MINDFUL GRIEVING YTT — MAUI IMMERSION
Some grief work can only happen with your whole self in the room.
Step out of your ordinary life for eight days on Maui — and learn to hold grief, your students’ and your own. The training the world is asking for: on the island, then two live integration weekends from home.
You've been in the room when grief arrives.
You feel it in your classes. With your friends, your family, your clients. In the heaviness that settles over a room without explanation. In the student who comes to the mat week after week and something in them is unreachable. In the moment a pose or a breath opens something up — and suddenly grief is present, uninvited and overwhelming, like a wave that takes you down.
Yoga and somatic practice give people access to their grief in ways they do not always see coming. Your body holds what your mind has been managing — because we can't think our way through grief. Grief is not a problem to solve. It is the natural response to loss. And when it surfaces in the spaces where we hold people, it needs somewhere to go.
If you are a yoga teacher, coach, death doula, grief educator, or someone who feels called to hold this kind of space, you have probably already been in that room. You did what you could. And you may have left wondering whether what you offered was enough.
This training was made for that.
A Note:
The Mindful Grieving YTT is available in two formats — Live Virtual Cohort and Maui Immersion.
If you are exploring both, you will find that the curriculum, the certification, and the outcome are the same. What differs is the container. This page is for the Maui Immersion format.
THE NEED
We are living through a time of collective grief unlike anything most of us have seen.
Collective grief does not stay separate from personal grief. It compounds it. The student who lost their mother last year is also carrying the weight of the world. The one who seems fine is holding both. They bring all of it into your space, whether they mean to or not. Grief opens us to grief. It can be a doorway to healing what was never finished. It can also be more than a person can hold alone.
Somatic practice is one of the most direct pathways into the grief body. That is its gift. For a teacher without grief training, it can feel like standing at the edge of something vast with no map.
Most yoga teacher training prepares you beautifully for the physical body. Living through your own grief gives you the experience no curriculum can teach.
What it doesn't teach is what to do when grief surfaces in the middle of a class. How to hold a student through the long aftermath of loss. The kind of presence this work actually asks of a teacher.
That gap is where your training ends and this one begins.
SOMATIC GRIEVING
The body is where grief lives.
In the tightness across the chest that arrives without warning. In the breath that catches. In the places that brace and hold. Grief takes up residence in the body and stays there until it is met.
Somatic grieving works directly with those places. With care and presence, it builds the conditions where grief can finally be felt, witnessed, shared, released.
For yoga teachers: this takes what you already know about the body into one of the most needed rooms a teacher can enter. For coaches, therapists, doulas, caregivers: it offers the missing piece — how grief lives beneath words, and how to support it without trying to fix.
WHAT THIS TRAINING DEVELOPS IN YOU
This builds something in you that lives beneath technique.
You will learn to create safety — not the idea of it, the felt experience. You will learn to stay grounded while staying open. To listen without steering. To reflect honestly, without judgment. To stay with the process when it gets messy. It will get messy.
You will learn to offer a teaching, guide a four-body centering meditation, hold group sharing, lead movement, and close with integration. You will practice all of it before you graduate — in real time, with real people, with feedback.
Most practitioners are trained to work one-on-one. A circle is something else. This is where the training takes you somewhere most programs never go.
THE METHOD
The Mindful Grieving curriculum is the body of work I have spent over a decade building.
Refined through circles, through trainings, through sitting with hundreds of people in the middle of their hardest moments.
It is a grief-specific somatic curriculum designed to be held in community — in circles and programs that run six weeks, six months, nine months.
You'll study the philosophy of community-based somatic grief work, trauma-sensitive practice, shadow work, and how to support someone through the evolution of identity that loss requires. And you will be doing your own grief work alongside all of it.
I’m Wendy Black Stern. I founded the Center for Somatic Grieving.
I came to this work through loss. The loss of my son Noah cracked my life open in ways I could not have anticipated and sent me looking for something that could hold what I was carrying. I found it in yoga. I found it in community. I found it in my body's capacity to move through grief when given the right support.
