Ryann’s jiu-jitsu journey
An advocate for mental health and lifelong martial arts devotee, Ryann Niday has fought for her love of jiu-jitsu. Starting at a local gym in Edmond, Oklahoma in 2005, at age 11, Ryann found that the agency jiu-jitsu gave her over her mind and body allowed her to navigate being with boldness and self assurance. After a life-altering tragedy in her mid-teens, Ryann began struggling with her mental health. The jiu-jitsu community, once a source of care and confidence, lacked the tools to help her move through her hurt and to a place of healing. In addition to working through the grief and confusion of her own personal tragedy, jiu-jitsu became an inaccessible outlet for a time.
With thoughtful intention and implementing therapeutic strategies, Ryann was able to find her way back to jiu-jitsu. She found a deep comfort in working with trauma-informed women and began to use somatic principles to recreate her jiu-jitsu practice. With the help of her close friend and instructor, Jennifer Gray (Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt & Owner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu of North Oklahoma City), she discovered the power of boundary setting strategies, and addressing trauma responses that presented during training. It was with the help of Gray and the strategies that they’d cultivated together that Ryann was able to work through the second major setback in her jiu-jitsu journey: a physical accident that required multiple surgeries.
Rather than stepping away from her jiu-jitsu practice, as she had to in her teens, Ryann was able awaken a range of connections between jiu-jitsu and healing to create the type of space and practice for others that had been gifted to her: a jiu-jitsu study that embraces the whole self, on and off the mat.
Ryann is the founder and CEO of Myline Somatic Self-Defense based out of Longmont, Colorado. Myline offers a holistic approach to healing utilizing trauma-informed jiu-jitsu to empower the mind and body.
MYLINE’s Mat Space
Energy is a core principle found both in jiu-jitsu and healing. The space we share to learn and explore is sacred. Myline is a trauma-informed learning environment. We prioritize emotional and physical safety, inclusivity, and respectful communication. Our mats are a safe space from prejudice and judgement.
We can’t wait to see you on the mats!
Ryann’s Credentials
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The RBT certification is a paraprofessional certification in behavior analysis. RBTs assist in delivering behavior-analytic services.
Ryann utilizes components of assent driven applied behavioral analysis (ABA) to achieve personalized target goals related to mental well being and jiu-jitsu skill acquisition.
Myline blends assent driven ABA therapy principles and principles of jiu-jitsu to address neurodiversity, trauma, and self-development.
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Ryann is in the final year of obtaining her Bachelors of science in Integrative Health Sciences.
There are many aspects of health and wellness, including the mind, body and spirit. One is not separate from another, but pieces of what make up the whole person. Integrative health focuses on a patient's well-being from a holistic perspective, applying both conventional and natural healing approaches as a collaborative model of care.
Through innovative and interprofessional approaches in supporting diverse populations, this degree provides the skills to differentiate the ethical, legal and practice standards of integrative health practitioners. There is emphasis on evidence-based practices and gaining an understanding of the historical and cultural foundations of the integrative health field.
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Through her own journey with trauma and mental health, Ryann has devoted an extensive amount of time to researching and implementing a vast range of mental health strategies into her life. She has found power in understanding the science of trauma and the way in which it impacts the brain and body.
Through her own journey of healing, she has created a buffet of tools, rooted in science and research, that others may access and apply to their healing.
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Ryann has been training jiu-jitsu for over 20 years. She has recently aligned her affiliation with the Gracie Academy under Professor Jennifer Gray. She is currently in the process of retesting for her belt to be in alignment with the Gracie curriculum requirements.