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Led by Dr. Tamisha J. Ponder, PhD, ERYT, WisdOM of the Body™ Yin Yoga, Breathwork & Embodiment Training at Sankofa Yoga School sees Yin Yoga not for rest—but for reckoning, reverence, and return. Here, we work through what the body remembers and breathe through what it holds. Yin practice isn’t always about passive relaxation; it can be about deep embodiment, transformation, and listening to the wisdom within us.
50hr Yin Yoga, Breathwork &
Embodiment Training
July - August 2025
The body is a gateway to wisdom that words cannot touch. This training is an invitation to come home—not to who you think you should be, but to the truth of who you already are. Through the practice of Yin yoga, breathwork, and somatic awareness, we learn that healing is not something we force—it is something we feel our way into.
WisdOM of the Body™ Yin Yoga, Breathwork & Embodiment Training (YBT) is a 50-hour immersive teacher training designed to integrate the art of Yin yoga with breathwork, somatics, and deep embodiment practices. In this training, we do not approach Yin yoga only for rest—but for reckoning, reverence, and return. We work through what the body remembers and breathe through what it holds. It is for anyone who feels called to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with their body’s natural wisdom.
At its core, this training is about returning to the body. Everybody breathes, and everybody has the capacity to reconnect with the body’s wisdom, no matter where they start. This training is a journey into embodiment, transformation, and the deep listening that allows us to be truly present with ourselves and others.
COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES
This immersive training is designed to:
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Reclaim Yin as a Practice of Presence: Learn to approach Yin yoga not just for rest, but as a space for reckoning, reverence, and return.
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Deepen Inner Listening: Cultivate embodied awareness and trust in the body’s natural wisdom through stillness, sensation, and breath.
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Integrate Breathwork & Somatics: Explore how breath and subtle movement support emotional release, nervous system regulation, and healing.
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Understand the Body as a Site of Memory: Recognize how trauma, emotion, and life experience live in the body—and how to meet them with compassion.
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Develop an Embodied Teaching Voice: Design Yin yoga and breath-centered practices rooted in intuition, presence, and trauma-informed care.
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Hold Space for Others: Build the capacity to guide individuals and groups through slow, supportive, and transformational practices.
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Return to Yourself: Anchor your personal practice in deep listening, spiritual alignment, and the sacred intelligence of your own body.
Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate of completion. The certification ensures a total of fifty (50) continuing education credits (CECs) with Yoga Alliance with each module with its own respective credits.
COURSE SCHEDULE & DATES
The training course comprises four live-virtual sessions and a closing weekend in-studio. This format allows students time to integrate the material, complete hOMework assignments, read selected texts, and embody the wisdom in practice. Please note: We follow a screens-on policy for all virtual sessions.
ORIENTATION: Introduction, Course Overview
Friday, July 18 @ 12:00 - 1:00 pm EST VIRTUAL
MODULE 1 | Introduction to Yin Yoga and Embodiment
Monday, July 21 @ 6:00 - 8:30 pm EST VIRTUAL
MODULE 2 | The Art of Stillness and Transformation
Monday, July 28 @ 6:00 - 8:30 pm EST VIRTUAL
MODULE 3 | The WisdOM of Breathwork and Somatic Awareness
Monday, Aug. 4 @ 6:00 - 8:30 pm EST VIRTUAL
MODULE 4 | Trauma, Release and Connection
Monday, Aug. 11 @ 6:00 - 8:30 pm EST VIRTUAL
MODULE 5 | Closing Weekend: Immersive Practice, Integration & Graduation
The final module will take place in person at our studio (300 Main Street, Laurel, MD), pending health and safety guidelines. Should conditions change, we will transition to livestream learning via Zoom. To view our training space, click here.
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Saturday, August 16 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm IN-STUDIO (virtual options)
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Sunday, August 17 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm IN-STUDIO (virtual options)
In addition to training sessions, students will complete readings, homework, a daily yin and breathwork practice, meet with peers asynchronously, and attend Yin and breathwork classes (in-studio, virtual, or local).
*See Syllabus for attendance policy and course requirements.
PREREQUISITES
Q: Who is this training for?
This training is for anyone drawn to the deeper layers of practice—those who want to move beyond poses and into the wisdom the body holds. Whether you are seeking this experience to ground yourself—whether as a parent, artist, organizer, or someone navigating life’s complexities—or you regularly support others as a yoga teacher, therapist, counselor, energy healer, social worker, educator, or caregiver—this space was created for you.
TUITION + REGISTRATION
The cost of our 50hr Yin Yoga, Breathwork & Embodiment Teacher Training (YBT) is $800. Applicants will be required to submit an information form and pay the non-refundable $300 deposit to gain entry into the training.
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Payment Plan Option: $300 non-refundable and non-transferable deposit, followed by the final payment of $500 on July 15, 2025. Need to split the final payment? Reach out to request a two-installment option.
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10% Early Bird Discount is available for those paying in full by July 1, 2025.
*See Syllabus for information on tuition/refund policy.
INFORMATION SESSION:
Curious about the training and want to learn more? Click here to watch the playback and discover how this program can deepen your Yin Yoga practice and support your journey into embodiment.
NEXT STEPS:
If you are interested in joining our YBT, please complete the following steps. Applicants will be required to review the attached course details in entirety, submit an information form and pay the non-refundable and non-transferable $300 deposit to gain entry into our WisdOM of the Body™ Yin Yoga, Breathwork and Embodiment Training. Once all three steps are completed, you're in! See steps below:
1) Download "Syllabus"PDF
2) Submit Information Form
3) Enroll with $300 deposit
If you have any questions about any of this material, please email here or call 240-786-7182.
The program reserves the right to cancel or postpone any training before it begins. In that case students will either be contacted to reschedule, be refunded in full, or given studio credit. If a student can no longer attend a training session, the program will not give any refunds, however, such amount may be applied towards a future training program if applicable. If you have any questions about any of this material, please email here or call 240-786-7182.
ABOUT YOUR TEACHER TRAINER:
Dr. Tamisha J. Ponder, PhD is a body alchemist, scholar, and sacred space holder whose work lives at the intersection of self-mastery, movement, and meaning. She is the founder of Sankofa Yoga & Wellness Center and a master teacher in yoga, Reiki, meditation, and Thai bodywork. A community organizer turned healer, Dr. Ponder came to yoga after burnout and began teaching in 2012 to bring accessible, embodied wellness to those she served. Her offerings are rooted in ancestral wisdom, somatic healing, and cultural connection. She is an E-RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP, Reiki Master Teacher, and certified doula (birth, fertility, and end-of-life). Her academic work explores the somatic impact of activism and the physiological effects of stress, revealing how radical self-care became a byproduct of 21st-century organizing. She holds a PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture, a master’s in Women’s and Gender Studies, and a bachelor’s in Journalism with a focus on Black women’s studies. Whether guiding students through movement, stillness, or breath, she teaches from the belief that the body is both compass and archive—a sacred site of resilience, resistance, and return.