I have been teaching yoga for over 25 years. I'm a certified Yoga Therapist, a trained group facilitator and grief educator, and the creator of the Mindful Grieving curriculum, which now reaches facilitators across the US and around the world.
I built this training because I wished it had existed when I needed it.
This training will change you, too.
You will leave a different facilitator. You will also leave a different person.
The two are not separate. They never were.
Testimonial from a recent Mindful Grieving YTT Graduate
“Wendy’s superpower is listening and holding space. It is a rare and precious gift, and it is the foundation of everything she offers.
I have completed two nine-month Mindful Grieving programs with her — one online and one in person — as well as a week-long retreat. These programs are singularly the best thing I have ever done to support myself through grief. Grief over any loss never truly ends. There is no timeline, and each person’s grief is as unique to them as they are to the world. Wendy understands this deeply, and it shows in every aspect of her work.
She has built her Mindful Grieving Yoga Teacher Training with the same thoughtfulness and beauty that defines her programs. She is thorough and attentive from the very first day — the welcome, the orientation — all the way through to the closing ritual. Do not underestimate the ritualistic components of this training. They are the heart of the offering. Ritual and community are what make this experience transformative.
I am not a yoga teacher, and I was genuinely thrilled to learn that Wendy opened this training to non-yoga teachers. She developed a thorough fifty-hour yoga sequence course as a prerequisite, and it is exactly what non-yogis need to feel prepared and confident.
Those of us who come from outside the yoga world bring something valuable to this work — and Wendy sees and honors that. I felt supported in every aspect of facilitating a class.
The trickiest part to master is cueing — and even there, I never felt alone. If you are drawn to this training, trust that pull. If you are looking for meaning and you are reading these words right now, there is a reason. Do it.”
— Tiffany P., Kansas City | Mindful Grieving Facilitator
Your own grief work is part of the curriculum
Not a side practice. Part of the work itself.
You will sit in circle. You will write. You will move what your body has been holding. With your cohort, with cohort leads, with the people walking it alongside you.
This is not therapy. It is the specific grief work a facilitator needs to have done in order to hold someone else's grief without flinching, without fixing, without quietly making it about themselves.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Yoga teachers. Grief educators. Coaches. Death doulas. Therapists. Bodyworkers. Hospice and palliative workers. Spiritual directors. Caregivers. Faith leaders.
Anyone whose work already brings them close to the rawness of someone else's loss — whether they were trained for that part or not.
If you've read this far, something is recognizing itself.
What you'll take with you
Skill, built in your body. You will leave able to facilitate, not just describe. The skill is in your hands by the time you graduate.
Your own grief work, done. Enough of it to know the difference between presence and avoidance.
A complete, licensed curriculum. Session guides, templates, the architecture of Community Circles and six-week / six-month / nine-month programs.
Trauma-sensitive practice that holds. Somatic practice, shadow work, and the evolution of identity that loss requires.
The business side of grief work. A dedicated module — how to talk about this work, price it, and build a practice that lasts.
A community to grow inside. A global network of 100+ certified facilitators. You will not be doing this work alone.
Why choose the Maui Immersion
Some people do their deepest learning when they are fully removed from their ordinary life. When the familiar rhythms are replaced, just for a time, by something that asks more of them. When they have the opportunity to open and stay open, rather than putting their protective walls back up to step into their roles and responsibilities. When the body is in a new place and the nervous system finally has permission to open.
If that is how you learn — if you know that a screen is not where this particular work will happen for you — the Maui Immersion was designed with you in mind.
You will also receive a felt transmission of the work by simply being in the same space together. It is magic what happens when we can feel each other and connect — it uplevels the whole experience.
The immersion is eight days on one of the most extraordinary islands on earth. You will do your own grief work alongside the curriculum. You will sit in circle with people who, by the end of the week, will feel like family. You will carry the island home in your nervous system in a way a Zoom room cannot replicate. The two virtual integration weekends that follow are where everything you received on Maui has time to settle into something you can actually use.
