Debby began practicing yoga regularly in early 2004. The first class she took at that time was called “Gentle/Restorative” and it enabled her to return to movement, and a studio setting, following her diagnosis with, and the start of treatment for, Severe Aplastic Anemia Aplastic Anemia: (ay-PLASS-tik uh-NEE_mee-uh) A rare and serious condition in which the bone marrow fails to make enough blood cells - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The term aplastic is a Greek word meaning not to form. Anemia is a condition that happens when red blood cell count is low. Most… in the fall of 2003. As a witness to the power of yoga, Debby pursued her yoga teacher training as soon as she was able to after her treatment. She trained at Pure Prana Yoga Studio in 2005 and is registered with Yoga Alliance as a yoga teacher with 200+ hours of training who has taught over 1,000 hours (affording her the status of “experienced” teacher). Since 2005, Debby has pursued additional training and certification in Prenatal Yoga with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, in Restorative Yoga with Judith Lasater and Jillian Pransky, and in Therapeutic Yoga with Bo Forbes, Cheri Clampett and Arturo Peal. Debby hopes that her classes embody her beliefs that change is life, humor is helpful, and compassion is always welcome.
When not teaching yoga, Debby spends much of her time with her husband, their son, and the family’s dog. She works part-time as a grant writer for madesafe.org, and she continues her involvement in the bone marrow failure bone marrow failure: A condition that occurs when the bone marrow stops making enough healthy blood cells. The most common of these rare diseases are aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Bone marrow failure can be acquired (begin any time in life) or can be… disease arena through her role as a consumer reviewer for the Bone Marrow Failure Research Program and as a Board member of the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation.