In-Person Workshop Retreat Experience
My Physio-Zen Method® Certification for Healthcare Professionals
Moving Beyond Chronic Pain: Restoring Purpose, Function, and Calm
Research-informed strategies that create strong momentum through integrated mental, physical, and neurobiological pathways.
Book your spot in one of our workshop/retreats expertly crafted by physical therapists for chronic pain relief, burnout recovery, and resilient living.
We are the new inter-professional and integrative standard for healthcare professionals in whole person care.
My Physio-Zen Method® Certification Retreats
What Our Evidence-Based Workshop Offers…

A New Standard — Not Fitness. Not Therapy.
An integrative, evidence-based model bridging clinical care, lifestyle medicine, and resilient living. This program represents a distinct educational model that sits between traditional clinical care, the bio-psycho-social model, and general wellness programming. It is neither a fitness retreat nor a substitute for medical treatment, but an academically grounded, integrative educational experience.
By combining evidence-based rehabilitation principles, lifestyle medicine foundations, and integrative care frameworks, the workshop establishes a new standard for healthcare professional education focused on chronic pain relief, burnout recovery, and resilient living.
Built for Healthcare Professionals
Practical, evidence-aligned education tailored for clinicians seeking relief, renewal, and professional sustainability. The workshop retreat is specifically structured for healthcare professionals seeking evidence-based education that supports both clinical excellence and personal sustainability. Content is relevant to physicians, physical therapists, nurses, advanced practice providers, psychologists, and allied health professionals.
Educational objectives emphasize applicability, critical thinking, and professional resilience. The program supports continuing education goals while addressing the growing need for integrative, lifestyle-oriented approaches to chronic pain and clinician well-being.
Evidence-Based Chronic Pain Relief
Neuroscience-informed strategies designed by physical therapists to address persistent pain at its root—not just symptoms. This workshop retreat delivers evidence-based education grounded in contemporary pain science, neuroscience, and physical therapy practice. Participants examine the biopsychosocial mechanisms of chronic pain, including central sensitization, cortical reorganization, and maladaptive movement and stress responses that perpetuate persistent pain conditions.
Instruction emphasizes clinically applicable strategies that move beyond symptom suppression toward long-term resolution. Through guided experiential learning and case-based discussion, healthcare professionals gain practical tools to apply pain neuroscience education, graded exposure principles, and movement-based reconditioning within integrative and lifestyle-oriented care models.
Burnout Recovery & Nervous System Regulation
Clinically grounded tools for stress reduction, autonomic balance, and sustainable energy for healthcare professionals. Healthcare burnout is addressed through an evidence-informed framework focused on nervous system regulation, stress physiology, and recovery science. Participants explore the role of autonomic imbalance, sleep disruption, chronic stress exposure, and moral injury in clinician burnout and reduced professional longevity.
Educational content integrates principles from neurophysiology, behavioral health, and lifestyle medicine to support resilience and restoration. Attendees learn practical strategies for autonomic regulation, stress modulation, and sustainable self-care practices that are applicable both personally and professionally within demanding healthcare environments.
Integrative Care Approach
A whole-person model combining movement science, mind-body practices, and behavior change to support long-term health. This program presents an integrative care framework that aligns with whole-person and interdisciplinary healthcare models increasingly adopted in academic medical centers. Instruction emphasizes the coordinated interaction of physical, psychological, behavioral, and environmental contributors to health and disease.
Participants are guided through evidence-based approaches that bridge conventional rehabilitation, mind-body medicine, and lifestyle interventions. Emphasis is placed on clinical reasoning, interprofessional collaboration, and ethical application of integrative strategies within scope-of-practice guidelines.
Lifestyle Medicine Foundations
Nutrition, sleep, recovery, and daily habits that support inflammation reduction, resilience, and functional longevity. Lifestyle medicine principles form a core component of the educational curriculum, with focused attention on nutrition, sleep health, physical activity, stress management, and behavior change. Content is grounded in current research linking lifestyle factors to inflammation, metabolic health, pain persistence, and cognitive-emotional resilience.
Healthcare professionals gain practical frameworks for counseling, self-application, and patient education that support long-term functional outcomes. Instruction emphasizes realistic, sustainable lifestyle strategies that can be integrated into clinical care plans and professional wellness initiatives.
Functional Medicine-Informed Strategies
Systems-based insights that connect pain, stress, metabolism, and lifestyle patterns into practical, applicable solutions. The program introduces functional medicine–informed concepts through a systems-based lens appropriate for academic and clinical education. Participants examine interconnected physiological pathways—including neuroendocrine function, immune response, and metabolic regulation—that influence pain, fatigue, and stress-related conditions.
Rather than protocol-driven treatment, the focus remains on clinical insight, pattern recognition, and lifestyle-informed interventions. Educational content supports ethical, evidence-aligned integration of functional concepts without exceeding professional scope or replacing standard medical care.
Physical Therapist–Led Expertise
Designed and delivered by licensed physical therapists with clinical experience in chronic pain, rehabilitation, and wellness. All educational content is designed and delivered by licensed physical therapists with advanced training in chronic pain management, integrative care, and lifestyle medicine–aligned approaches. Instruction reflects contemporary rehabilitation science and clinical best practices across outpatient, wellness, and interdisciplinary settings.
This physical therapist–led perspective ensures rigorous attention to movement science, functional restoration, and patient-centered care. The curriculum supports interprofessional understanding while maintaining clarity of professional roles and responsibilities.
Who Should Attend the My Physio-Zen Method® Chronic Pain Relief Certification Retreats?
More than a retreat—an interdisciplinary collaboration where healthcare professionals elevate their own well-being while building a connected referral network for seamless patient care.
🩺Physicians (MD / DO)
Evidence-based integrative approaches to chronic pain and clinician resilience
🦴Physical & Occupational Therapists + Assistants (PT / OT / PTA / COTA)
Evidence-based integrative approaches to chronic pain and clinician resilience
👩⚕️Nurses & Advanced Practice Providers (RN / NP / PA)
Evidence-based integrative approaches to chronic pain and clinician resilience
🧠Psychologists & Behavioral Health Professionals
Bio-psycho-social and neuroscience-informed pain and stress care
🧑⚕️Allied Health Professionals
Interdisciplinary education supporting whole-person care
🏋️ Athletic Trainers & Fitness Professionals
Science-informed movement, recovery, and resilience education
Travel is Medicine
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Disrupts habitual stress patterns by removing familiar cues that reinforce pain and burnout
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Creates psychological safety through distance from roles, responsibilities, and expectations
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Engages curiosity and novelty, which naturally down-regulate threat and pain pathways
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Restores perspective by widening emotional, cognitive, and sensory experience
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Supports nervous system flexibility, allowing new patterns of regulation and meaning to emerge
Book Your Spot
Choose the package that best fits your journey to transformation
Event Gallery
Glimpses from our previous workshop retreats.













