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Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga is approved by Yoga Alliance. Yoga Teachers can earn CE’s.
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Email questions to: Info@zabieyamasaki.com
TEACHER Testimonials
“The beauty that emerges from woundedness is a beauty infused with feeling.” -John O’Donohue
Zabie: What you have created is exceptional and infused with your heart as a survivor. The difference is unmistakable. Thank you for having the courage to commit your formidable skills to weaving this beauty from the threads of your wounds. I look forward to sharing it on the ‘right’ coast! The powerpoint and materials are thorough and gorgeous! It is evident you took as great care with preparing them as you attend to students. I deeply appreciate the depth of research, qualitative and quantitative approaches interspersed. Your approach is very survivor centered and it is embodied in your vast array of tools- no one way fits everyone! BRAVO! Blessings dear one!
-Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga Training Participant, 2019”
“I’ve had the immense privilege of partnering with survivors and caregivers in the trauma field for well over a decade. I’ve attended a lot of impactful, well-presented trainings. What I experienced at my training weekend, learning from and with Zabie, offered me the tools to begin imagining how my own journey as a survivor could be mindfully accessed, on my own terms to provide compassionate care. Encountering this brilliant, gentle, honest, and authentic professional who was willing to stand boldly in all of her experiences while doing this most important work was paradigm and identity-shifting in the most beautiful, empowering, and unexpected way. Coming from a clinical context, disclosure of one’s experiences in professional settings is often discouraged or framed as unethical. Yet here stood Zabie’s tender, embodied approach to teaching, advocacy, and caregiving. Listening to her and learning from her felt like coming home to myself, like I had finally discovered the missing pedagogical piece to show up to this work in my own way. I don’t think I’ll ever find all the words I want to honor who she is and what she does and how blessed we all are that she’s willing to so generously share her loving presence and gifts with us.”
- Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga Training Participant, 2020”
“Zabie cultivated and curated a supportive, empowering, and nurturing enviornment, where for the first time in my survivor-hood, I felt comofrtable enough to disclose my status as a sexual assault survivor to a group of strangers. What I encountered my weekend learning from her and our fellow colleagues, inspired change all the way to my core. Zabie’s training was unlike anything I has ever encountered in a Yoga environment before. She made me feel safe, supported, encouraged, and rather than guiding me through a sequence devoid of any of my own decision-making, she invited me to explore the sequence as much as my own body felt called to it, or to feel free to exercise my choice not to perform the pose. She softly, and tenderly created a compassionate space for me to exercise a series of choices with my own body, something I was previously unaware that my body so dearly craved.
-Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga Training Participant, 2020”
“I am thankful everyday for the doors your training opened to me. I am forever changed. Thank you”
“I completed teacher training with Zabie in Salt Lake City and learned valuable insights about teaching trauma-informed yoga from her. Zabie’s teaching experience, research, and compassion are remarkable.”
“Your training left me so inspired and what I have learned from you will stay with me all of my life.”
“What you give of your time, your brilliance, your experience, and your heart are absolutely transformational...and I am deeply grateful, not just for myself, but for humanity as a whole. What I want to share with you is how your influence has given me permission to be warm, approachable, and loving in the trauma-informed yoga classes I have already been leading...the manual! Holy hours of dedication! Thank you for this fabulous resource... as I said before, I feel that I have found my tribe of healers and helpers. priceless is this resource and community! Thanks to you!”
“I started teaching in June last year and have been struggling to find my yoga instructor voice/purpose - feeling quite lost - I now believe that I have found it!”
“To put it simply, I think that the experience I had in your class on Friday made me realize what I am called to do in my (soon to be) roll as a yoga teacher. The feelings of loving-kindness and acceptance were stronger in your class than anything I have witnessed up to this point in my life. I was brought to tears as I looked around the room and saw everyone honoring their bodies and really loving themselves. It was an experience I will never forget and I am so grateful that you shared space with us in such a meaningful way. Listening to you teach made a huge impact on the way I view yoga and I realized what I want my voice to be and how I want my classes to feel. The space you created for us is the type of space I would love to create in my classes in the future.”
“I’m still savoring all of the feelings and learnings from this excellent training. thank you for sharing your wisdom, guidance and intelligence, Zabie! So grateful for all of the strong, resilient, and shining individuals who participated. looking forward to attending another training with you in the future.”
