The Yin Body is my foundational 6-month online Yin Training. It runs once a year and begins in March.

You’re in the process of trying to feel more at home in your body and you know that yin yoga helps you get there. You’re learning that it’s ok to slow down but your busy mind sometimes tries to convince you otherwise.

It’s so easy to put our self-care on the back burner. If we don’t schedule time for ourselves, then someone else (or something else) will happily take it.

In ancient times, many cultures prioritized their spiritual practice above all else. They saw their bodies as sacred instead of something for the head to drag around all day.

Your body is so much more than something to drag around all day. And your life is so much more than laundry and emails.

For one, you are made of fascia - and you can’t see it - but it affects everything from how you sit to how you respond emotionally to different situations and how you fight off infectious diseases.

Looking at the body as being made up of this invisible web of interconnected tissue called fascia is super empowering.

It’s the yin way.

Taking regular care of your fascia will help you feel more flexible, at ease, and happy in your life.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that Yin Yoga works on every level of your body, mind, and spirit. It surprises me every single day how far-reaching the effects of yin yoga have been on my own life.

I’m naturally a type A person and Yin Yoga really helped me learn how to slow down. It wasn’t easy in the beginning (at all!), but I quickly found that it was soooooo worth it.

I’ve been practicing Yin Yoga for 12 years now, and teaching it for over a decade. I’ve used my type A personality and my scientist / engineer brain to re-work some of the traditional yin yoga postures and make them more accessible for more bodies. I’ve gotten rid of the fluff and know how to help you get to the core of what matters.

I developed something called The 5 Essentials of Somatic Yin Yoga and Somatic Meditation, which you’ll learn about in this course. The 5 Essentials are concentration practices (“dharana” practices) that help you focus while you’re in a Yin Yoga posture. They assist us in getting the most out of our time. Instead of wondering what to do while you’re trying to be still, I give you clear and precise cueing, as well as timely reminders to come back to your body when your mind wanders.

If you’ve already tried to learn about yin yoga from books or YouTube videos, I applaud you! There’s so much amazing content out there, and so many incredible teachers. But my guess is that if you’re here - you’ve also probably hit a plateau. There’s something else you want to learn - and it’s more personal this time.

That’s why I created The Yin Body.

Your body is unique, just like your life, your schedule, and your needs.

This course helps you customize your practice to meet all of those beautiful needs of yours (and without shaming you or trying to get you to be like anyone else!!)

The Yin Body is a course for people who are ready to do the deeply fulfilling and personal work of learning to love themselves.

The moment we enter into a truly loving relationship with our body, our entire yoga practice changes. Waves of patience, joy, and compassion come over us. We feel more peaceful and at home in our bodies.

During this 6-month online Yin Yoga training, I help you carve out time for one of the most spiritual and life changing practices I know: somatic yin yoga.

I’ll help you go from wanting a regular home practice to having a regular home practice, and I’ll do it by inspiring and educating you all along the way.

HERE’S WHY IT’S SPECIAL

In this 6-month course, we meet once a week for 90 minutes on ZOOM so that you can learn about 44 amazing Yin Yoga postures in your own body, and with your own felt experience.

I’ve hand picked (and in some cases invented) these postures because I have seen over the course of my 21 years of experience with yoga that these are the ones that most of us really need.

This is not a lecture-based training and it’s unlike any other teacher training I’ve offered in the past. While lectures can be interesting and helpful in some cases, this program is based around practice.

The focus will be on experiencing the postures, feeling how they affect your body, and asking me your personalized questions. I think it’s really the best way to learn, and it’s very conducive to an online format. (No one really wants to be on ZOOM for 6 hours straight listening to me talk, do they?!)

WHAT YOU GET:

23 live 90-minute classes on ZOOM - Sundays 1-2:30pm ET starting March 28th
Lifetime access to the class recordings
44 Yin Yoga Posture Pages, with pictures of at least 3 variations for each yin yoga posture, as well as a list of alignment tips, benefits, and contraindications.
Our Somatic Syllabus, a 1-page PDF that shows how we’ll sequentially work with these 44 yin yoga postures by focusing on one body part at a time, from the head all the way down to the feet
17 labelled, simplified, and beautifully adorned Anatomy Drawings of what I feel are the most important inner body landmarks, including the skull, the cervical vertebrae, the sternum, the scapula, the sacrum, the femurs, the sitting bones, the pelvis and so much more. This is so that you know what each body part looks like as you are trying to feel it for yourself from the inside out.
A Practice Calendar to mark off when you’ve done your daily practice and which posture you chose to focus on (5-minutes a day)
An Organ to Disease Correlation Table so that you can easily reference which organ your current imbalance or symptom is most related to
Meridian Sequences so that you know which Yin Yoga postures to do for each meridian.
My Yin Yoga Posture Wheel, a super-handy 1-page PDF that shows you all 44 postures on one page - including which element, organ, season, and emotions each posture is connected to
The 16 Pairs of Opposites, another 1-page PDF that summarizes the fundamental differences between Yin and Yang
My Spectrum of Emotions, a more detailed array of human emotions categorized by element. This helps you use your yoga practice for emotional healing as well as physical healing.
The Somatic Yin Yoga Vow, a powerful reminder to take refuge in your body
A sample Yang Yoga practice, so that you can stay balanced and not over-do it with too much Yin Yoga
Sample Somatic Yin Yoga sequences ranging in length from 15 minutes to 90 minutes - for when you want to practice longer than your 5 minute a day homework. These sequences are for things like depression, anxiety, headaches, indigestion, women’s health, and so much more.
A Recommended Reading List, so that if you enjoy reading about yin yoga you will have some great resources to supplement your experiential learning with me.