The training — format, schedule, faculty
200 hours. Eight days of immersive in-person training at Wailea Inn, Maui, followed by two live virtual integration weekends and a graduation ceremony.
Sessions run approximately 8:30am–3:30pm HST during the Maui week.
Class times (during module weekends):
Saturdays · 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM MST
Sundays · 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM MST
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November 7 - 8th, 2026
Introduction to CSG’s Yoga Therapy Program:
Focus on Personal Process & Mindfulness-based Grief EducationPhilosophy & Guiding Principles of Community-Based Somatic Grief Work
Evolutionary Themes of Mindful Grieving
Format of CSG’s Signature Yoga Therapy Programs
Introduction to Group Facilitation - Group Dynamics & Sharing Guidelines for Yoga Therapy Programs
Body Scan Technique
Introduction to Shadow Work
Shifting the Culture of Grief
A Conscious Exploration of Death and Dying
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December 5 - 6th, 2026
Break down of Primary Skills: Focus on Guiding Key Components & Exploration of Grief Through Shadow Work
Grief as a Teacher & Exploration of the Four Bodies
How to Facilitate Key Components of CSG’s Signature Yoga Therapy Programs including:
Dharma Talk
Centering Meditation
Group Facilitation
4 Phase Asana
Integration Meditation
Learning your Triggers Embodying your Emotions Through Asana
Creating a Bridge Between your Practice and your Life
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January 6 - 7th, 2027
Grief in the Body: Focus on Asana & Dual Process Language from the CSG Perspective
Evolution of Identity Through Loss + Grief as a Catalyst for Change
How to Guide Dual Process Language
Creating Closure
Trauma Sensitive Yoga
Trauma in the Body + Physiology of Trauma with Dr. Arielle Schwartz
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February 6 - 7th, 2027
Facilitating Community Circles + Practice Teaching Sessions & Feedback
Facilitating Community Circles
Personal Strengths & Learning Edges
Practicum Preparation & Teaching
Practice Teaching Session & Feedback
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March 6 - 7th, 2027
Business of Mindful Grieving + Practice Sessions & Feedback
Practicum Teaching
Marketing & Business Practices with Chelsea Brady of Rising Creative
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April 3rd, 2027
Graduation Ritual & Closing Circle
Q&A
Community Gathering
Our Faculty
Wendy Black Stern
LEAD FACILITATOR
Nancy Gruskay
COHORT LEAD
Laura Cummings
COHORT LEAD
Dr. Arielle Schwartz
GUEST FACULTY
What’s Included
The training
Eight-day immersive at Wailea Inn, Maui — so that you do your own grief work and your professional training in one of the most powerful healing environments available.
200 hours of grief-focused yoga therapy curriculum — so that you graduate with a complete, licensed facilitation skill set.
Two live virtual integration weekends — so that what you received on Maui has time to settle and deepen. These weekends are 100% practice sessions to refine your teaching, receive feedback, and deepen your learning as a community.
Hands-on practicum with feedback — so that you facilitate a real group before you graduate.
Teacher Tool Kit — so that you have everything you need to begin offering programs immediately.
Business and marketing module — so that you know how to bring this work to your community.
Lifelong connection to a global community of 100+ certified facilitators — so that you are never doing this work alone.
The credential
Certification as a Mindful Grieving Yoga Therapy Facilitator
Licensure to facilitate Community Circles and six-week, six-month, and nine-month Mindful Grieving Programs
The community
Ongoing membership in a global community of 100+ certified facilitators
Prerequisites
Before joining our program, candidates must meet the following criteria:
Yoga Teacher Certification or Yoga and Somatic Foundations prerequisite course: Completion of a 200+ hour yoga teacher training program ensuring a foundational understanding of yoga practices and principles. Or, the Yoga and Somatic Foundations prerequisite course.
Personal Growth Work: At least 25 hours of personal growth work (workshops, therapy, retreats, or training)
Not yet a certified yoga teacher?
