About Me
Meditation and yoga teacher, writer, mentor & recovery warrior.
Curious, flawed & beautifully messy human being.
Well, hello there! I'm Deborah
I’m known for my infectious curiosity for exploring the glorious and beautiful mess of being human, and how meditation, movement & yoga - through insight, connection and deep, deep listening – can helps us to navigate this wild ride.
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Whether attending one of my classes, retreats, workshops or teacher trainings - UK or international - expect an invitation to go deeper into yourself and discover more joy.
Hope to see you soon !
My Story (so far) Like so many interesting people I know, I had an ‘eventful’ start in life and triumphed over much adversity including homelessness, trauma and addiction in my early twenties. I knuckled down with very grown-up jobs, and built a successful 15yr corporate career (IT and Banking) and even studied for a Masters Degree! But I knew I needed to do something more meaningful. By now, I was already teaching yoga and meditation part-time, and felt passionately about the need for these potent healing practices the heal our world. And so after a sabbatical for a few months in South America, I created and opened Whitespace Yoga Studio and Teacher Training Centre. This thriving centre and community was an absolute joy to create and steer, and I was CEO for 10 years before stepping down at midlife to immerse myself in more teaching and facilitation; the thing that truly lights me up the most! I’ll always have a seekers soul, and love to travel; to put myself in front of beauty and awe. But more often these days the journey is inward; always inward. As London escapee, I now live in a sleepy village just north of London. Outside of teaching, you’ll find me hiking in the 800-acre woods right on my doorstep, paddleboarding, playing the guitar or sitting on my deck curled up with a book – bliss! To be continued…
About my Teaching I’m a seasoned facilitator, teacher and trainer, with a knack for meeting people right where they are, with deep insight and a compassionate heart. I've been teaching classes for 20 years, and curating and leading trainings, workshops and retreats for 12 of those years. I'm passionate about creating transformational experiences in casual learning settings - be it in a studio, classroom, on retreat or in the workplace - that help people reconnect to and reclaim their humanity, joy and purpose, so they can rediscover the vitality in their lives and relationships. My style is friendly and down to earth, accessible to people from all walks of life, and always with a sense of lightness and humour (diving deep and laughter are not mutually exclusive!) Below is for those who are interested in credentials and a study path - I'm a Mindfulness Teacher, studying with Bangor University. I also trained with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield as a Mindfulness Mentor - going on to work for them at Cloud Sangha. I continue to attend regular silent retreats to deepen my own practice. With a keen interest in working with trauma and addiction, I've studied with Ralf Marzen, Dr Gabor Mate and Richard Schwartz to better understand how yoga and meditation can support this aspect of our human experience. I'm a Somatics Movement and Senior Yoga Teacher/Trainer in multi-disciplines (Hatha, Flow, Yin, Nidra and Restorative). I like to weave these practices together to help regulate the nervous system - healing stress, addiction and early trauma – to bring greater balance and sense of calm our body and mind. I believe only then, can we see clearly and show up fully. I love to write, and have featured in OM Magazine, Amrita Magazine and Yoga Magazine, as well as being the resident Wellbeing columnist for Circus Magazine. Drawing on over 20yrs of teaching, I’m on a personal mission to share the benefits of delving into these practices in community. By offering these experiences, the space for healing connection opens up to empower others - not to change themselves, but to be fully seen in all their glory. I believe when we change the way we see ourselves and each other, we can affect some sort of change or perspective that makes our world better.
