Dona Approved Doula Workshop
September 24th - 27th
*Thursday 3-7pm EST; Friday, Saturday & Sunday 9am-5pm EST
Location: 1328 Patton Ave Asheville, NC 28806
Join Flow of Life's Embodied Birth Doula Training! This retreat-style, DONA-approved workshop is held in Asheville NC. We will guide you through a weekend of immersive learning as you build essential skills and a deep understanding of birthwork.
Step into this journey to embody the knowledge, presence, and confidence needed to support families through the birthing experience.
Intro to childbirth education is included.
Our Retreat Doula Training blends evidence-based education, embodied learning, movement, hands-on practice, deep conversation, and community care — all inside an immersive retreat experience.
Designed for aspiring doulas, birth workers, yoga teachers, healthcare professionals, and anyone called toward supporting families through pregnancy and birth.
Over four days, you’ll build practical skills, confidence, and connection while learning how to support clients emotionally, physically, and informationally through pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum.
You’ll leave with real tools, real experience, and a strong foundation for stepping into this work with integrity and confidence.
3pm-7pm
Welcome Circle + Introductions
We begin by grounding into community, sharing intentions, and exploring the “why” behind this work. Includes connection practices and optional intention-setting art/altar creation.
Doula Foundations
We will explore the core pillars of doula support, scope of practice, communication, advocacy, autonomy, and consent-centered care.
Community Dinner
Shared meal and connection time.
9am-5pm
Movement + Nervous System Support
Gentle movement and embodiment practices to support sustainability in birth work.
DEI
Understanding diversity, equity and inclusion from the lens of birthmark.
Childbirth Education
A focused overview of labor physiology and birth education concepts.
The Doula Role
Topics include:
Contracts + boundaries
Client communication
Interviews + getting hired
Listening + validation skills
On-call life
Preparing clients for labor
Early labor support
9am-5pm
Movement Practice
Active Labor + Hands-On Support
An immersive session focused on:
Comfort measures
Positioning
Partner support
Hands-on techniques
Labor flow + decision making
Embodied support skills
Unexpected Paths with Melissa Poole
Specialized education and discussion.
Group Sauna & Fire
A deeper evening integration experience centered around reflection, processing, connection, and nervous system support.
9am-5pm
Coffee + Birth Worker Business Chat
Honest conversations around building a sustainable doula career, navigating the industry, pricing, boundaries, and next steps.
Transition + Pelvic Floor
Understanding the intensity of transition, physiological birth dynamics, and pelvic floor considerations during labor and birth.
Pushing + Birth Support
Postpartum + Closing Circle
(PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AS IT IS ENFORCED)
By registering, you acknowledge reading and agreeing to these policies. This workshop requires your full participation for the entire series of the Doula Training portion of the workshop. Your name and email will be shared with DONA International for training evaluation. We do not offer refunds; however you can transfer to another Embodied Birth Training within a year of registration, with a $200 fee if requested within one month of the class or once it has begun. The instructor may cancel due to low enrollment, offering a switch to a preferred class without extra fees. TRANSFER students must pay all fees from their original registration before transferring to a new class.
Fact-based, inclusive childbirth education: Our course will include childbirth education that is designed to give yoga teachers & doulas access to accurate and up to date information about childbirth.
Community: Throughout the Flow of Life training, trainees will feel the value of community. We believe that strong communities lead to healthy pregnancies and families. This training will demonstrate how to hold spaces for people in all stages of pregnancy.
Functional Movement Practice: We approach yoga asanas and doula practices based on functional anatomy. Our trainees will learn:
Why some asanas and movements are beneficial for pregnancy
Why some asanas and movements are not beneficial for pregnancy
How to alleviate common pregnancy aches and pains
Pelvic Floor health
Tools to relieve discomfort and develop coping skills
"The Embodied Birth Worker Training with Flow of Life was an incredible experience. The program blends evidence-based childbirth education with functional movement and prenatal yoga in a way that truly prepares birth workers to support families holistically. The instructors were knowledgeable, supportive, and created a strong sense of community among participants. I left the training feeling confident, inspired, and ready to step into birth work. I’m grateful for the experience and highly recommend this program to anyone interested in becoming a doula or prenatal yoga teacher."
- Mica M., Recent PYTT Graduate
Sue Ann is passionate about functional movement, philosophy and body | heart | mind alignment. With a deep understanding of movement, she is able to guide students more fully into their own bodies. Sue Ann is deeply grateful for her time studying and practicing at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga. She is the previous owner of West Asheville Yoga (2017-2022). Sue Ann holds an 800 hour Vijnana Yoga Certificate, a 500 hour Yoga Alliance Certificate and a 85hr PYTT.
Together, she and Roxy co-founded Flow of Life Yoga to create a perinatal community focused on embodied childbirth education and support. They spend their time leading teacher trainings, coordinating the Flow of Life doula collective, offering Birth Ready bodywork, and engaging the local birthing community in connection, classes, and fundraisers.
Roxy Robbins (lead DONA certified Doula Trainer) combines her powers as an experienced doula, childbirth & movement educator and bodyworker to provide birthing families comprehensive support. Her passion lies in reproductive health and believes it is a human right that families have access to the support and education they need to have a positive informed experience in pregnancy, birth and parenthood.
Together, she and Sue Ann co-founded Flow of Life Yoga to create a perinatal community focused on embodied childbirth education and support.