WHAT YOU’LL LOVE:

You’ll discover how passive postures can be surprisingly energizing

Gone are the days of thinking that to feel better you have to do something you hate. If you grew up thinking that you have to push or punish your body in order to stay “fit” - I have a whole new world view that is about to blow your mind. I’ll show you a way of gently, mindfully taking care of yourself that feels amazing and gives you more energy than you’ve ever dreamed possible.

We get to throw out the old way of “teacher knows best” and instead, honor everyone’s inner teacher

Learn how to practice each posture in a way that feels good for your unique body so that you can trust yourself in yoga and in life. I’ll teach you how to get into and out of each posture safely, but how long you stay in each one, and what it looks like as you melt into each shape will be entirely up to you! This way of practicing is SO empowering and I can’t tell you how much it has changed my life. I no longer feel embarrassed by “taking a modification” in class when I’m a student. And I encourage all of my students to let their own body lead. You will always know more about your own body than me!!

We get to study the biomechanics of Yin Yoga in a fun, lighthearted, visual way

Through embodied anatomy lessons, I’ll teach you about the physical and biomechanical benefits of each posture. Instead of anatomy being dry or boring - I think you’ll find this embodied way of learning to be incredibly exciting and relevant to your everyday life. For example, did you know a straight spine is NOT actually straight - that your sacrum is supposed to be tilted slightly forward to keep your back feeling good?

We get to explore the meridians energetically - using a map, but also using our imagination

Learn about subtle energy lines that course through your body and connect seemingly very separate parts of you. I’ll not only teach you which meridians and organs are affected by each yin yoga posture, but I’ll help you wake up your power of interoception (feeling things from the inside out), so that you have a FELT sense of these energy lines rather than just a visual picture. This helps us decode the messages our body is sending us. Such a valuable life-long tool!

We get to be honest about when a Yin Yoga posture is a good idea, and when it’s not such a good idea

I’m not shy about the fact that sometimes a Yin Yoga posture will exacerbate your symptoms. Learn the contraindications of each of the 44 postures - including why not to do forward folds if you have sciatica, why backbends are better if you have a bulging disk, and which postures you should or shouldn’t do after eating.

We get to experiment with using Yin Yoga postures like we might use herbs or food - to help us come back to balance in a holistic way

I wish I learned this stuff when I was a teenager! Instead of always going to my doctor when something was wrong, or ignoring my symptoms because I didn't want to be prescribed another drug, I would have used these Yin Yoga postures to help me in so many different ways. In this training I use my background in Ayurvedic Medicine and applied, embodied anatomy to teach you bucket-loads of options for self care. You’ll leave this training with a toolkit full of postures and how each one affects us in a different way.

You’ll learn so many cool things to do with yoga and mobility props

If you’ve been wondering what to do with a foam roller, or how to use tennis balls and straps to expand your practice, you’re in luck. I’ll teach you all about these fascinating and sometimes odd-looking things (like have you heard of a Theracane?!... how about Foot Wakers?!... or the Still Point Inducer?!), and give you very detailed instructions so that you feel confident and excited to use them. I’ll also help you prioritize which props are most important to have in the beginning, and which are better to wait for.

I will validate that hunch you’ve had all of your life - that there is more to you than meets the eye.

In this training you’ll have the opportunity to reconnect with those deeper, more mysterus parts of yourself. I’ll help you hold space for the painful parts, like anger, injury and sadness, as well as for the spacious, blissful parts, like love, happiness, and optimism. If you’ve felt scared to be yourself lately, maybe out of fear of rejection, I welcome you wholeheartedly on this journey of self acceptance. I’ll escort you as we all learn how to honor our emotions and begin again each day - welcoming new dimensions of ourselves to be birthed from within like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

We will have time to digest and integrate what we learn into our daily life

Sure, you could take a shorter, less expensive course, but the length of this program lets you digest what you learn over time, and really embody the teachings in a way that will stay with you forever.

