MBODIED LIFE X YOGA SANGHA

Underneath the
Noise

A conversation on stillness, fascia, and why Yin asks more of us than we think.

A 50-Hour Yin Deep Dive Intensive

Washington DC · October 23 – November 1, 2026.

Space is limited to preserve an intimate container

This fall, Yoga Sangha hosts it's first 50-Hour Yin Deep Dive Intensive, led by Michelle Bermúdez, founder of MBodied Life, a wellness platform dedicated to helping people reconnect with their bodies and themselves.

One of the first people to sign up for the training was Gabriela Duarte (Gaby), Yoga Sangha's lead teacher and resident Ashtangi, whose practice is strong, dynamic, and deeply disciplined. So the two of them got together for an honest conversation about what 15 years of teaching has revealed about Yin, why stillness is so hard to come by, and what draws a devoted student to spend 50 hours learning to slow down.

Part One: Michelle Asks Gaby

It's not every day that the in-house Ashtangi is one of the very first people to sign up for a Yin training. So Michelle took a few minutes to sit down and pick Gaby's brain. Gaby's practice is built on breath, strength, and movement. So when she was one of the very first to sign up for the Yin Deep Dive, Michelle had to know what was drawing her in.

Michelle: Gaby, thank you for taking the time to sit and chat with me. First question: why Yin, and why now?

Gaby: Yes, so I think I was one of the first people to sign up. (Laughs.) To be honest, Michelle came to Yoga Sangha in the springtime, and I'd taken some Yin classes before, but I hadn't actually taken the time to really settle into a Yin practice. I was taking Rocket, and then after Rocket I'd stay for Yin. And there's just so much benefit in slowing down. There's so much benefit in taking a moment to really settle and sit with yourself.

I think it's easy to say, oh, after my practice in the morning I'll just go home and stretch and sit with myself. And then I don't end up doing that, because I end up doing other things. Because life. But one of the main reasons is that I've always been curious about Yin and about a slower practice. Ashtanga, in itself, can be dynamic, it can be powerful, and it can still be slow with your breath. But there's so much work to do outside of the 60, 90, 120 minutes that you take in your daily practice.

Yin is a perfect complement to all these other dynamic practices, because it allows you to hold the pose longer. It allows you to really explore the space that you have, whether it's in your hips, your spine, your shoulders, whatever you were working on in your day-to-day practice. Yin allows us to access more space, whether that's in your muscles, in your heart, or in your mind. It gives you the opportunity to cultivate stillness.

We live in a world where we are constantly craving what's next? You complete your goal, you complete your task, and you're already thinking, what's next? You never sit with it. We're in 2026, and we're in this mentality that if we're not thinking about what we're doing in the next five years, we're not doing it. I think this is a call to slow down, to be present, and to actually sit with yourself and breathe and explore.

That's a lot of answers. (Laughs.)

"I think this is a call to slow down, to be present, and to actually sit with yourself and breathe and explore."

Michelle: I love what you said about how the Ashtanga practice is dynamic in itself, and it's super beneficial, because it is. But the way I was hearing you describe it, taking Yin after Rocket is like: okay, now I'm going to work my muscles, and now I'm going to sit and listen to the feedback. That's really beautiful. One of the things I like to do at the beginning of class is ask people: who in the room dedicates an hour to just sit in stillness at least once a week? And almost nobody raises their hand. That speaks to the power of what you were just saying. We're already thinking about the next thing when we're still in this first thing. So having this space carves out that opportunity to be in stillness.

And the other thing you mentioned, about already thinking about the next thing: this is one of the things I like to talk about in the deep dive itself. Mostly everybody in the room is going to look at you with the what's next face, and part of the training is learning how to be in your power and sit in confidence. Because it does take at least two minutes to open up the deep tissue in the body. So as someone who's holding that space, you get a lot of piercing looks from the what's next face.

They both laugh.

Michelle: Which leads into the next question. Gaby is a very busy woman. She teaches several classes, manages the studio, and also has a family life. And she's a young, beautiful single woman. (Laughs.) So of all the things you could do with your time, why dedicate 50 hours to this?

Gaby: Well, first of all, I'm obviously obsessed with this practice, with yoga in general, with a massive curiosity to keep learning. If there's something that you like in this world, you have this curiosity to keep diving in and learning more. I saw the 50-hour training, and I was like, okay, it's just 50 hours. It's just two weekends. When I want to do something, I really commit to it. I'm just one of those people: I see it, I want it, I go for it.

The 50-hour commitment, to me, just doesn't seem like a big time. When you're really inspired to either give back to yourself or give back to your community, taking the time to actually learn and sit and be and feel, you don't really think about the time. It's more about soaking things in.

