Meet the team that is working to bring Yoga of 12-Step Recovery into the world
NIKKI MYERS
FOUNDER
An accomplished speaker and teacher, Nikki is an MBA, E-RYT500, Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Addictions Recovery Specialist, and Ayurvedic Specialist. Born from her struggles with addiction and work with countless students, Nikki is the founder of Y12SR, Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Based on its theme ‘the issues live in the tissues’, Y12SR is a relapse prevention program that weaves the art & science of yoga with the practical tools of 12-step programs.
Y12SR meetings are available internationally and the curriculum has rapidly become a feature of addiction recovery treatment centers. Nikki’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Black Enterprise, The Huffington Post, Origin Magazine, CBSnews.com and countless podcasts. She is honored to be a co-founder of the annual Yoga, Meditation and Recovery Conferences at Esalen Institute and Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Nikki has been featured as a keynote speaker at the International Association of Yoga Therapist (IAYT) conference and the International Conference on Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She was named a Yoga Journal Game Changer and is an honored recipient of the esteemed NUVO Cultural Visionary Award.
MYSH CALDWELL
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Mysh Caldwell, RYT-200, served as Director of Operations for CITYOGA School of Yoga and Health – one of the Midwest’s largest and most successful yoga schools – for nearly 10 years. Her keen wit, organizational skills and vision empower her to bring out the best in any collaborative undertaking.
DANA WALTERS
Y12SR LEADERSHIP TRAINER
Dana Walters, ERYT-500, has been exploring the path of Yoga more and more deeply as a student of Psychology and Religion, as a practitioner, as an educator, and as a woman in recovery since she began around 1994. She owes a debt of gratitude to teachers Nikki Myers and Rolf Gates as well as countless others on a recovery path. She is honored to serve through Y12SR, offering regular meetings, trainings, and workshops offering the wisdom of Yoga coupled with the practical tools of the Twelve Steps. Her aim is to help others understand and apply this knowledge, which she has found to be vital in not only her own recovery and healing, but also in working with others. Dana has taught Yoga since 2008 and has been a space holder for Y12SR meetings since 2012. She has been featured in Yoga Journal as well as on The Huffington Post.
KYCZY HAWK
Y12SR LEADERSHIP TRAINER
Kyczy Hawk, E-RYT 500, teaches in treatment centers and yoga studios in San Jose, CA, and volunteers in the local justice system. She has also served on the staff of the Niroga Institute, teaching Yoga and Addiction Recovery. She specializes in somatic yoga techniques. Kyczy has taught Y12SR for over five years, and she has published several books and written for numerous magazines.
EMILY WALKUP
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Emily Walkup is an avid seeker, yoga student & teacher with a deep passion for being of service to others, and making yoga accessible to everyone. Registered with Yoga Alliance (RYT-200) she teaches in the Atlanta area. She is a community partner of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition; and as a certified Y12SR leader, holds regular Y12SR meetings in her community.
JACQUI SINCLAIR
Y12SR LEADERSHIP TRAINER
UK-based Jacqui Sinclair RYT500, BSc (Hons) Sports Science, is a registered sports massage therapist and has a particular interest in an integrative approach to yoga. She has been holding weekly Y12SR classes since 2013 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, and she has initiated an ongoing study with Cambridge University to investigate the efficacy of yoga in recovery. Her aim is to share the integrative benefits of yoga to all, but also to reduce the stigma of addiction. Her gratitude for Nikki Myers, yoga, the 12-step path — and life in general! — is deep and enduring.
LYNN GIFFORD
Y12SR LEADERSHIP TRAINER
Lynn Gifford, E-RYT 200, has been an active Y12SR spaceholder on Boston’s South Shore since 2010. She is deeply grateful for Nikki Myers’ leadership, inspiration, and motivation. She feels truly blessed to offer Y12SR’s combined somatic approach of yoga and the cognitive approach of 12-step programs in her community and recognizes the importance and value of being of service.
DIXIE CHAMNESS
Y12SR COI MISSION ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Dixie Chamness, ERYT-500, Y12SR space holder, and founder of The Seva Yoga Project, attributes her personal healing to yoga and the inspiration to establish TSYP, which offers YTT trainings in rural regions. After receiving a grant for her trainees to complete Y12SR training, Dixie realized the importance of this approach to recovery and the need for it to be more accessible in these regions so affected by addiction. It is her desire to facilitate this as the Y12SR COI Mission Coordinator. The somatic approach of Nikki Myers’s Y12SR provides an avenue to recovery that has the potential to help these areas devastated by the many impacts of addiction. Dixie is grateful for this opportunity to help spread the mission of Y12SR to communities everywhere.
ROBIN BLACKWELL
SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR
Robin Blackwell considers her role in corporate America as a perfect opportunity to practice her yoga off the mat. She is committed to creating welcoming spaces that foster community, regardless of the setting. She is a Y12SR spaceholder and RYT-200, and offers classes and meetings at in Concord, North Carolina. Robin holds a BS in accounting as well as an MBA, and acts as a program manager for a global financial services firm. Serving the community by supporting Y12SR and its mission is her dream come true.
KRISTEN MERRITT
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Kristen Merritt, E-RYT 200 comes to Y12SR with 20-plus years of experience in marketing, sales, event planning and development (for not-for-profit and for-profit organizations). She teaches weekly studio classes and is a certified Y12SR Leader. Kristen is so very grateful for the opportunity to work with Nikki Myers, her teacher and mentor, and the Y12SR community.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Erica Campbell believes we have all been designed to make an impact, both in our communities and in the larger world around us. It is her goal to promote wellness, mindfulness and awakening. She is pursuing a degree in psychology and is becoming a certified death doula. Erica is truly grateful to be able share her talents as administrative assistant with Y12SR.
ERICA CAMPBELL
ERIN THOMAS
DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION
Erin Thomas, E-RYT 500, has been teaching yoga for over a decade in Bloomington, Indiana where she invites students to approach the practice with dedication, compassion, and a sense of humor. Her 20 years of experience within small businesses has fueled a passion for supporting inspired leaders in making lasting impact in the world. Erin is grateful to be joining her teacher, Nikki Myers, and the Y12SR team in sharing this work.