Come Join us for a 10 day immersion to focus on integration and embodiment supporting both the practical and sacred aspects of Birth work.
WHO BETTER TO TRAIN WITH THEN SUMI?! If you don't know you better ask somebody:
"I have come to 3 different immersions and taken Sumi's online training twice. Why? Because it is so rich with wisdom and information. The immersions have literally changed the entire way that I approach birth work, but also how I mother, how I love myself, and how I see liberation and healing for our people. Sumi is a wise and skillful teacher and I am forever grateful that I have been gifted the opportunity to sit at this young elders feet" -- Mama D
We are the first training for PEOPLE OF COLOR ONLY in traditional birth work! š„³š„³š„³ We have trained thousands of students since 2015.
Come see what all the fuss is ALL about! Answer what is calling you, and has been for a while maybe! It's really up to you! The Yucatan is a southern state in Mexico with one of the largest Black and indigenous populations in Mexico. Come experience this RICH indigenous culture and breath taking landscapes! If there was a Disney World for birth workers, THIS TRAINING WOULD BE IT! We will be staying in the most luxurious and breath taking accommodations. You will not only be learning about sacred birth work practices but also waking up to the sound of the waves, enjoying traditional foods, swimming in the warm Mexican gulf, going to traditional ceremonies led by indigenous elders, and over all being transformed in real time!
If you missed any of our world renowned immersions in the past you NOW have a chance to redeem yourself! Exchange the hustle and bustle of your day to day life for deep community connection, gorgeous beaches and the perfect tropical weather for 10 full days! Each cohort walks in as strangers and walks away as family!
Join our advanced skills immersion today in Mexico!!!
Your registration includes all of your meals, beautiful luxury accommodations, travel agent support, child care, ground transportation to and from the airport, materials and supplies, and all entry fees in one upfront price. You will only have to buy your plane ticket and any other transportation needs like a passport.
Bring your entire family for a true immersive experience! We will have a children's camp and men's retreat running alongside us. My beloved partner will be leading the men and we have some of the most loving and warm care takers loving up on our children. We will have family activities but the men will have their own outings and excursions. The youth will be on site with us the entire time being cared for by care takers.
It's time for you to choose YOU and to do so amongst a beautiful landscape with beautiful people!
Our 10 day immersion is an advanced skills training that focuses on integration and embodiment for new and seasoned birth workers alike. We will cover many topics and skills regarding supporting both the practical and sacred aspects of birth work.
It took me almost a decade to birth this ātrainingā into existence. I say ātrainingā because truly it is so much more than that. This is a ceremony, an initiation into authentic traditional sovereign birth work. This is an advanced skills training that focuses on the most sacred aspects of this work. You will learn through your body not your brain. While you will have plenty of opportunity to take notes, this is about embodying the medicine and the skills. I will use my body to teach you all and you each will do the same. Everything we learn will be practiced on one another so come prepared to give and receive.
This immersion is intended for birth workers who are seeking to:
Deepen their understanding of holistic practices regarding holding space, body work, energy work, herbs, and nutrition
Practice the hands on tactile skills like massage and comfort measures with an expert
Build community and kinship in an intentionally intimate setting
Step into the birth worker that they know they are meant to be
Gain confidence in engaging with clients, conducting appointments, attending to clients, and uplifting their work in their community
Over the course of the 10 days you will walk in curious and walk away transformed! This is an initiation into the birth worker that you have dreamed of being. This a sacred remembrance that will support you in activating what is lying dormant in your DNA ready to emerge!
We will cover 4 pillars:
The Art of Holding Space
Tactile Support
Ceremony
Herbs and Nutrition
Each day, we will focus on each pillar and move through how they relate to our own self care/community care, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. This isn't a lecture based teaching experience. Instead, I will be incorporating story telling, role playing, demonstrations, and our bodies throughout our time together. I am extremely intentional about how I deliver this curriculum. This isn't a carbon copy, cut and paste outline. That's not how I learned to be a birth worker, therefore it's not how I teach. This is a peak behind the curtain of traditional midwifery and a bridge for those who wish to matriculate into midwifery.
