Debra Flashenberg,
Debra Flashenberg, CD(DONA), LCCE, E-RYT 500, RPYT
Debra is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music with a degree in Musical Theater. She has spent most of her life performing and was introduced to yoga through a choreographer in 1997. After several years as a yoga student, she decided to continue her education and became certified as a Bikram Yoga instructor. In 2001 Debra headed out to Seattle to study with renowned prenatal yoga teacher Colette Crawford, R.N., at the Seattle Holistic Center. She has also received a certificate for Vinyasa Yoga from Shiva Rea, with whom she continues to study, and had studied the Maternal Fitness Method with Julie Tupler. In 2004, she completed the OM Yoga advanced teacher training with Cyndi Lee. Debra currently studies Iyengar yoga with Carrie Owerko, and Genevieve Kapular.
After being witness to several "typical" hospital births, Debra felt it was important to move beyond the yoga room and be present in the birthing room. In 2003, she attended her first birth as a DONA certified labor support doula. Since then she has attended about 100 births. She is continuously in awe of the beauty and brilliance of birth.
In 2006, Debra received her certification as a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. In 2007, Debra completed a Midwife Assistant Program with Ina May Gaskin, Pamela Hunt and many of the other Farm Midwives at The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee.
Deb is a regular contributor to New York Family Magazine and Mommybites as Prenatal and Birth Expert and has been published in the book, Doulas (chapter 7!) Midwifery Today, Doula International, The Lamaze International Blog, Birthing With Confidence among many others. In April 2016, Deb had the honor of being a presenter at the Yoga Journal Live New York Conference.
Deb's most recent undertaking is her podcast, Yoga| Birth | Babies. Deb has had the incredible pleasure speaking with and learning from some of the birth business's most influential and respected speakers, Penny Simkin, Deborah Pascalli-Bonero, Dr Sarah Buckley and Farm Midwife, Deborah Flowers. Drawing on her experience as a prenatal yoga teacher, labor support doula, childbirth educator and mother, Deb looks to establish a safe, effective and empowering class for pregnancy and beyond. Deb is the proud (and tired!) mother of her son Shay and daughter Sage.
