Local Yoga Teacher Hopes to Spread Love for Yoga on the Eastern Shore

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Debra Bosna strikes a dancer pose in Maui. Submitted photo.

By Adolphus Ames  –

Local yoga instructor Debra Bosna offers classes at Indigo Studio in Nassawadox. Classes are offered Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and are open to all levels of fitness and experience.

Bosna, born and raised in Philadelphia, discovered her passion for yoga in 2000. “One day my friend Danielle, who is very athletic, took a yoga class,” she said. “She told me it was the hardest thing she ever did and convinced me to give it a try. By the end of my first session, I was lying on my back crying. I wasn’t sad. I felt at peace. I went to that first class and never stopped.”

Within two years, she completed her 200-hour teacher training and became a full-time instructor in Pennsylvania. She is a student of Yoganand Michael Carroll, the founder of Pranakriya Yoga. She has worked with all kinds of clientele, ranging from triathletes to wheelchair users, and mastered various styles, including athletic, yin, restorative, and yoga for chronic pain relief. 

Yoga has had a significant impact on her life. Bosna was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 4 and was in and out of children’s hospitals until she was 16. “I couldn’t even run in gym class without my ankles hurting,” she said. “Yoga has helped me overcome my physical limitations. Yoga helps strengthen your joints, improve blood circulation, and can help heal fatigue and depression, which are arthritis symptoms that I suffered from when I was younger.”

Bosna moved to the Shore in 2015 and opened up Freestyle Yoga Studio in Cape Charles before relocating her operations to Cheriton. She had to shut down her studio in 2020 when the cornavirus pandemic emerged. 

“When COVID-19 appeared, I just couldn’t keep it open,” she said. “Nobody wanted to be in a room with a bunch of strangers inhaling and exhaling. I tried teaching classes online through Zoom and creating a video series, but it just wasn’t the same. My friend Richard Williams helped me relocate to Nassawadox and save my business. The studio is large enough to accommodate many students and provide room for social distancing.”

Bosna loves interacting with and helping others. Before yoga, she was a social worker. “One of the things that I enjoy the most about yoga is that the studio provides a sense of community,” she said. “I like providing a support system for those in need. As someone who suffered from arthritis, I definitely have empathy for people that are going through a rough time in their life physically and emotionally.”

She hopes more people develop an interest in yoga in the near future. “I want everyone to know that yoga is more than physical flexibility,” Bosna said. “It is a lifestyle that can enhance the mind and body and everyone is going to have a different experience.”

To learn more information visit https://feelfree2feelfree.com or contact Bosna at [email protected]. 

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