Yoga East saved my sanity

I found Yoga East when I moved to Louisville in 1989, fresh out of law school and more than a little overwhelmed by the prospect of starting a law practice. Yoga East gave me a place to breathe, regain my balance, and, quite honestly, preserve my sanity.

What began as simply taking classes gradually became something much larger. In time, I became part of Yoga East—first teaching one class a week, then three, and eventually making yoga and this community an important part of my life.

Through Yoga East, I have had the privilege of studying with remarkable teachers, including Ramanand Patel, François Raoult, Doug Keller, David Swenson, and many others. Those teachers, my fellow practitioners, and generations of Yoga East students have shaped my life in ways I could never have imagined when I first walked through the door in 1989.

For 55 years, Yoga East has offered something increasingly rare: a genuine community yoga school where people can study, practice, learn, and belong.

Yoga East is a nonprofit organization, and part of our mission is to keep yoga accessible to anyone who wants to experience its benefits, regardless of financial circumstances. We want our doors to remain open to longtime practitioners, complete beginners, young people, older adults, and anyone searching for greater strength, steadiness, health, or peace of mind.

That is why Give for Good is so important to us.

Your gift—whatever the amount—helps sustain this 55-year-old Louisville institution and allows us to continue offering accessible classes, supporting excellent teachers, maintaining our school, and sharing yoga with the next generation of students.

Yoga East changed my life. Perhaps it has touched yours, too.

If it has, I hope you will consider making a gift during Give for Good and helping us ensure that Yoga East will still be here for the person who walks through our door tomorrow looking for what I was looking for in 1989: a place to breathe, practice, learn, and find community.

Every gift matters, and every gift helps keep Yoga East alive and thriving.

Thank you for being part of our community.

(The photograph above was taken in 2015. I'm with Sharath Jois at the Ashtanga yoga school in Mysore, India having just returned from a pilgrimage into the Himalayas with Sharath and his mother, Saraswati. Sharath was the grandson of my original Ashtanga teacher, K. Pattabhi Jois. Both Sharath and his mother came and taught here in Louisville. Sadly Sharath passed away in 2024, but I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet, study and travel with this family of dedicated yogis, all thanks to Yoga East.)