If you have been feeling lost, lonely, burnt out, overwhelmed, or under appreciated, this is for YOU.
If you have built your practice but it's not sustainable, this is for YOU.
If you cant figure out your footing in the birth world and feel like you're shooting in the dark, this is for YOU!
If you can no longer remember your why....Then this is for YOU!
I look forward to holding space for the birth worker that I already know you are meant to be!
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to us at hello@sumistouch.com .
Our learning environment is unlike anything youāve experienced in a typical training.
This immersion is slow, intentional, and deeply embodied.
We prioritize integration over information,
embodiment over memorization,
and wisdom over worksheets.
You wonāt be sitting in rows taking notes like a lecture.
You will be in a circle, in your body, in relationship with one another.
You will learn through practice, touch, presence, ceremony, and connecting the dots of our collective lived experiences.
There is spacious time throughout each day to digest what youāre learning, breathe, rest, and integrate the teachings so they settle into your bones.
The immersion is centered in having opportunities for hands-on practice, to both give and receive tactile support, guidance, and feedback. You will be practiced on. You will practice on others. And you will feel the work in your body, not just in your mind.
There will be dedicated space for questions, reflections, and personal check-ins with Sumi and other cohort participants so that you feel supported, grounded, and clear every step of the way.
This is how real traditional birth work is passed on not through memorizing, but through becoming.
Your flight, Passport, having your own emergency fund money, navigating currency exchange and cash, toiletries, transportation before and after designated pick up and drop off locations on 6/25 and 7/5.
You are responsible for your own actions and energy during our time together. We'll be in a group setting and it is your responsibility for you to take care of your own needs so you can be present and show up as your most authentic self. Please keep in mind that we will be covering topics that may be activating and stimulating and unlike within our online training we will be witnessed by strangers at that. This may bring up moments of feeling extremely vulnerable so please be mindful of your tools, your capacity and your resources. You are also responsible to respectfully communicate any needs that come up before or during the retreat. Please note that we are curating an experience for the collective, this means that we will be working together to ensure that everyone feels safe, heard and seen. It is our highest intention that we also move with integrity, compassion and understanding.
Please read the community agreements closely when you secure your spot and are invited to complete a few forms upon registering.
We as birth workers prepare for a multitude of possibilities in holding the container of birth, so please consider the following as you commit to this act of healing and expansion for yourself:
Passport: is it up to date and clear of expiration for minimum of 6 months BEFORE departure for you and loved ones traveling with you?
Air travel: we have a travel agent for ease of consultation, but if you decide to book these on your own, please be mindful of what is required. You will be responsible to pay for your flight or travels round trip.
Once you pay your deposit we can make you a customized payment plan. For those who are fundraise and caring in community support, We encourage you to make a simple flier on canva, including ways folks can send you money and share your ask on social media and personal networks. If you choose a GoFundMe, Kickstarter, or some other platform, please calculate the fees associated with it and build that into your grand total ask.
When you invest in yourself, you are investing in your healing and transformation.
Your investment sustains the Sumiās Touch Team (mothers of color, healers and creatives) and facilitates our ability to equitably and fairly contract local contractors and resources to accommodate us all. Please review our payment policy below to ensure you understand. Please note by submitting your deposit you have agreed to this policy to its full extent whether you have taken the time to read or not.
Deposits and Payments
All deposits paid to Sumi's Touch are non-refundable and non-transferable. Additional payments made to Sumi's Touch are also non-transferable.Once you pay your deposit we immediately begin to hold space for you and accommodate you. Your monetary commitment is a seed that is planted to support in us bringing forth the most beautiful experience for us all. When you cancel we are at a loss and inconvenience that is often unrepairable for us. Transferring funds from one student to another within the same cohort may be permitted under particular circumstances at the exclusive and full discretion of Sumi's Touch.