So for me, I really want to take this deep dive intensive not just as a teacher. I obviously want to give back to my community and offer these learnings to my students, but also just for myself. I want to take dedicated time to slow down and to learn, and to enrich my personal life more. As a student.

"What's two weekends to learn something I will use for years? It's nothing."

Michelle: Okay, on the same topic. Be honest. When we announced this training would happen during the last two weeks of October, did you feel like you were missing out on anything by dedicating these two weekends to the training?

Gaby: Yes. The only thing I did think about was that November 1st is the New York Marathon, so I do want to go up and cheer my friends on. That's the only thing I thought about. But other than that, if I want to commit myself to this time, what's two weekends out of a full year? It's nothing. So I'm happy to be here and happy to take this on, and a full certification that extends beyond two weekends into a lifetime. I'm super excited.

Michelle: What are you most excited about, and what do you hope to walk away with from this training?

Gaby: As I mentioned before, anything that encompasses yoga practice and philosophy, yoga in general, sparks my curiosity. But I'm excited about stepping in and coming from a different way. I've been practicing power and practicing Rocket for a while, and that's my main yoga practice. But something I want to do is be able to offer this to everyone.

Right now, specifically, I'm dealing with something very personal in my life. And I'm thinking: how can I give back to my family, to the people in my life who need a moment to slow down, who need comfort, who need nourishment, who need love? I think a Yin practice is so accessible to all walks of life. My mother, who is in her 70s, or maybe someone who is dealing with something and needs to slow down, needs a touch, needs something more helpful than a dynamic power flow.

I'm excited to be able to offer something to everyone. Maybe people who are scared to try yoga, because everyone says the same thing: I'm not flexible. You don't need to be flexible to do yoga. Yin is a door that opens to multiple walks of life, and it could also be a stepping stone into other practices for new people. So I'm excited to give back, to learn more, and to offer this to everyone.

"You don't need to be flexible to do yoga."

Michelle: Yes, 100%. Yoga should be accessible to all people, no matter race, religion, sex, socioeconomic status, all the body shapes. All of it. We're a little more than a month away from the training, so we haven't even started yet. But what are you already committing to?

Gaby: For myself, right now, I'm excited to take your Yin classes. I'm excited to explore and practice a little more before actually stepping into the learning aspect of it. I really am just excited to take what you teach me and offer it to others. My curiosity levels are very high right now.

Michelle: That's very, very humbling. What an honor. I'm truly grateful. Thank you, Gaby

WASHINGTON DC · OCT–NOV 2026

Step Into the Practice

The Dates:

Weekend One: Friday Oct 23 · 6:30–9:30pm Saturday Oct 24 · 9:30am–12:30pm & 2:00–7:00pm Sunday Oct 25 · 9:30am–12:30pm & 2:00–7:00pm

Weekend Two: Friday Oct 30 · 6:30–9:30pm Saturday Oct 31 · 9:30am–12:30pm & 2:00–7:00pm Sunday Nov 1 · 9:30am–12:30pm & 2:00–7:00pm

Join us for a 50-hour Yin Deep Dive Intensive. Open to both teachers seeking refinement and dedicated practitioners. Yoga Alliance recognized.

Part Two: Gaby Asks Michelle

Michelle has taught Yin for 12 years and led Yin intensives for six.

Gaby wanted to know what those years have revealed to her, why she designed the training this way, and the moment that changed the way she teaches forever.

Gaby: You've been teaching yoga for 15 years. Out of everything you could specialize in, why Yin?

Michelle: That's actually a really good question. Of the 15 years I’ve been teaching, 12 have included Yin and if I think about that, that means I've been teaching Yin long before the fascia science became public information, and just teaching from a very traditional branch of Yin.

Mostly because I've taught everything from Hatha, Vinyasa, to heated flow, and all of it is absolutely wonderful. The ability to move our bodies is truly such a gift. But there's something in those movement practices that builds on our racing mind already. And sometimes a very intense practice, one where you're constantly moving, doesn't allow for that slowness that we no longer give to ourselves. And Yin does exactly that.

Movement, yoga, Vinyasa, all of that is healthy for our bones and our muscles. All those things are super beneficial. But Yin gives us something that those practices do not. And that's the power of stillness.

"Yin gives us something that those practices do not. And that's the power of stillness."

Gaby: So what's the real difference between someone who's taken a lot of Yin classes and someone who's done a deep dive in it?

Michelle: Someone who's taken a lot of Yin classes, I call them Yinners. Yinners are familiar with the practice and the power of stillness. Somebody who's taken a deep dive understands the why behind it: why you experience sensations in certain poses, why you feel a certain way, why the body lights up in some ways and doesn't in others. So the opportunity to take a deep dive is going behind the scenes to really understand what's happening in the mind and in the body when we're holding those shapes.

