SAGEL URLACHER, MEd, E-RYT500, is an award-winning, bestselling author and yoga teacher trainer specializing in Yoga Nidra, Yin Yoga, and meditation.
A lifelong educator with more than twenty years of dedicated teaching and practice, and over 3,000 hours of teaching yoga and meditation, she is the author of The Heart of Yoga Nidra, winner of the 2026 Living Now Book Awards Silver Medal, The Book of Yoga Nidra Meditation Scripts, and Yin Yoga & Meditation.
Sagel is deeply committed to making yoga and meditation accessible to all. Whether you are just beginning your yoga journey or have been practicing or teaching for years, her approach offers a holistic experience that meets you where you are.
Rooted in the yogic tradition and informed by Buddhist and Taoist philosophy, her teaching thoughtfully integrates timeless wisdom with contemporary neuroscience in an accessible, heart-centered approach grounded in compassion, mindfulness, and wholeness. She has shared these teachings with students around the world, collaborated with yoga studios across the country, and led retreats at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.
A lifelong student, Sagel trained in mindfulness and meditation with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, whose teachings have been a guiding light throughout her journey. She is also certified in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Trauma-Informed Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Qigong, and Reiki. Her deep gratitude for her teachers—Jacqui Bonwell, Amy Stevens, Aiyana and Krishna Perry of ShivaShakti School of Yoga, Josh Summers, and Bernie Clark—continues to inform and inspire her work.
Sagel offers live online and self-paced teacher trainings in Yoga Nidra, Yin Yoga, and meditation, along with classes and workshops that support lifelong practice. Her programs provide a supportive and interactive environment for dedicated practitioners, yoga teachers, and wellness professionals seeking to deepen their practice, earn certification, or thoughtfully integrate these practices into their work. Her trainings emphasize authenticity, integrity, embodied presence, and responsive guidance.
When not teaching, Sagel enjoys traveling with her family, hiking, and spending time in nature. She draws inspiration from diverse cultures and the restorative wisdom of the natural world—elements that naturally weave their way into her teachings.
As a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP), Sagel offers trainings and workshops eligible for continuing education credits, supporting teachers in their ongoing learning and development.
Sharing these practices is Sagel’s life’s work. She believes deeply in everyone’s capacity for greater peace, presence, and authentic joy, and considers it an honor to accompany others along the way.
Years ago, life gently—and quite unexpectedly—invited me to rediscover balance.
After completing two consecutive 200-hour Vinyasa yoga teacher trainings, I was eager to share yoga with as many people as possible. I accepted every opportunity to teach, whether in studios, private sessions, hotels, conference rooms, gyms, universities, or on the beach. From sunrise until evening, often seven days a week, I kept up this pace for several years without realizing that I had lost touch with the very balance yoga had the potential to cultivate.
Then one day, life quite literally stopped me in my tracks.
I arrived at a hotel in Kennebunkport, Maine, to teach a class. In my usual rush, I reached down for my bag of props and—WHAM!—struck my head on a massive antique reception counter. The following day, I learned I had sustained a concussion.
The weeks that followed forced me to slow down in ways I never would have chosen. My body was exhausted and off balance. My mind followed. At times I couldn't tell left from right, and even simple conversations became a struggle.
It was a challenging season, both personally and professionally. As much as I resisted it at first, I eventually realized that the concussion wasn't the lesson I had expected—it was the one I needed. It gave me permission to slow down and simply be.
Looking back, I can now see that what first felt like an unfortunate accident became an unexpected grace. I had been skimming the surface of life for so long, moving from one responsibility to the next, that I had forgotten what it felt like to rest in the present moment. Like so many of us, I had become far more practiced at doing than at simply being.
That experience became the turning point that led me to discover Yin Yoga, mindfulness meditation, and Yoga Nidra. What began as a need for rest gradually became my passion and, ultimately, my life's work—a lifelong path of study, practice, and service. In learning to embrace the quiet wisdom of Yin, I also rediscovered the value of Yang. It is in the balance between the two that I have found a more wholehearted way of living, and it continues to shape the way I live and teach.
These practices have been a profound gift in my life, helping me cultivate greater balance, clarity, presence, and peace. My yoga mat has become a place I can always return to, whether I have five quiet minutes in the midst of a busy day or the gift of a longer practice. Through Yin Yoga, meditation, and Yoga Nidra, I continue to rediscover what it means to live with greater ease, steadiness, and an open heart.
My hope is that these practices offer you what they have so generously offered me: moments of deep rest, greater presence, and a place to return to yourself again and again. Whether you join me for a class, a teacher training, or simply spend time exploring these teachings, I hope you feel welcomed, supported, and encouraged to discover your own unique path.
It would be a joy and honor to share these practices with you.
With gratitude,
Sagel