THE YIN BODY IS DESIGNED FOR...

Yoga teachers who want to learn the yin postures from someone with lots of experience
Members of my online community who want to practice more than once a week
Psychotherapists who want to add to their toolkit
Acupuncturists who need some self healing and are curious about the intersection of yin yoga and meridian theory.
Regular moms who just need some non-negotiable self care time

You’re a good fit if you…

Go-go-go all week and need a little bit of “me time” on the weekends
Focus on cardio and weight lifting, but lack the passive, fascia-release practices that help keep you feeling limber and flexible
Know somatic Yin Yoga will improve your sense of self and increase your ability to be present with others
Feel burnt out from work or caretaking and need a way to unwind
Have tried everything you can think of for your anxiety and depression, but nothing seems to work
Want to stop stressing out over things that really don’t matter to you
Are excited to hone your skills of interoception and wake up your right brain

HOW IT WORKS

In this 6-month course, we meet once a week for 90 minutes on ZOOM so that you can learn about 44 amazing Yin Yoga postures and find a variation that works for your body.

Here’s what you can expect our 90-minute Sunday sessions to look like:

1:00 - 1:15 Opening Guided Somatic Meditation on one of the 5 Essentials

1:15 - 1:45 Guided Somatic Yin Yoga Practice with our 2 postures of the week

1:45 - 1:55 Note-taking time to record your experience & questions about these 2 postures

1:55 - 2:10 Sally reviews the benefits, applications, and contraindications of the 2 postures

2:10 - 2:30 Question and answer about these 2 postures of the week, plus any additional instructions or modifications that are needed. This is the time where we’ll make sure everyone knows which version of each posture is right for them and all your personal practice questions can be answered

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to customize sequences for yourself based on how you feel day-to-day, any injuries or symptoms you're having, as well as what season of life you’re in. This is a skill you can use for the rest of your life!

You won’t be expected to memorize the postures or meridians. You’ll receive a handbook with pictures of each posture and infographics listing all the important details you’ll need to know.

You’re ready to invest…

6 months | $2160

Sign me up!

Expect to dedicate 90 minutes a week to our live streaming class on ZOOM and 5 minutes a day to your home practice.

You can walk away in six months with more knowledge about your body than most people ever have in their whole lifetime. You might even know more about how to take care of yourself than most doctors!!

GET STARTED

Interested in enrolling? This year’s course enrollment period has ended. Please email me if you’d like to be on the list for next year. And in the meantime, you can get started studying with me by joining my Wednesday night classes through the Yin Membership here.

After you enroll, make sure you have all the props you’ll need. Here’s the full list:

2 yoga blocks. I recommend the 4inch foam ones like this.
2 blankets (the Mexican style work well and are probably the least expensive. I also really like Ibena blankets for Yin Yoga because they are extra warm, wash very well, and last a long time without pilling or shedding. The size is also big enough to cover us taller or larger people more fully than a standard mexican style yoga blanket. The Ibena blankets are 59 x 78 inches and come in a variety of colors and patterns. You can check them out here - I’d choose one that is in the cotton blend collection (they are 58% cotton / 35% acrylic / 7% polyester) They are the really sturdy and warm ones.
2 tennis balls
1 long sock to tie the tennis balls in to make a peanut
A yoga strap
A foam roller (any size, length or texture will do. An 18inch x 6 inch smooth one without any ridges or bumps is the least expensive and also most beginner friendly! Here’s an example.)
A bolster (2 pillows or a couch cushion will work instead - this one isn’t mandatory. If you’d like to buy a bolster, I would get a rectangular, very firm and thickly filled one like this. The dimensions of this style bolster are 24'' long x 6'' high x 12'' wide)

My Guarantee:

Full payment, or a commitment to the payment plan, is required at the time of registration. If for some reason you change your mind and don’t want to take the course, you will receive a full refund minus a $100 processing fee if you cancel before March 19th. If you cancel after March 19th but before the start of the course on March 28th, you will receive a 50% refund. If you decide to drop-out after the start of the course, there is no refund. This also applies to the payment plan. If you drop-out after the start of the course, you will still be billed for the remaining payments in your payment plan.

Testimonials

“Sally brings incredible thoughtfulness, organization, wisdom, elegance, preparedness, depth of knowledge, and her own authentic voice to all she does and teaches. Her skillful, heartfelt and intimate style of teaching is precious and not to be missed, and enhanced my life beyond words. Sally holds the bar high for all of us. I left the training feeling prepared to teach but more importantly I left a changed and enhanced human being.”

