The Practice and The Prayer: A Foundational Doula Training
Transform birthwork. Honor your lineage. Build community.
Join Our 11-Week Doula Training for Aspiring and Emerging Birthworkers of Color
“The Practice and the Prayer” is a foundational doula training for aspiring and emerging birth workers of color who are ready to transform maternal health outcomes and root their practice in both evidence-based care and ancestral wisdom. Co-created by Ashe Birthing Services and Sanctuary Medicine, this 11-week hybrid training (30 hours total) blends the rigor of perinatal education with the reverence of ceremony — honoring birthwork as both a clinical practice and a spiritual calling.
Inspired by the African ritual of call and response, this program honors the rhythm between what we inherit and what we build — between ancient knowing and modern skill. The call is the sacred tradition of birthwork; the response is how we embody it through advocacy, compassion, and care. Together, we ground in the prayer of birth — the breath, the body, and the collective memory that connects us across generations.
Participants begin their journey with an immersive in-person weekend kickoff in or near New York City, where they engage in hands-on workshops, grounding rituals, and community-building. The experience continues virtually with weekly live sessions, guided mentorship, and real-time connection through an active WhatsApp group for discussion and resource-sharing.
Designed for collective healing as much as professional formation, this training helps students develop the knowledge, confidence, and integrity to serve families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Graduates emerge grounded in reproductive justice, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility — embodying both the practice and the prayer that sustain birthwork as sacred service.
This 11-week hybrid training (30 hours total) is designed for aspiring and emerging doulas of color who are ready to transform maternal health outcomes and center ancestral and community wisdom in their practice. Participants begin with an immersive in-person weekend kickoff in or near New York City, where they’ll engage in hands-on skills workshops, grounding, and sisterhood. The journey then continues virtually with weekly live sessions, guided mentorship, and real-time community through an active WhatsApp group for discussion, resource-sharing, and support. Our approach blends evidence-based perinatal education with traditional, cultural, and spiritual practices that honor the diversity of our birthwork lineages. Students will gain the knowledge and confidence to serve families with compassion, advocacy, and integrity—grounded in the principles of reproductive justice and trauma-informed care.
What You’ll Receive
Foundational training in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care
Peer collaboration and mentorship from seasoned doulas
Direct guidance from Emilie Rodriguez (Ashe Birthing Services & The Bridge Directory) and Sevonna Brown (Sanctuary Medicine)
Weekly 1.5+ hour live sessions with recordings available
A nurturing community of doulas from across the globe
Required In-Person Retreat February 6-8, 2026 an hour north of NYC, details to be shared upon acceptance. Lodging and accommodation not provided.