Deanna

Deanna  celebrates Yoga’s power in cultivating self-realization and nourishing the mind-body-spirit, strengthening our ability to abide in unconditional love/source/divine/insert-your-own-word and to develop superpowers of equanimity, clarity, compassion and peace.

She’s been teaching and mentoring since 2007 and is the Owner & Director of Education at Dhyana Yoga Arts in Chester NJ.  She specializes in Yoga for Backcare & Scoliosis, and also teaches Bhakti, Vinyasa, Yoga Rope Wall, Restorative Yoga & Ayurveda.  She’s known as a teacher who shares Yoga with depth, clarity & heart - creating space that’s conducive for students to empower themselves in their practice.

Her clear, compassionate teaching style is informed by over 30 years of experience in movement and creative arts as well as experience overcoming chronic back and sciatic pain associated with scoliosis.

After directing her energy to writing, literature, and theater arts at Rutgers University, Deanna studied acting and movement in NYC, where she first recognized the effects that chronic back and sciatic pain were having on her body and mind.  She explored many Eastern & Western modalities - it was when she found Yoga and Meditation that she realized our innate capacity for healing and transformation (scroll down for more on her backcare journey). 

Her classes weave Yoga philosophy, high quality attention, breath, and movement into a meditative practice.  She guides students to attune to their unique needs, build focus and strength, and calm the mind. 

Deanna has trained with a range teachers inspiring her path: Vinyasa with Ali Cramer, Deborah Bagg & Stacey Brass;  Yoga for Backcare & Scoliosis with Alison West, Rachel Jesien, Kaitlyn Hipple, and Deborah Wolk;  Restorative Yoga with Judith Hanson Lasater; Buddhism and Fourth Way with Michael Hewett. She’s also a certified Ayurvedic Health Coach by Dinacharya Institute & AVP in India. Her experience teaching, training & assisting at the main Yoga for Backcare & Scoliosis Centers in NYC have inspired her backcare work. She is eternally grateful for her meditation teacher, Shivabalayogi, and for the presence of all of her teachers.

Deanna creates wellness programs tailored to each individual’s unique needs including holistic health “tools” for daily life and self-awareness. She looks forward to supporting you in your Yoga and Wellness journey!

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Want to know a little more?

The Roots of my Backcare Journey

I’m a lover of learning and deep inquiry. As a child, I’ve always been an empath and felt connected to what I call Unconditional Love, the Divine, Source (insert-your-own-word). 

In my early 20’s, when I had just graduated from Rutgers, I was on my way to Acting School - full of youth, excitement, hope and inspiration- riding on the waves of the aliveness and energy of working with other actors and the vibrancy of NYC (to me it was its’ own form of yoga).

But the truth is that I could barely sit up during class or on the subway, and I couldn’t wait to lay down when I got home just to find a little relief.   

I was having insomnia from sciatica - constantly trying icepacks and menthol rubs to no avail… and debilitating pain and anxiety related to my scoliosis and back issues. It was torturous. My acting teacher saw that I was having blockages in my body during scenework (she had scoliosis too), and told me I'd better do something about it.

One day while I was on the job bartending, my leg buckled and I collapsed onto the floor (not common for any 22-year-old I knew at the time).

I had a sharp shooting pain in my leg that brought me down and then … a serious “aha” moment.  

As my co-worker helped lift me from the floor, I knew I needed to take a different action ... but I felt like I had already tried everything (chiro, PT, massage, you-name-it), many Eastern and Western avenues of treatment … and nothing really worked.

…until I found Yoga and Meditation.  

I realized I could empower myself to take an active role in my own healing and transformation. 

After meeting my meditation teacher (a Swami from India), I dedicated myself to Yogic study, lived in Costa Rica for a few months in a meditation village (in a tent amidst the jungle) to focus, had realizations and healing experiences, and eventually returned to NYC to become a yoga teacher. 

I discovered a deepening of purpose, presence, self-love, and ability to tune into my inner teacher and Source.

At first, I did the training with the intention to let it be an investment in myself that would support me throughout my life. I didn’t know yet that I wanted to teach.  

Pronoia (the universe conspiring for you) set in, and I began to teach all over New York and New Jersey, gaining experience teaching in all types of venues and with all types of people, privately and in group settings. 

My yogic training originally began in a devotional community full of creativity, joy and rebel mystic yogi tradition. I was fascinated by yogic study and went on to train in Ayurveda, restorative yoga, aerial yoga, Tibetan buddhism, and other spiritual traditions.

Eventually I realized I needed more support in the physical realm.

I had incredible teachers, but I realized no yoga teachers in my circles knew how to work with my unique back issues… they didn’t know how to answer my questions or help me address persistent physical discomfort in certain poses or everyday activities.

I went on to train with and assist world-renowned Yoga for Backcare & Scoliosis specialists and teach at the two main Yoga for Backcare & Scoliosis centers in New York City.

I learned how to address my chronic pain and got back to doing my fave physical activities again (yoga, rock climbing, dancing, hiking) and was overjoyed that my body and mind felt strong and balanced again. 

I discovered I could work with my own back challenges in a conscious way and change the habitual patterns that were not serving me, and I loved being able to share this specialized knowledge tailored to each individual’s unique needs. 

Since then, I’ve worked with hundreds of students with all types of back conditions, including scoliosis, herniation, stenosis, spondilolysthesis, spinal fusions, general back pain and joint issues.

I feel blessed to have worked with dedicated students across the US & Europe throughout my years of teaching. I adore my community at Dhyana Yoga Arts yoga studio in Chester, NJ, and my community where I live now in the Asheville, NC area, where I offer online and in-person group and 1:1 sessions, retreats and teacher trainings.

Along with my amazing team, we’ve cultivated a kind-hearted, welcoming community of people who appreciate our well-rounded approach to Yoga. Our students learn that Yoga is so much more than poses, and that Yoga is vast. Students often say they’re drawn here because it’s a place for true Yoga. 

I’m happy to be doing what I love, teaching, mentoring, specializing in Yoga for Backcare & Scoliosis and leading Yoga Teacher Trainings in Alignment Vinyasa, Restorative Yoga, Rope Wall, Yoga Philosophy and more.

One of my gifts is making Yoga accessible for people of all levels, ages, and abilities. My students love to share with me how their lives have transformed with this work and that it helps them do the things they love to do with joy and ease.

This is why I created a comprehensive Yoga for Scoliosis & Sadhana 4-Month Program. If you’d like to learn more about it or work with me in private sessions, feel free to watch the masterclass below and then let me know if you have questions.

I look forward to supporting you in your Yoga and Wellness journey!

peace ~ Deanna

Right now, I’m offering a free online Masterclass available for a limited time - this is focused toward students with scoliosis but it’s also for you if you have other back conditions, such as herniation, stenosis, spondilolysthesis or general back pain.

Here’s what some of my students have to say: