About Deborah
The person behind Samja Retreats.
For years
I was the person
everyone wanted
at their table
I just was not present at any of them.
I fell in love with yoga eighteen years ago in India. It was the beginning of a personal journey that cracked me open, a sense of devotion I hadn’t felt before, where every atom feels connected, where you find yourself part of something bigger, and where people show up for each other with genuine openness and care.
Ten years ago I completed my first teacher training in Ashtanga, and something deepened. I kept learning, kept travelling, kept returning to the practice, collecting tools, meeting extraordinary teachers, and quietly dreaming of a way to bring it all together. Six years ago, Samja Retreats was born.
There is nothing quite like watching a group of souls find each other, hold each other with love and zero judgement, and leave as a community with a deeper peace and purpose. That is the part that lights me up.
My background off the mat spans travel, events, aviation, and wellness festivals, and that combination gives me something I’m proud of. The ability to hold a retreat with care, precision, and a few moments of unexpected magic, while staying completely present and intuitive with every person in the room. I love creativity, I love surprising people, and I firmly believe that healing doesn’t have to be heavy. Some of the most transformational moments happen in the middle of laughter, or a sunset, or a conversation that goes on far too long and feels far too good to end.
But I also know what it is to lose the thread. I spent years in a high-pressure role, always on, always available, always somewhere else even when I was right there. It took honesty, a hard look in the mirror and a willingness to come back to the very things I taught to find my way through. No one’s journey is linear. And I think the most important thing any of us can do, again and again, is find our way back. To nature. To ourselves. To real connection and real community.
That is why Samja Retreats exists. And that is exactly what we are here to help you remember.
Her Philosophy
A space to dissolve what no longer serves you and remember what does.
Community
A safe and loving space where you are seen, held and reminded that you belong here, fully, without apology.
Joy
Because transformation does not have to be heavy. Sometimes the tears of laughter are the release your soul was searching for all along.
Depth
Emotions, energy, intention, explored through the body, not just the mind. Because real depth is not found in understanding yourself. It is found in feeling yourself.
Growth
On the other side of your comfort zone is where life begins. Whether you think you can or you cannot, you are probably right. Deborah is here to show you that you can.
Deborah has led retreats in India, Ibiza, Thailand, Turkey and across Europe, and taught at large-scale festivals worldwide. At her last retreat, 8 out of 14 guests were returning participants. Many have since travelled the world together.
That is what Samja builds. Real community.
Experience a Class with Deborah
This is what a morning with Deborah feels like. Press play.