- Moira Kowalczyk, class of 2011

“As a teacher, I gained valuable knowledge of the therapeutic benefits of asana. But overall I had one of the most important experiences of my life so far: the healing that stillness and silence bring.”

- Holly Haynes, class of 2013

“I learned how to cultivate stillness and look within more objectively.”

- Rosie Rarich, class of 2015

“Sally’s greatest strength is her vulnerability. I'm sure you've experienced classes where the teachers seem so lofty and like they've reached this unattainable place. Sally’s teaching style is so different from them. She’s open about her own journey and practice. Something about her teaching goes deeper. The example Sally sets has radically changed my own teaching in so many ways and hopefully for the better. She’s honest about how it isn't rainbows and unicorns all the time - that it's hard and takes discipline - and because of that she makes yoga feel possible (and worth it). Such a generous teacher.”

- Erin Brenneman, class of 2020

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do and who you are to this community. I find Yin to be amazing and yet soooo hard. You open yourself up to allow us to see that the journey can be rough but is well worth the struggles. Your personal stories of your own life give us insight to the wisdom you have achieved from your own perseverance and how we must truly come up out of the mud to find our inner beauty. “

- Ava Marino, class of 2020

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What if I can’t attend live?

If the Sunday times don’t fit in your schedule, you can still participate in the course and watch the recordings at any other time that works for you. The recordings are uploaded onto a password protected page and will be available by Monday morning. They never expire and you can watch them as often as you’d like.

What if I don’t have the props?

For this course, the props are really important. I would make sure you can budget for all of the following props, and have them ready to use by March 28th.

2 yoga blocks
2 blankets
2 tennis balls
1 long sock to tie the tennis balls in to make a peanut
A bolster (2 pillows or a couch cushion will work instead - this one isn’t mandatory)
A yoga strap
A foam roller (any size, length or texture will do)

How will I submit my questions?

Each week there will be dedicated Q&A time. I will ask the group if anyone has questions and will take them one-by-one based on who raises their hand.

What if I want to ask something personal, and would rather be anonymous?

You can always email me your questions ahead of time and I will answer them in class without saying who asked the question.

Are there tests, quizzes, or any assessments as part of this course?

No. This course is purely for your own personal enjoyment and education. There are no tests, quizzes, or assessments.

What if I need to miss a class, or a few classes?

You are welcome to come and go in the course as you like. If you’re ever sick, travelling, have a prior commitment, etc it is no problem to miss a session or a few sessions. Each week’s class will stand on its own as a complete lesson - so while you will miss some of the postures if you miss a class - you will still be able to jump back in without feeling left behind. All of the details of the 44 postures are also included in your handbook - so missing a class doesn’t mean you miss any of the written material.

Does this course count toward continuing education with Yoga Alliance?

Yes, if you are already a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance, then upon completion of this course you may submit your certificate of completion to Yoga Alliance for 34 hours of continuing education. I am an E-RYT 500 and an YACEP with Yoga Alliance.

Is this a teacher training?

You will learn more than enough details about the postures in order to teach them. If you have already taken a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program, and have a Yoga Alliance certification, I would feel comfortable with you starting to teach yin yoga publicly after this course.

There is not, however, time set aside for practice teaching, or learning about Yin Yoga teaching methodology in this course. Those are topics and activities that I will include in a separate program called The Yin Teacher, which will begin in January of 2022.

Completion of The Yin Body will be a prerequisite for admittance into The Yin Teacher in 2022.

This course, The Yin Body, is designed for people who want to learn about the postures for their own benefit, and whether you eventually share what you learn with others or not is up to you.

Will I get a certificate upon completion of the course?

Yes, everyone who completes the course will receive a certificate of completion.

What if I can’t, or don’t want to, do my 5 minutes a day of homework for this course?

You don’t have to turn in any assignments or homework for this course. So it’s totally ok if you decide to skip your home practice of 5 minutes a day sometimes. No one will know but you. And the truth is, everyone will skip it sometimes! Even 5 minutes on some days just won’t happen.

So, please don’t worry about the homework part. The whole point of Yin Yoga is to learn how to be gentle with yourself. My hope is that you will find your short home practice to be a joy, but if you don’t … there’s no punishment or consequences from me.

The Continuing Education credits that you will receive if you are a Yoga Alliance certified teacher are only given for the in-person (online) time together on Sundays anyway (totalling 34 hours). Homework is not included in those CE hours.

What if I’ve taken your Yin Yoga training in the past? Can I take it again?

Of course! My teaching is always evolving and I love when students return year after year. To encourage and assist in your participation as a returning student, I’m happy to offer you a 50% discount. Please email me for your returning student discount code that you will enter at checkout.