“I wanted you to know you’ve truly inspired me and changed my life forever.”
“One of the most moving training’s I’ve done.”
“Even as I journal, I find there aren’t enough ways to express how forever changed I am. You are such a strong container to hold space for our bodies, to offer words of compassion to our experiences, and offer light to these vulnerable topics. I am so grateful & humbled by your journey. Thank you.”
“This was the most amazing, enlightening, and inspiring training I’ve ever experienced.”
“Zabie, I have so much gratitude for you and all the amazing people i shared space with this weekend. I learned so much valuable information and I feel so inspired! Thank you so much for pouring your whole heart and dedication into this work that is helping to uplift and empower so many.”
“This training has changed my life in so many ways. I am completely honored and deeply grateful. Thank you for the liberation.”
“Thank you so much for allowing my remote participation in the June trauma-informed yoga certification. I’m blown away by the amount of information you shared, the organization (and amount) of resources you’ve given, the clear and thorough manual, the opportunities for delving deeper into the subject and practice you have provided, and the warmth with which you led the class. I’m inspired and motivated to begin this work, and I consider it my calling to do god’s work. Your program has helped me find my purpose. You are clearly a lovely soul, choosing to empower yourself and others in the face of trauma. Living from love rather than fear. Doing what you do makes a true change in the world, and can put this American culture on the path to real rehabilitation. I’m honored to be a product of your program.”
“Zabie is a true blessing. This course was beautiful and life-changing. everyone should take this course. It should be mandatory for every yoga teacher. It flowed beautifully and the structure was effective.”
“I’ve been volunteering teaching yoga to teens and young adults for almost the past year and last Saturday, I had an awesome moment in class that I wanted to share with you. In my 500-hour training, I was taught to “control the classroom” and I was told that I shouldn’t even give students the option of flowing in cat stretch with their breath because then I might lose control! Your training confirmed how I felt about teaching yoga: letting students do what feels comfortable and good to them, offering poses and guiding them through possible options while always allowing them to be in charge of their own yoga practice, giving them the opportunity to explore whatever poses they desire and letting go of the idea that I was supposed to control the class. On Saturday, I was guiding practice and as I looked at the students, I saw that every one of them was doing their own thing and no one was following what I was saying and I thought, “yes! they are learning to listen to their bodies and do what they need!” It took me many years to break away from always doing what the teacher said and I am so grateful that I attended your training and learned how to create a safe place for my students to explore yoga on their own. Thank you so much!”
“Immersing myself in this training was a magnified step for me. It was an emotional, inspiring, exciting and awakening experience, to learn from so many passionate yoga practitioners (yogis, who also have other exciting careers) determined to make a profound difference as yoga teachers, healers, and educators. I was so moved by all the feedback and information that everyone brought and shared, humbly, and willing to learn more of what Zabie had to share about trauma-sensitive yoga.
There was not one word throughout the training that did not hold my attention and carry meaning. I know that having gone through this training I will make a difference and foster healing through this trauma-sensitive and trauma-informed lens, in my yoga teachings and as a student myself. There is so much more that I would love to learn and practice utilizing what I’ve learned, so I hope to participate in your next workshop and 5-week workshop!
Zabie did a remarkable job of bringing together such a large group of inspirations and healers. Going through this training has awakened in me an increased desire to go out and make a difference and foster positive change in the lives of survivors of trauma.
I am always amazed by Zabie’s authenticity, her truly genuine character, benevolence, and beautiful work, but also by her constant reminders of the beauty that lies in being human. She has ignited in me, the fire to continue on my own path and I am forever grateful to simply know her and be inspired by her light.”
“Transcending Sexual Trauma with Yoga was a comprehensive, accessible, practical, and highly restorative learning experience. It offered trauma caregivers and care seekers the needed content, tools, strategies, professional partners (ex. Clinicians, Movement facilitators, Embodied Holistic Healers, and Meditation facilitators) and community connections to successfully imagine and implement a supportive trauma-informed care space. I left my training experience grounded in gratitude for Zabie’s generous sharing of her wisdom and resources and her collaborative approach to trauma care.”