The Yoga and Somatic Foundations course is the 50-hour, self-paced prerequisite. Move through it on your own time, must be completed before YTT begins.
If you're unsure whether you need it, reach out.
Certification Requirements
To graduate from our program and receive your certification, the following components are essential:
Out-of-Classroom Assignments: Engage in reading and writing assignments to deepen your understanding and reflection on the course material.
Reflection Papers: Submit papers that capture your insights, growth, and experiences throughout the training.
Daily Practices: Commit to daily meditation and yoga practices, fostering personal well-being and deepening your connection to the teachings.
Journaling: Maintain a journal to document your journey, reflections, and revelations during the course.
Peer Mentorship: Participate in peer mentorship, offering and receiving support from fellow trainees.
Six-Week Practicum: Complete a six-week practicum, applying your knowledge and skills in a real-world setting to facilitate yoga therapy sessions.
Mindful Grieving Certification & Licensure
Upon fulfilling these requirements, graduates will receive a certificate and licensure qualifying them to facilitate Community Circles, and Mindful Grieving Programs spanning 6 weeks, 6 months, and 9 months.
This certification and licensure empower you to make a significant impact through specialized yoga therapy facilitation in various community settings.
Life after certification
The grief is still going to walk into your room. That doesn't change.
What changes is that you will know what to do when it arrives.
Because you have sat with your own grief. Because you have a complete curriculum to work from. Because you understand the body as a grief container in a way most teachers have never been shown.
That person can be you.
And you will carry something from Maui that is harder to name but unmistakable. A confidence that settled into your body during those days. The memory of what it felt like to be held by that ocean, by that circle, by a place that seemed to know exactly what the work required. Your students will feel that — in how you hold a room, in the particular steadiness you bring. Maui leaves something in you that your students receive.
REFLECTIONS FROM PAST STUDENTS
MEET YOUR GUIDE
Wendy Black Stern
Wendy Black Stern is the founder of the Center for Somatic Grieving. She came to this work through loss — the death of her son, Noah, which cracked her life open and sent her searching for something that could truly hold what she was carrying, and ultimately reshaped the way she understands grief, presence, and healing.
She is a resident of Boulder, Colorado, where she finds grounding and joy in nature, travel, deep human connection, and live music.
As an author, yoga therapist, grief educator, and group facilitator, Wendy’s work weaves somatic grief support, meditation, movement, and compassionate presence. She supports people in learning how to stay with grief rather than turn away from it, and to meet their experience with more capacity, honesty, and care. Over the past 25+ years, she has held individuals and groups in yoga therapy, somatic practice, and grief-informed spaces—guiding thousands of people through intimate personal sessions as well as collective healing containers.
Wendy’s approach is shaped by the teachings of Ram Dass and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. At its heart, her work rests in the understanding that healing is not about leaving grief behind, but learning how to live alongside it with more support, connection, courage, and love.
In 2012, in the aftermath of her loss, she founded a nonprofit organization, the Grief Support Network. She later founded the Center for Somatic Grieving with a more focused intention: to shift how individuals and communities meet, experience, and move through loss—bringing the body, breath, and lived experience back into the center of grief work. The Center for Somatic Grieving offers Mindful Grieving group programs, individual sessions, somatic grief retreats and professional teacher trainings.
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★★★★★
Having a safe and nourishing container to attend to my grief process and physical body needs has been profound and deeply healing for me.
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★★★★★
My work with Wendy was nothing short of life-changing.
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★★★★★
This is an incredible program, there is a new layer I shed off from my personal self into my growth and healing in every circle that I attend. I am so grateful to Wendy and her loving team.
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★★★★★
This program has offered me the best opportunity to somatically experience my grief in a private way, while simultaneously feeling a greater connection to those around me.
The Setting on Maui
A Private Estate on Maui
The Maui Immersion is held at a private gated estate with multiple suites, tucked into a quiet setting just 50 yards from the beach. You'll wake to the sounds of the island — birdsong, palms, ocean. A place built for rest and retreat while you do the deep work of the week.