Alaska
Florida
Colorado
Africa
Bhutan
Orphanage
West Point
Washington DC
France
Thimphu
Workshop
Key West
Aspen
Kilimanjaro




California
Tahiti
West Point
Workshop
Meet the Founder
Experienced, certified, and passionate about your wellness.
Dr. Kim Byrd-Rider, PT, DPT
Kim Byrd-Rider, PT, DPT, created the My Physio-Zen Method® from a deep devotion to helping people feel at home in their bodies again. She believes true healing unfolds when healthcare professionals gather with intention—sharing wisdom, presence, and care for the whole human experience. Having lived and worked in each course destination, Kim curates every retreat with an insider’s sensitivity to place, rhythm, and beauty, inviting participants into an experience that feels restorative, meaningful, and deeply personal.
Certified Specialist
Drawing from hospital, outpatient, and military physical therapy, along with 30 years of teaching yoga, meditation, Pilates, and holistic practices, Kim blends medical precision with deeply human care.
Education
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Bachelor’s of Science in Health Science, University of Oklahoma
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Master’s in Physical Therapy, University of Oklahoma
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Master’s Study in Psychology, Harvard University
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Doctorate of Physical Therapy, Boston University
She also brings over 30 years of holistic study, including yoga, meditation, and Pilates, integrating academic rigor with embodied wisdom.
Physical Therapy Experience
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Advent Health Hospitals, Florida
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West Point Military Academy, New York (Department of Defense)
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Department of Education Virgin Islands Schools
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Aspen Valley Hospital, Colorado
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The Golden Door (#1 Spa in the World), California
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Adjunct Professor California Institute of Human Science University
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CEU instructor Cross Country Education, Nationwide
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Volunteer Hospital PT and Professor in Thimphu, Bhutan
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before joining us.



Get Certified / Earn Cont. Ed.