“I am forever changed because of the experience we had together this past weekend. I can say this for certain even though it will take time to integrate and work through all of the emotions and knowledge from this past weekend. You are the very definition of strength and resilience. Thank you for showing up and sharing yourself with the group. It was truly a heart-expanding weekend with amazing souls. Thank you for creating and holding a safe place for us and for sharing yourself with the group. I have followed and been inspired by your energy and courage for years. I was so honored to be in your presence and to have the opportunity to learn and share it with you. Finding and using your voice and creating something so amazing for survivors and the greater world is incredible. You are such a gift to the world.”
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for holding space. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for showing up. I remember a year ago finding your website and saying to myself, ‘omg, this is who I want to be in the future...’ without knowing I would be here now. In the past 2 days, you’ve touched and explored new concepts that resonate with my own existing anxieties and feelings. Thank you for putting together this amazing toolkit for us to share with the world. Thank you for bringing in speakers that have such unique roles in the field and most importantly who look like me. Thank you for breaking down these invisible barriers and opening the doors of opportunity. Your energy, your power, your essence is beautiful and calming and just what this world needs.”
“This training changed my life.”
“I’ve been meaning to reach out to you because what you spoke to and about, opened and comforted my heart and soul. You planted a seed and it seems to have altered the rhythm of my life pace..slowing and noticing how I respond and speak to myself and others. Your powerful, gentle words were so supportive.. it brings me to tears thinking about how safe and loved I felt. I am a survivor and I believe it is part of my purpose to reach and serve others through my traumas/wounds...Thank you for sharing your humble wisdom, guidance, graceful love, space, and support. I hadn’t cried in a while, but thank you for being there when i did. it felt like my heart cracked a little bit.”
“The best training I’ve ever done.”
“This is an invaluable experience for yoga teachers and mental health clinicians alike. I have no words- I am in awe.”
“Zabie is a game-changer in the field of trauma-informed yoga for survivors.”
“Zabie, you are such a kind and compassionate human being and your work is a true gift. Your attention to detail made everybody feel safe, welcomed, comfortable and loved during a weekend of vulnerability. What an amazing gathering of intelligent and amazing women. This experience was invaluable. from my heart to yours....Thank you.”
“If you are considering training in trauma yoga this is the one and only training you should take! Zabie’s curriculum is incomparable- thorough, victim-centered, compassionate. It is the gold standard if you want to work with trauma survivors in a meaningful way.”
“Thank you for the unbelievable gift that is this training. This needs to be incorporated into every 200-hour teacher training.”
“I felt like this training was made for me, a woman of color, rather than having to mentally adjust things to fit my experience.”
“I just wanted to take some time and thank you so much, from the absolute top and bottom of my heart for being the most amazing and incredible human i’ve ever encountered. I think I’ve experienced every single emotion on the grand scale of emotions following this weekend and I am so jazzed and inspired and empowered by you and all of the extraordinary women I was fortunate enough to meet this weekend.”
“All yoga teachers in the world should take this training.”
“After learning from Zabie’s training, I felt prepared with the foundation to set me up for success to be a trauma-informed yoga teacher. As I began preparing for my first time teaching to survivors of sexual violence, I began to realize just how much she had prepared me to not only feel comfortable but also feel confident that I could create a safe and healing space that allowed anyone to practice connecting authentically to themselves. I am so grateful to have gained tangible tools that guided me to build a supportive environment for true healing to begin and I feel blessed to have Zabie as a constant encouragement and resource every step of this unbelievable journey.
My heart is bursting with the possibilities of healing the world, and it’s truly because of Zabie and this training she has intentionally crafted.”
“Your program really opened my eyes to teaching with care and patience that I was missing sometimes. This past week I let all 6 of my classes have freedom! they did whatever they wanted to do or they followed along with me and it went amazing!!! I was so happy with the number of people who came up to me and thanked me! I even had one of my friends start crying and let herself feel the emotions she hadn’t allowed. It was an incredible feeling to watch my students listen to exactly what their body wanted and it made me grow as an instructor.”
