In the fall of 1989, Deborah Pufall arrived at a time in her life when the door to growth opened wide. She stepped through it into her first Yoga class and knew very quickly that she had found where she needed to be. The gentle yet strengthening physical activity, the moments of quiet reflection and insight, and above all the love & joy that emanated from her first teacher helped her begin to find a better way of living in the world. In the early 1990's, that first teacher moved away & recommended that Deborah go to the Omaha Yoga & Bodyworks Center and the classes of Susi Gillespie Amendola, Deborah has practiced at the OYBC ever since. There were times when Deborah wondered why she came to class, or when she skipped classes, but something always drew her back to Yoga.

She says, "Ever since I was as a teenager, I had two goals in life: to overcome the physical & emotional challenges that I had suffered for years, and to find wisdom. In Yoga I finally found the tools that helped me to feel I could reach these goals. What I didn't expect, and happily accept, is how peaceful and joyful life becomes when I'm using those tools."

When Susi offered a teacher certification program, Deborah joined the class and found a marvelous world of ancient wisdom and practical knowledge opening up to her; she also found a community of friends. She obtained her teacher certification in 2001, and was thrilled and humbled when Susi offered her the opportunity to become a teacher at the center. Of her teaching style, Deborah says, "I hope to help others begin to experience the peace and the strength that I have found through Yoga."

Life in this day & age can feel relentless; activities and responsibilities and demands on our time accumulate so fast that we find we are always pushing, pushing & being pushed. In her classes, Deborah hopes her students can find an oasis from relentlessness, and a chance to experience how Yoga can help us carry that oasis feeling with us always. Deborah is deeply grateful to her husband for his boundless support, his willingness to try anything (including tofu), his openness to ideas that are different from his own, and especially for his devotion to the ongoing process of personal growth. Thank you!