Refunds and Cancellations
All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing via email to qualify as officially received. You can email all request to hello@sumistouch.com
Immersion Trips:
Cancellation requests made 180 days or more before the trip are eligible for a transfer to a future cohort within 1 calendar year, minus a $250 cancellation fee per person and the deposit.
Cancellation requests made less than 180 days before the trip are not eligible for a transfer to a future cohort.
Late payments on scheduled immersion trip installments are subject to a $50 late fee on the outstanding balance. Please review and adhere to all due dates for your selected accommodations to avoid additional charges.
Missed Payments
Failure to make two consecutive scheduled payments may result in the cancellation of your reservation. All previous deposits and payments will be forfeited.
If for some reason you are not able to attend the Part 2 Immersion you have selected due to unforeseen circumstances or you are more than 7 days late on a payment, your reservation will be given the next person on the waitlist. You may be subject to a missed payment penalty to cover losses and inconveniences at the discretion of Sumi's Touch.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is mandatory for each participant, especially for international trips, to cover unforeseen circumstances such as inability to travel, illness, injury, or other emergencies. If you are bringing children then pease provide an emergency contact in the even that the parent/ guardian is not able to care for the child to their full ability.
Policy Changes
Sumi's Touch reserves the right to amend or change these policies at any time.
Just like in birth, when you know, YOU KNOW and divine order unfolds to support that knowing. We as birth workers prepare for a multitude of possibilities in holding the container of birth, so please consider the following as you commit to this act of healing and expansion for yourself:
Passport: is it up to date and clear of expiration for 2025 for you and loved ones traveling with you?
Visa, air travel & proof of vaccination: we have a travel agent for ease of consultation, but if you decide to book these on your own, please be mindful of what is required.
Once you pay your deposit (50% of the total) we can adjust the payment plan to suit you. We encourage you to make a simple flier on Canva, including ways folks can send you money and share your ask on social media and personal networks. If you choose a GoFundMe, Kickstarter, or some other platform, please calculate the fees associated with it and build that into your grand total ask.
This immersion is a family-centered experience rooted in the understanding that our children and our partners are an integral part of our work.
One of the distinctions of traditional birth work is that it is rooted in community and family. That doesn't mean only those who we serve, but our own. This is why I can't even fathom not having my own family present and inviting yours to come as well.
I am teaching you all while I am gestating my children, nursing my children, caring for my children. Taking pauses to settle them or tend to a "boo-boo". Ensuring we have enough time in the mornings so we can get them all settled for the day. Having extra time mid day to put them down for nap time. Ending the day at a reasonable hour so that we can do bed time routine with them.
Children are not simply allowed here; they are welcomed, honored, and intentionally included.. We will be practicing allo-parenting. This is a communal approach where the caretaking of children is shared amongst the adults. So not only will I ensure my children are fed but yours, too.
I have curated a loving, nature-centered children's curriculum where little ones can explore, learn, and be guided by skilled caretakers who understand the importance of coregulation, gentleness, and play.
Each day, your child will engage with:
š± Nature-based activities
š Ghanaian culture, language, and history
šØ Creative and sensory play
š¤ Warm, grounded care that feels like family
The children will remain onsite with us so we can be close, connected, and at ease unless you choose to join any adult-only activities. There are two adult centered activities during our time together:
Temezcal ceremony (You can choose to have your children accompany you at your discretion)
Cenote and Pyramids (The Children are more than welcomed but you may decided to leave them with the care takers at your discretion)
This is a space where you can drop into your own transformation, knowing your child is held, and truly living their best life!!
And for the partnersā¦
Well, my beloved will be leading a Sacred Menās Retreat for them. He is an experienced facilitator and integration coach that focuses his work on mens healing and mental health. In addition to joining us, they will have some off-site experiences designed specifically for men to connect, explore, and expand. The men will travel on excursions throughout Yucatan, discovering the land from their own vantage point, honoring the masculine journey of returning home to self, purpose, and ancestral land.
Our partners need to be in proximity and integrated into our work. Often, they too have work to do that is complimentary and adjacent to the space we hold. The immersion is intended to pour deeply into not just you but your entire family.