“I am still in awe of our beautiful weekend. I just had to share a little feedback I received at my community class yesterday. I decided this month we would donate our proceeds to a local organization aiding survivors in their legal processes. When I announced this I noticed one woman began to cry. I’ve been really more conscious of my language when teaching. At the end of class, the same woman stayed and said, ‘I have to tell you, your classes have always felt good to me and I always feel safe here, but today, something was different. I felt safe and held. I felt like everything you were saying was speaking to me. I felt like I had a choice!’ That last sentence broke me. So, the importance of this work in general classes is huge, but I am so motivated to extend further. Thank you so much for your inspiration. Forever grateful!”
PUBLIC SPEAKING & CONSULTING
University or Agency Consultation on Building a Comprehensive Trauma-Informed Yoga Program
1 in 5 women are being sexually assaulted during their time in college, yet the reporting rate remains staggeringly low, with only 5% of cases being reported to campus authorities and law enforcement. It has been one year since the first report was produced by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. The task force announced a series of actions to help combat this issue including:
(1) identify the scope of the problem on college campuses, (2) help prevent campus sexual assault, (3) help schools respond effectively when a student is assaulted, and (4) improve, and make more transparent, the federal government’s enforcement efforts.
As a result, institutions across the nation are forming task forces, coalitions, and taking a serious look at their current sexual assault policies, protocols, and services to re-evaluate and re-focus their efforts to support survivors and ensure campus safety. For years, the sexual violence movement has been limited in resources and services- offering talk therapy as one of the only solutions to seek help in the healing process. While each survivor’s healing process is unique, due to factors such as cultural barriers and stigma around seeking mental health services; it is essential that sexual violence providers and support agencies offer multiple pathways to heal. Offering trauma-informed yoga as a support service to survivors offers a different entry point, helps survivors reconnect to their bodies, and allows them to access resources when they are ready.
By focusing on a holistic approach, we are helping change the way our world responds to trauma and provides support to survivors at various stages in their healing. Many programs have found that survivors who are uncomfortable with or express a lack of interest in talk therapy have flourished in art or movement-based formats (Holistic Healing Services for Survivors). Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga has created a model therapeutic yoga program and curriculum and has trained yoga instructors to implement yoga programs throughout the U.S!
We have worked with a number of universities and rape crisis centers including: Stanford University, Occidental College, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, University of Southern California (USC), California State University, Long Beach, California State University, Fullerton, East Los Angeles Women's Center, Center for Pacific Asian Families, and Community Service Programs (CSP) Rape Crisis Center to help them build trauma-informed yoga programs for survivors.
We would love the opportunity to support your university and/or agency in the implementation of a trauma-informed yoga program. For more information about consulting packages and public speaking.
CONSULTING TESTIMONIAL
“About 5 minutes into my very first meeting with Zabie Yamasaki, I knew that we needed to bring her Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga program to the CSULB campus. About 10 minutes into our meeting, I knew that I wanted to become a teacher as well.
The entire program is well thought out and beautifully crafted and covers every detail needed for successful implementation – suggestions for marketing and connecting with potential campus and community partners, a detailed weekly curriculum, participant handbooks, and assessment tools to document the program’s effectiveness. But the materials pale in comparison to the attention and support from Zabie herself. Her passion for her work is evident, yet she never makes you feel as if she is selling you ‘her’ program – she offers suggestions and guidance while supporting you in shaping the program to meet the needs of your own audience. Her hands-on training for yoga teachers is equally inspiring.
In the spring of 2016, we launched our first two “Yoga for Healing” series at CSULB, and it was deeply moving to see the changes in the participants from week one to week eight, as they learned new ways to take charge of their own healing. Implementing this program has been an immensely rewarding experience, both personally and professionally, and I will always be deeply grateful to Zabie for her support and inspiration.”
TRAININGS FOR YOGA STUDIOS
Trauma symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, hyper-vigilance, anxious thoughts, stomach pains, migraines, etc. are the body's way of communicating to us that we have undigested sensory residue that needs to be processed. As yoga teachers, we have an obligation to be mindful of the way trauma shows up for our students. We have a powerful opportunity to support trauma survivors in their recovery, to give them the tools to support their stress-response, to help them improve the flow of energy through the nervous system, and to help them find safety within themselves.
If your yoga studio is interested in scheduling a weekend immersion workshop or lecture and content for teacher training, please feel free to contact us.
Payment plan option available at checkout via AfterPay. Or to purchase using Venmo or Zelle, please e-mail Zabie Yamasaki at info@zabieyamasaki.com.