Health, Anxiety, & Depression
- Shoulder
- Hips & Knees
Sept. 2018:
Functional Range Conditioning
Mobility Rehabilitation Specialist (FRCms)
Functional Range Systems
Costa Mesa, CA
- 2-day seminar includes lectures and active practice
- Learned to apply and integrate FRC into therapeutic mobility and exercise programs
- Seminars cover concepts including (but not limited to) Bioflow Anatomy, biomechanics, the
- physiology of stretching, articular function, progressive tissue loading and adaptation, cellular tensegrity, cellular morphogenesis and biophysics, and flow psychology
Dec. 2017:
30-Day Yoga Therapy Immersion Study in India
Dr. Lori Fazzio and Dr. Ananda Bhavanani
Loyola Marymount University
Delhi/Rishikesh/Pune/Lonavla, India
Aug. 2017:
Yoga Therapy Level 1 Certification
Dr. Larry Payne at Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
- 9-month training intensive on using yoga therapy to understand and address the origin and treatment of musculoskeletal problems including common lower back, upper back, hip and knee ailments
- Learned how to personalized, modify, and teach safe group yoga therapy classes and individualized yoga therapy programs
- Learned to work with doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and other health professionals
- Learned how to read and understand medical terminology, pathology, medical reports such as MRIs, and write clinical notes such as SOAP notes
Feb 2016:
ACROYOGA AY FIT CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR
Jason Nemer, AcroYoga International
Culver City, CA
NOV 2015:
ACROYOGA TEACHER TRAINING
Lux of SeattleAcro
Big Bear, CA
JULY 2015:
RYT-200 SPECIALIZING IN YOGA THERAPY
Michelle Mazur Yoga School
Pacific Palisades, CA
FEB 2015:
ACROYOGA ELEMENTAL IMMERSION
Jason Nemer, AcroYoga International
Santa Monica, CA
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
This information is presented for educational purposes only and is not a guarantee of therapeutic outcome or benefit. The Body Intuitive provides educational and therapeutic services for movement, using mindfulness-based techniques. The Body Intuitive does not provide medical services and cannot prescribe or diagnose any conditions. If you have an acute condition or injury, please contact your primary care or urgent care physician.
