anatomy of trauma yin yoga weekend immersion

Anatomy of Trauma:

A Weekend Immersion

May 2 & 3, 2026

Saturday & Sunday 2:30-6:30pm

Yoga Soup | Santa Barbara, California

REGISTRATION DETAILS

“To speak of sorrow

works upon it

moves it from its

crouched place barring

the way to and from the soul's hall.”

-Denise Levertov

We must acknowledge that everybody comes to this day, this life, this practice with either recent or ancient wounds.⁣⁣

Our stories and lived experiences shape the way we breathe, move, and relate.

This workshop is an invitation to enter the subtle interior, where Yin Yoga, Internal Family Systems, and contemplative practice converge. We will work gently and precisely with the nervous system, supporting the body in releasing long-held patterns of bracing, guarding, and dissociation. Through guided parts work, somatic inquiry, and restorative stillness, we learn to meet the inner landscape without forcing it to change.

Drawing from Buddhist psychology, Internal Family Systems, the meridian theory of Chinese Medicine, Yin Yoga and the physiology of connective tissue, we will explore how emotion, memory, and identity are stored within the body — and how they can be respected, befriended, and integrated.

This workshop is less about “fixing” and more about remembering:
the baseline of ease beneath the pattern,
the quiet intelligence of your tissues,
the profound wholeness that has never been lost.

Ritual, rest, and reverence anchor the process.
Together, we will listen for the self that lives beneath the survival strategies —
the self that knows how to soften, widen, and return home.

This training intensive will potentiate our healing both personally and interpersonally.⁣⁣

Drawing from foundational cornerstones of wisdom methods, we will investigate methods to rest in the immediacy of the moment and heal distinct parts of the self. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

Radiating with ritual, this integrated wisdom practice is a tool to rise to your intrinsic baseline of tranquility, recall your innate ability for spaciousness, and remind your system of its unique anatomical, structural, and emotional wholeness.

Integrating the psychological understanding of the nervous system, musculo-skeletal response to stress, and longevity practices for the resilience of connective tissue, Kali provides a format for responding to the fluctuations of a life lived in awareness.

ELEMENTS OF THE PRACTICE

Buddhist Methods of Mindfulness & Meditation

Yin & Restorative Yoga 

Neurophysiology / Neuroplasticity

Mapping the Subtle Body

Navigating the Nervous System

Traditional Chinese Medicine & Organ Health

Internal Family Systems

  • “Thank you for nourishing my spirit, for the permission to sit with my mother-self and the little one and all the other roles of self, and to not allow my sorrow to go unattended. Your wisdom helped me grow into myself in such a meaningful way. Big growth.”

    - Barcelona

  • “I met Kali during a very vulnerable time in my healing journey, since then this work has played a huge role in me returning to myself again and again.”

    - Austin

  • “I am so incredibly grateful to do this work, to be aware, to have the opportunity to change my belief system and to clear so many of the dysfunctional patterns in my lineage and those which showed up in my marriage. A mirror of what I needed to clear in myself so I can now stand whole in my own love and ready to embark on my biggest adventure yet! I thank you from the bottom of my heart, another example of the universe providing me with what I needed before I needed it. Yin has been such an emotional safe haven for me to unravel these last parts of transformation and release.”

    - Boulder

AGENDA

5/2 Saturday (2:30-6:30pm)

Entering Retreat: Where Buddhism meets Neuroscience

Cultivation of Hara: Island of Safety

Anatomy of Survival: Insula, Amygdala, Vagus Nerve

Internal Family Systems: Awareness of Multiplicity & Self-Energy

Vagus Nerve Yin Practice, Inquiry, Visualization & Meditation

5/3 Sunday (2:30-6:30pm)

Anatomy of Trauma: Somatic Memory of Trauma, Shock & Trauma, Neuroplasticity

Buddhist Methods for Healing the Heart

Restoring Psoas: The Spirit Muscle

Internal Family Systems: Heart Protectors & Compassion Practice intermingled with Yin Poses

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Investment: $345

REGISTER HERE AT YOGA SOUP

Please note this is a non-residential training. Accommodations not included.

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Suggested Reading: though not required, we encourage you to choose one of the following to read in preparation for our time together

The Wild Edge of Sorrow, Francis Weller

The Trauma of Everyday Life, Mark Epstein

KALI BASMAN

International and intentful Yin & Restorative Yoga teacher of teachers, Kali Basman, offers an intermingling of wisdom disciplines: Foundations of Buddhist mindfulness, the pranic pathways of Traditional Chinese Medicine meridians, physiology of the nervous system, and individual-informed anatomy.

Leading yin and mindfulness focused trainings and retreats across the globe, Kali pays reverence to her lineage of teachers, Sarah Powers, Jack Kornfield, Judith Hanson Lasater and more.

“Kali is the definition of wisdom. I feel held in such an intuitive deep space. Her teachings are enlightening and expanding. I feel this knowledge will stay with me forever”

“Eloquent and concise, Kali speaks of ancient wisdom”

Yoga Soup

28 Parker Way
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Website:
www.yogasoup.com

Phone:
(805) 965-8811

Email:
support@yogasoup.com

Join us at Yoga Soup in Santa Barbara — a sanctuary of open-space, natural light and thoughtful design — for our upcoming workshop. With large studio rooms outfitted with sound systems, plentiful yoga props, and a community-rooted ambience infused with fresh snacks and warm connection, this venue sets the stage for deep embodied practice, mindful inquiry and meaningful integration. Conveniently located steps from State Street, the space balances calm and accessibility, offering the perfect environment to lean into your journey with presence and ease.