Sacred Roots Yoga Teacher Training

Sacred Roots is a 200-hour Indigenous-centred Yoga Teacher Training created in collaboration with the Indigenous Yoga Collective and Rooted Resiliency. Beginning in January 2027, the program will bring together a small cohort of Indigenous learners for a year of practice, reflection, movement, learning, and community.

The training follows a seasonal rhythm, moving through Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall with space to learn, integrate, and return. Along the way, participants will explore yoga philosophy, asana, breath, meditation, anatomy, nervous-system awareness, trauma-informed and healing-centred approaches, subtle-body teachings, and the practical skills needed to begin teaching.

Sacred Roots is designed for real life. The program combines an in-person opening intensive in Lummi, Washington with virtual weekend learning, self-paced study, peer practice, learning pods, and flexible Summer electives. It is especially intended to support Indigenous learners who are also balancing work, parenting, caregiving, community responsibilities, and life away from or within their home communities.

More than a certification, Sacred Roots is an invitation to deepen your own wellness practice, learn alongside other Indigenous people, and grow into a way of teaching that feels grounded, relational, and connected to who you are and where you come from.

Our hope is that learners leave with stronger personal practices, meaningful relationships, practical teaching skills, and greater confidence to share yoga and wellness in their families, communities, and beyond.

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Photo by Jade Anderson @foglinephotos

What is the Indigenous Yoga Collective?

The Indigenous Yoga Collective (IYC) is a grassroots movement and intercultural community collective led by Indigenous and South Asian women. Born from the First Nations Women’s Yoga Initiative and grounded in the doctoral research of Dr. Jessica Barudin, IYC is committed to uplifting wellness through culturally rooted, trauma-informed, and decolonial practices of yoga and embodiment.

We are dedicated to supporting Indigenous people and People of Culture in reconnecting with their bodies, languages, lands, and spiritual practices. At the heart of our collective is a commitment to healing, reclamation, and resurgence—guided by ancestral teachings, embodied movement, and community care.

Vision & Values

We envision a thriving, empowered network of Indigenous-led yoga and wellness practitioners, rooted in ceremony, sovereignty, and relational accountability. Our values include:

  • Trauma-informed, land-based wellness

  • Respectful engagement with the lineage of Yoga

  • Solidarity between Indigenous and South Asian communities

  • Embodying cultural resurgence and collective healing

Team & Partnership

Led by Dr. Jessica Barudin, IYC is supported by a growing team of Indigenous and South Asian educators, Elders, and wellness practitioners. Many of our collaborators have been part of this journey since the early days—as learners, facilitators, guest faculty, or knowledge keepers who continue to guide our work with care and integrity.

In collaboration with Rooted Resiliency, founded by Vina Brown and Anna Leigh Brady, we are proud to launch our first Indigenous-led 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2025/2026. This program is a multi-seasonal offering grounded in land-based learning, ancestral knowledge, and spiritual practice.

What Makes This Training Unique:

  • Rooted in a seasonal approach that follows natural cycles of rest, growth, reflection, and renewal

  • Integrates trauma-informed pedagogy with Indigenous ceremonial teachings

  • Covers foundational yoga practices—asana, meditation, breathwork, and philosophy—infused with Indigenous wisdom

  • Offers pathways for community-based resilience, language revitalization, and healing leadership

  • Facilitated by an Indigenous and South Asian faculty team committed to intergenerational and intercultural healing

We are launching the Indigenous-led 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training this January 2027. Check out Rooted Resiliency for more information and to apply. Fill out the interest form below to receive updates.

Past & Upcoming IYC Offerings:

Stay connected for these upcoming workshops, trainings, and retreats:

  • October 15-19, 2025 – Land-Based Healing Retreat, Quintano Roo, Mexico — with Jessica Barudin, Ixchel Cuevas & Harmeet Kaur

  • November 2025 – Grounded Together Through Sadhana (Virtual), with Jessica Barudin & Harmeet Kaur

  • January - December 2027 – 200-Hour Sacred Roots Yoga Teacher Training — in partnership with Rooted Resiliency & IYC

Interest Form