Get Certified / Make Forever Friends
Frequently asked questions
How is this workshop retreat event different for other programs?
This is not a conference you attend and forget—it is an immersive experience you step into. By intentionally requiring travel, the retreat removes participants from daily routines and clinical pressures, creating space for true presence, reflection, and transformation. Being away from home allows learning to settle more deeply, relationships to form more naturally, and the nervous system to reset in ways that simply don’t happen in traditional programs.
What makes this experience truly distinct is the interdisciplinary journey it creates. Healthcare professionals from different disciplines learn, move, and share time together—building trust, perspective, and genuine connection. These shared moments, both inside and outside the learning space, mirror the collaborative path of a patient’s chronic pain journey, where healing unfolds best when care is connected rather than fragmented.
Travel becomes part of the medicine. Exploring a destination together fosters meaningful conversations, cross-disciplinary understanding, and lasting professional bonds. Participants leave not only with new knowledge, but with a living referral community—one grounded in shared experience, mutual respect, and a deeper appreciation for how each practitioner contributes to seamless, compassionate chronic pain care.
Can I participate if I’m currently experiencing pain?
Yes—this workshop is designed with that in mind. Everything is taught with safety, choice, and nervous system awareness at the forefront, and you are always encouraged to move at your own pace. We meet you exactly where you are, offering options, modifications, and moments of rest so nothing feels forced or overwhelming.
This is not about pushing through pain—it’s about learning how to move, explore, and participate in ways that feel safe and supportive for your body. Many participants find that being listened to, respected, and guided gently becomes an important part of their healing experience.
Do I need any prior experience with yoga, meditation, or mind–body practices?
No prior experience is required.
All practices are thoughtfully guided and adapted for every level, including complete beginners. The focus is on safety, comfort, and learning how to apply mind–body strategies in ways that feel supportive—not on performance or flexibility.
Is this certification suitable for healthcare or wellness professionals?
Yes—this certification is designed for professionals who walk alongside patients on their healing journey.
The My Physio-Zen Method® Certification is ideal for healthcare and qualified wellness professionals who are actively involved in patient care, particularly with individuals experiencing chronic pain. By bringing together practitioners across disciplines, the program creates a shared language and a trusted referral community—so care feels connected, intentional, and truly supportive for the people you serve.
How does this certification support both my practice and my purpose?
Healthcare work begins with purpose—but over time, pressure, burnout, and fragmented systems can quietly distance you from it. This certification is designed to help you reconnect with the why that first called you into care: being present, making a meaningful difference, and truly helping people feel better.
Through immersive learning, shared experience, and interdisciplinary connection, you’re reminded that healing is not something you carry alone. You leave with renewed clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of belonging—to a community that sees the whole human behind the diagnosis, including you.
How does the certification help my patients find purpose?
Chronic pain often takes more than comfort and mobility from patients—it quietly steals meaning, identity, and hope. This certification equips you to help patients rediscover a sense of purpose by guiding them back into safe movement, trust in their bodies, and belief in what is still possible.
As you learn to address pain through connection, collaboration, and nervous system safety, patients begin to see themselves not as broken, but as capable again. In helping them reconnect to their lives, relationships, and sense of agency, you don’t just reduce pain—you help restore purpose, dignity, and direction.
What kind of results can I realistically expect?
Chronic pain can take time to resolve—but when care is grounded in science, change often happens sooner than people expect. This certification is built on research-based approaches shown to accelerate progress by reducing fear, restoring nervous system safety, and reintroducing movement in a way the brain can trust. Many participants notice meaningful shifts in understanding, confidence, and patient response quickly, because the strategies work with the nervous system rather than against it.
While every healing journey is individual, this method represents one of the most efficient, evidence-informed paths available today. By applying what the science already knows about pain, learning curves shorten, momentum builds faster, and hope returns earlier—for both clinicians and the people they care for.
Will I earn continuing education hours?
You will earn 32 documented continuing education hours. Upon completion, you’ll receive full documentation of your 32 hours, including course objectives, instructional hours, faculty credentials and bios, course processes, and an official certificate of completion. All records are processed and archived through National Personal Training Institute (NPTI).
If your professional license allows manual entry of continuing education, this documentation is typically sufficient for reporting purposes. For licenses that require direct accreditation, we are actively in the process of securing additional CME and CEU accreditation, and updates will be provided as those approvals are finalized.
Can I join if I live outside the United States?
Yes—this certification is open to participants from around the world. My Physio-Zen Method® workshops and retreats welcome healthcare and wellness professionals internationally. All courses are taught in English, and participants are encouraged to use translating earbuds or devices if helpful for communication and learning.
Continuing education hours are provided through the National Personal Training Institute (NPTI), a global organization that supports continuing education recognition worldwide. No matter where you practice, you’ll be joining an international community united by shared purpose, learning, and care.
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