How We Arrived Here

Doctor Tarin Hyder

We all have our own story. It’s what we choose to do with it that will make us who we are today. Will we choose for it to lock us away in the dark? Or, will we choose to shed the light and allow our truth to bring light to another’s darkness?

As for me, my story begins in December 2012. That night, just like any other, I kissed my kid’s goodnight, tucked them into bed and snuggled with my husband until I fell asleep. There was nothing that could’ve prepared me for what that morning would bring, nor

the ripple effect that would be caused over the course of the next few years.

That morning I awoke in a state of full-blown panic, the fiery feeling of hell coursed through my body as I would go from one panic attack to the next. The terror swallowed me in whole, leaving me in a state of anxiety and depression. I chose to hide behind my darkness, I chose not to talk about it, I chose to try to bury it as the stigma associated with those who struggle with the symptoms associated with mental health illness was just too much for me to bare. I turned to Dr. Google; I took all of his advice and I attempted to secretly heal myself.

I wasn’t getting better, but I wasn’t getting worse either. I had successfully found a state of balance between panic, anxiety and depression that no one could live in forever. It was at this point that I new that I needed to seek outside guidance for the sake of myself and my family. I mustered the courage and scheduled an appointment to see my primary care provider. I went to that appointment feeling hopeful and, unfortunately left my appointment feeling worse about my ‘condition’ then I had felt in the first place. The dreaded fear of being told that I would never get better, that there is no cure for mental illness and that at best, with medicine, I could temporarily mask the symptoms had now been implanted in my mind. I would be sick for the rest of my life and my only ‘temporary’ hope was in a medicine that had worse side effects then the symptoms I was suffering from in the first place. I took the script, I folded it and tucked it away in my purse where it stayed for over a year until I finally broke down and filled it due to the concern from my family.

To say that prescription wasn’t the devil is an understatement. The panic attacks worsened, the anxiety and depression were at an all time new high, and to add insult to injury, new symptoms were beginning. “That’s a perfectly normal reaction. Keep taking the SSRI, symptoms may get better before they get worse,” Primary Care Provider. Just like any other compliant patient, I took that little yellow pill of pure man made evil. I took it everyday becoming more and more afraid as my symptoms were becoming exacerbated. What I thought was anxiety couldn’t even compare to what it had become. And then, when I thought things couldn’t get worse, SURPRISE! I began hallucinating and having delusions just as the SSRI package insert had warned. The terror swallowed me in whole. Every minute of everyday I was engulfed in a constant state of fear. I made the decision that it was best for me to take my own life. I hugged and kissed my kids and my husband and then drove away knowing that I would not return (suicidal thoughts, another warning on SSRI package inserts). I drove around in the dark, not knowing where I was going until I found an abandoned baseball field. I got out of my car, I hung a rope and then swung on it to ensure it could hold my weight. My eyes welled with tears, but in my mind, this was best for both my family and I. I began to say a prayer and then my phone, which was shut off, rang. Interrupting my thoughts, I answered it. My husband was on the other end and he was hysterical. He was so hysterical that it brought me out of my own warped thinking. In the pit of his stomach he felt that something was wrong and he had been trying to get ahold of me, with no luck he then left our home and was driving around looking for me. I sobbed as I explained what I was doing and that I had no idea where I was, but that I was at an abandoned baseball field. Within less then a few short minutes, I heard my husband screaming my name as he came running around the dugout. We held each other as we both sobbed. I asked him how he found me. “Tarin, as I was on the way to the store the other day and as I always do, I took a wrong turn not paying attention. I pulled into this baseball field to turn around. When I pulled in, I felt God pointed this baseball field out for a reason. As soon as you told me you were at a baseball field, I knew which one because God showed me.” My husband and God had saved my life. From that moment forward, we made a pack that no matter how hard this situation became, that we will keep our faith knowing that we all face challenges for a reason, and that suicide will never ever be the end result.

It was then that God led me towards Natural Health Care and my healing journey began. Through the process, I discovered that I have the Homozygous MTHFR A1298C gene mutation. Healing one layer at a time, I was able to restore balance in my body by replenishing nutritional deficiencies, cleansing various sources of toxicity, ridding my body of parasitic invasions and healing emotional components. I am living, breathing proof that symptoms associated with mental health illness, are just that, symptoms. Your body’s cry for help to re-store homeostasis. I am no longer hiding behind my story, God provided me with everything that I needed to face symptoms of mental health illness and then to heal, giving me courage and a voice so that I can fight the stigma against mental health illness and the ability to light my own torch in order to bring light to others darkness.

I am a Certified Naturopathic Doctor, a Certified Gut and Psychology Syndrome Practitioner and Reiki I Practitioner. I am currently scheduling new client consultations. Some modalities that I use in my practice include Muscle Response Testing, Neural Organization Technique, Reflexology, Meridian Tracing, Light Healing Touch, CranioSacral Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage Massage, Raindrop Therapy, Tuning Forks and Sound Therapy and Color Light Therapy. My passion lies with those, of any age, who struggle with symptoms associated with mental health illness, because I too walked that path. The path can feel long, dark and scary, but it does not have to feel lonely. Together, lets walk your path towards your goal of healing!

Doctor Mallory Feyen

Mallory has a passion for holistic health and finding ways to live a vibrantly healthy and happy life through nourishing the mind, body, and soul.