Your children and your partner will walk away changed, too. We aren't only called to this work but our families are, too! The medicine of traditional birth work is for the entire family, the whole community.
If your partner would like to learn more about the men's retreat please feel free to reach out to my partner, Guled, via gmuse3412@gmail.com
We will stay in a beautiful and spacious beach front home on the breath taking Yucatan coast. Each room has their own bath room and there are multiple common areas and a very large pool to enjoy!
Each room will be fully equipped linen, bath towels. If you choose shared occupancy then please reach out if you have a preference of who you're roomed with from the cohort. Otherwise we will choose!!
We will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. We will also have snacks and other traditional beverages like jamaica ( an ancestral hibiscus based tea). If you have food needs please let us know!
You will receive a detailed packing list of what you'll need for yourself and what you'll need to best participate in the activities and workshop elements.
Round trip transportation to and from the airport on 6/25 and 7/5 within designated time frame will be provided.
Temezcal means " bath house" and is a traditional ancient sacred practice. Think of a traditional sauna powered by volanic rocks, water, herbs, and the earth! This precolonial practice is medicine!
A centote is like a natural pool with fresh cool/cold water. They are over 6,000 located in the YucatƔn which is the state we will be in. These bodies of water are sacred amongst the Maya people.
After you submit your deposit you will receive the information for our private travel agent. She will support you in booking the best flight and will sync the cohort's flights as best she can!
Community is everything!! we are pact animals as humans and one of the most special parts of the immersion is the communal vibes, the coming together, and walking in as strangers but leaving as fam!
We will meet 3 times virtually via zoom before we all gather. These meetings will consist of medicine making, getting to know one another, setting our intentions, and supporting one another!
You will have to purchase your own flight. You do not have to use our travel agent to book but you can still access her to align your flight arrival and departure for the bus.
We will venture out a few times. You may see some things you will like to purchase. I suggest you bring extra funds as we will not cover this.
please do not bring cash of any currency thats not Mexican Pesos. You can retrieve Mexican pesos by using he atm. This will give you the best exchange rate. We will not have time to go to a stand.
Any and all toiletries that you may need or desire should be brought with you ahead of time. We can not guarantee that we will have time to purchase or that someone else will have what you desire.
If you are needing to purchase a a passport for the first time or renew yours then please note you will need to cover this fee. You can find your local passport agency online. Feel free to ask us, too
While Mexico doesnt require any vaccines to enter the country, please note that if you choose any of the suggested vaccines you will need to cover the associated fees.
Each member of the cohort and anyone accompanying them is required to have travel insurance. Our travel agent can assist in signing you all up.
:: pick up from the airport or meeting spot
:: dinner
:: travel to retreat location
:: rest and unwind
:: welcoming ceremony/ introductions
:: altar building
:: itinerary overview
:: listening to our inner beings and intuition
:: boundaries and self-preservation
:: shame, vulnerability, and trust
:: grounding, smudging, cloaking
:: intuitive movement flow
:: prenatal inquiries, consultations, and prenatal appointments
:: consent and trauma informed care
:: herbal infused massage oil
:: prenatal massage
:: the blessing way
:: we will spend the day until lunch time at a sacred body of water, Cenote Santa BƔrbara
:: rest and integration
:: comfort measures
:: herbs and homeothapy for labor
:: non-cervix based care and space holding
:: birth as a ceremony
:: reading the energetics of labor
:: Birth story debrief, story weaving/ integration
:: prepared postpartum
:: feeding fundamentals
:: the postpartum container
:: postpartum herbs and homeopathy
:: postpartum massage
:: moxa
:: abdominal wrapping
:: pelvic steam
:: postpartum bath
:: postpartum closing of the bones
:: each student gives and receives a closing ceremony
:: rest and integration
:: blessing of the hands
:: Finish up Closing ceremonies
:: Relax after lunch
:: Evening integration session
:: Final Dinner
:: Final Breakfast
:: Departure to the airport