Gaby: What made you build your training this way?

Michelle: I've been leading teacher trainings for over six years now. And we get to learn through trial and error. We do things the first time, and then we're like, oh, we're going to make it better this time. So that's what this deep dive has really become: the reiteration of the learnings that I've been practicing and teaching for more than a decade.

Now we have fascia science, real research that backs up what Traditional Chinese Medicine has been teaching us for centuries. We used to think that the fascia was not an important part of the body. So when they would excavate the body, they would literally just throw the fascia away and study the muscles and the tendons.

Gaby: That's insane.

Michelle: I know, right?! And now we've come to learn that there's an actual network in our fascia that is constantly in communication with our bodies. So what we've been hearing for years, like The Body Keeps the Score, is now backed by science.

This training is designed not only to teach that, but it also includes five different modules that embody both the practical and energy side of Yin, including the philosophy, Chinese medicine, the fascia science, and functional anatomy, all based in real research. But it's also unique because it combines lecture with opportunities for experiential learning. Think breathwork, meditation, sound healing, learning labs. So it's a way for you to experience the magic of Yin firsthand. It's one thing to learn the information, and it's another to embody it, and process all the stuff.

"It's one thing to learn the information, and it's another to embody it."

Gaby: What experience most changed the way you understand Yin and the way that you teach it?

Michelle: I've got goosebumps thinking about this. I think we're taught, maybe even from our very first yoga class, that it's all about commitment, practice, and dedication. And a lot of that is true. Actually, all of it is very true. (Laughs.) But we somehow think that's going to help us get into the fullest expression of the pose that we see in the magazines, that we see on Instagram, that we see everywhere.

I remember being in one of my many Yin teacher trainings and learning that your flexibility has nothing to do with your commitment and your practice, and everything to do with… your bones. So no matter how much you practice and how dedicated you are, your knees may never touch the ground in butterfly. Your booty may never hit the ground in pigeon pose. You may never be able to fold forward with a straight spine. And the key point is to learn that that is not a failure, and that is not a misalignment.

My teacher was a student of Paul Grilley, the founder of Yin Yoga. And Paul Grilley always says: if you have seen one body, then you have seen one body. The beautiful thing about that is that Yin is for everybody.

Once I realized that, it really changed the way that I teach all yoga. I teach it differently, because the emphasis is no longer on alignment but rests in the individual before you. We don't know their body shape. We don't know their injuries. We don't know their history. We don't know what their hips are holding. So this training helps you see one body as one body. It'll change the way that you teach. It'll change the way that you hold space for someone

"Your flexibility has nothing to do with commitment and practice, and everything to do with…your architecture, your bones."

Gaby: Individualized practice.

Michelle: Exactly. Yes. Back to the 1:1 Guru-to-student days.

Gaby: And I think, adding on to this, in the conversation of yoga in today's world: even when I just started Ashtanga, which was just three years ago, there was the idea of I have to look like the pictures in the textbook. If I'm not capable of achieving this pose, I'm not capable of achieving spiritual enlightenment, or something like that. Connecting your physicality to success, or to the achievement of something. I think it's important to realize that, like you said, all our bodies are going to be a little different. Your knees may never touch this, or your booty may never touch here. It's making the practice your own, and creating a space where everyone can practice. The pose may look different on everyone, and it usually does.

Gaby: Last question for you. Who is this deep dive really for?

Michelle: This deep dive is for anybody who's interested in exploring the body and why it responds the way that it does. Why you feel certain sensations in your body. Why you may never get your knees down in butterfly pose. It's for all of those who are curious to learn that, and for all of those seeking stillness in their lives, in their bodies, in their minds.

There are so many of us living with this undercurrent hum. There's so much happening in the world, and we are still being asked to move about our days, go about our business, wear all the masks, wear all the roles. This is for somebody who's ready to put all of that down and give themselves the time to explore what's really happening underneath the noise.

A lot of people think that Yin is easy. You come in, you sit down, you get into a pose, you hold it, voilà. But when the mind becomes that quiet… And this is why I started my Yin practice. On an average day, my meditation practice is 15 minutes. On a good day, it's 30 minutes. In Yin, I can sit for two hours. Not comfortable, but in my body and in stillness.

So this training is really for the people who are ready to do that hard work, who are tired of running from themselves, and who are ready to be in communication with their bodies, and to learn how to hold space for others who might want to do that as well.

"This training is really for the people who are ready to do that hard work, who are tired of running from themselves."

Gaby: That's awesome. Thank you so much.

Underneath the Noise