Staying on-site is included with the Training + Accommodations option.
Room for the Work
The estate has an indoor yoga studio where we train, a heated pool, and open outdoor spaces wrapped in tropical landscaping. It's private and spacious — room to be alone with your process, and to gather with the circle when it's time.
Maui Immersion · February 2027 · Wailea Inn, Maui
Enrollment is open — exact dates announced soon.
Join us for 200 hours of comprehensive training that includes:
200 hours of comprehensive training
Live classroom sessions and video webinars
Enlightening reading materials
Reflective writing exercises
Peer mentorship opportunities
Hands-on practicum experience
Personalized feedback from experienced instructors
Business and marketing module
Teacher Tool Kit for Yoga Therapy Facilitation
Certification as a Mindful Grieving Yoga Therapy Facilitator
200 hours of grief-focused yoga therapy curriculum
Training Only —
$3,600 paid in full, or ~$310/month over 12 months
You arrange your own lodging near Wailea Inn.
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Training + Accommodations —
$5,000 paid in full, or ~$430/month over 12 months
Your stay at Wailea Inn is included.
Not yet a certified yoga teacher?
The Yoga and Somatic Foundations course is the 50-hour, self-paced prerequisite. Move through it on your own time, must be completed before YTT begins.
What happens after you enroll
Once your payment is received, you will receive a welcome email and additional communication with everything you need to begin preparing for Maui.
You’ll receive information about required readings, the syllabus, what to pack, and what to expect during the immersion week.
We meet for the first time in February 2027 on Maui.
Frequently Asked Questions.
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The program is for certified yoga teachers and yoga therapists interested in supporting people through loss, and integrating yoga therapy into the healing process of grief.
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Participants must have a 200+ hour yoga teacher certification and at least 25 hours dedicated to personal growth work, which could include workshops, therapy sessions, or retreats.
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You have two options. With Training + Accommodations, your stay at Wailea Inn is included. With Training Only, you arrange your own lodging near Wailea Inn. Either way, flights are your own — and you won’t need a rental car unless you’d like to explore the island on your off-hours.
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Skills for supporting others through grief, a deepened personal understanding of grief, a comprehensive curriculum blending yogic wisdom with modern therapy techniques, and insights into the business side of yoga therapy.
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Topics cover somatic grief work, mindfulness-based education, trauma-informed yoga, shadow work, and practical teaching techniques. The program includes classroom sessions, webinars, readings, reflective exercises, and a practicum.
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Yes, these include completing out-of-classroom assignments, reflection papers, daily practices, journaling, peer mentorship, and a six-week practicum.
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It's a virtual training held via Zoom, with sessions on specified Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at specified times MST.
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Yes, graduates can facilitate Community Circles and Mindful Grieving Programs of various lengths.
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The training offers expert guidance from experienced instructors in both yoga practice and grief counseling, along with a supportive community of peers.
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Upon fulfilling the requirements, you will receive a certificate and licensure qualifying you to facilitate Community Circles and Mindful Grieving Programs spanning 6 weeks, 6 months, and 9 months.
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This certification and licensure empower you to make a significant impact through specialized yoga therapy facilitation in various community settings.
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If you're looking to dive deeper into what the Mindful Grieving Yoga Teacher Training can offer you or have specific questions, we invite you to schedule a complimentary 30-minute call with Wendy. This call is a great opportunity to discuss your interests, any concerns, and how this training can meet your needs. Schedule your call here: Schedule a Call with Wendy.
Have More Questions?
If you're looking to dive deeper into what the Mindful Grieving Yoga Teacher Training can offer you or have specific questions, we invite you to schedule a complimentary 30-minute call with Wendy. This call is a great opportunity to discuss your interests, any concerns, and how this training can meet your needs.
Become a Beacon of Light
FOR THOSE WALKING THE PATH OF GRIEF
Whether you aspire to guide individuals, groups, or specialize in working with specific populations, our Mindful Grieving Yoga Teacher Training will equip you with the tools and wisdom to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