Modern medicine often fails to recognize the depth and interconnectedness of the human body. Naturopathic medicine approaches every ache, pain, or dis-ease, not by masking symptoms, but by taking the journey to find the root issue that is causing manifestation of symptoms, whether that is physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Mallory hopes to empower others on their own path and help them understand that, when given the right tools that Mother Nature lovingly provides, the body has an incredible ability to heal itself.

Meet CEO & Reiki Practitioner

Caleb Hyder

We were able to take our passion of helping others and create a community of love and support for our patrons. Whether you work here, are scheduled for a consultation, a massage, here to purchase some of our supplements, or to practice Yoga, at Nature’s Gateway you are family. Our number one commitment is to provide a growing space to educate and increase your wellbeing. As the CEO I am always trying to find new ways to support this mission. As we grow, so will you.

When I am not managing the business end of Nature’s Gateway, I am a Reiki practitioner. Practicing this beautiful energy healing to help and support others is a passion of mine. Qi Gong is incorporated into each of my sessions so that each participant can take what they have learned and practice from home. Reiki is a powerful technique that has many positive effects on the body.

Meet Massage Therapist

Stacy Blankenbaker

Stacy is a licensed massage therapist with several years of experience who is passionate about helping to therapeutically rejuvenate the body.

She uses various modalities from Swedish, sports, myofascial release, neuromuscular and trigger point therapy to modify each individual massage, specific to the client's needs.

Whether you've been suffering from chronic pain or in need of relaxation, Stacy's intuitive touch combined with her skilled techniques will bring your mind and body the relief they deserve.

Meet Yoga Instructor

Brian Francis

In 2017 I completed my 16th marathon. I was averaging 2,000 running miles a year. Eventually the running began to take a toll on my lower back. Fellow runners suggested yoga to mitigate the pain. I did not think I would ever take a yoga class but eventually, I relented and tried it. I loved the class so much I started mixing yoga with my running regimen. Within 3 months, it was all yoga.

Yoga provides me with challenging overall physical workouts which was missing with my running. I was all in with yoga, even practicing it daily. After a year I decided to take the RYT 200-hour teacher training program in order to learn how to perform yoga postures correctly and understand some of the history behind it. I finished teacher training in 2018 and began teaching classes. I practice yoga daily, sometimes taking two class a day. I continually love to challenge myself and learn. I take workshops when they are available.

The roots of yoga date back thousands of years. The practice has continued to evolve even to this day. Yoga provides you an opportunity to exercise all the muscles in your body and achieve mental calmness. Everyone will get something out of yoga. It provides calmness, relaxation and clarity. I like to provide a class which welcomes all levels of practitioners. I introduce flows which improve balance, strength and stamina. All that is needed is comfortable clothes and a yoga mat.

Meet Yoga Instructor

Julia Janay Taylor

Is an undergraduate honors society student at WCC with a focus on medicine and nursing. She recently became the president of students for sustainability as she is passionate about caring for, educating, and nurturing the earth as much as possible within the realm of science. Julia graduated from AUM yoga in the month of May 2020 becoming a 200 HR RYT shortly thereafter with the yoga alliance. She came to Ann Arbor looking to attend UofM school of nursing and has pursued it ever since.

She is also a certified motor city acrobatics instructor and finds her passion in practicing and teaching holistic health, yoga, acrobatic yoga, Thai therapeutics, and aerial silks. She has been practicing yoga for over 5 years now and whenever you don't see her in aerial silks, teaching acrobatics or balancing on her hands, is when she is teaching other people to balance on their hands.

More than just helping people learn to balance on their hands she also is passionate about people finding the connection between mind, body, and spirit, and finding their truest selves by coming home through the movement and expression of the body. She truly believes in the healing power of touch and how intimacy and trust of self and of others is the key driving factor of healthy successful relationships.

As stated by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Yoga has a multitude of benefits which include but are not limited to: lessening of chronic pain, lowered blood pressure, increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, weight reduction, stress reduction, cardio and circulatory health, protection from injury, and improved athletic performance.

Julia is here to help you find all these things not only from yoga but through Acro yoga and Thai therapeutics as well. She will be offering Yin (longer slower holding restorative posture classes think 5 - 7 minutes per pose) Hatha (a strengthening yet restorative practice) Vinyasa Levels 1 + 2 (more fluid faster paced strengthening/sweating it out kind of classes more along the cadence of one breath/ one movement) and Vinyin (think 30 minutes of sweating it out then 30 minutes into slower restorative postures) She looks forward to seeing you on your mat.

Meet Yoga Instructor

Rachel MacCarreall

Rachel developed a passion for yoga after her first child was born in 2014. She initially sought out the practice as a space to have time to herself and quickly realized the many benefits yoga provided. Not only did it give her the peaceful atmosphere she had hoped for, it also increased her flexibility and strength, improved her posture and ability to focus, and connected her with a community of like-minded individuals.

With consistent practice, Rachel is proud to say she completed Ashtanga Yoga through the 39th week of her second pregnancy, after which her instructor strongly encouraged her to complete yoga teacher training. While raising two young children, Rachel became RYT-200 certified in 2019 and jumped right into teaching due to her desire to help others. She has taught over 300 hours in Short-Form Ashtanga, Chair Yoga, Gentle, Slow Flow, and Yin and has extensive experience with beginners, individuals with injuries/surgeries, athletes, preschoolers, and senior citizens. Rachel has also worked with youth sports clubs to bring the practices of yoga and meditation to younger generations.

Rachel believes that yoga is for everyBODY and will help you unlock the benefits it can provide for both your physical and mental well-being. She offers either private or group classes in TEACHING STYLES.