A Tool for Personal Transformation: Yoga As Discipline
by Jan Forrest with Jonny Kest
Originally published in Healing Garden Journal, October 2001

Can you envision a young boy of twelve, rising with the sun, heading to a shimmering beach on Maui, doing morning yoga with his father and three brothers? Can you imagine this same boy, at age 15, traveling to India, to meet and study with saints and sages? It would seem to be the stuff fairy tales are made of, and yet, it reads as the true life biography of Jonny Kest , one of America’s leading yoga teachers who hails from Birmingham, Michigan.

Today, Jonny is the founder and owner of two highly successful yoga studios, The Center for Yoga, in Birmingham and Southfield, with two more scheduled to open in the Detroit area (Berkeley and West Bloomfield) within the next year. What started out as a way to connect with a divorced father who had moved to Hawaii, has become a way of life for Jonny , who at the seasoned age of 33, has been practicing and teaching yoga for almost 20 years.

“It is all about listening,” Jonny shares. “Yoga is about learning to listen deeply to ourselves. In school, we learn to speak, read and write. We do not really learn how to listen. There is no more important relationship in the world than the relationship between our mind and body. As we listen to our breath, as we hear how it speaks to us, we can learn so many things. We breathe over 20,000 breaths a day and most go unnoticed. We suppress our breath rather than connecting with it. Imagine what would happen if we could tap into that place of breath and connect with the perfection of that moment. We would feel such joy.”

Jonny continues, “Yoga has the power to transform our lives. The first time I witnessed this was with my father. He was a surgeon by training and suffered incredible back pain.After traditional methods brought no relief, he sought out alternative therapies and somehow came to yoga. As a young man, I saw his physical and emotional condition improve with disciplined practice every day. That is why I coined the term, “Healthy Backs Yoga” in honor of my dad, which is what I teach in classes. But it is not just about the back. That is only a metaphor for the total well being that can come from regular yoga practice.”

If you would poll the greater yoga community, you would find that Jonny is a highly respected teacher who walks his talk. His passion seems to be in keeping the body fit through heartier forms of yoga, particularly Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga. Ashtanga, often called “Power Yoga” by some is the most strenuous form of the practice, building internal heat to purify the body and mind. Vinyasa is a cardio-intensive practice which links breath and movement in a free flowing sequence. Students say he challenges them to reach the next higher level of fitness, while honoring their body’s current level of health and skill. His teaching style is often described as “compassionate discipline.”

The classes at his studios are broad, however, and visionary. A class schedule might feature “Up Against the Wall” yoga (which uses the wall of a room for primary support), Prenatal Yoga, Partner Yoga, Meda Yoga (meditation and yoga which strengthen mind and body) and “Creative Yoga for Kids.” Jonny is quick to point out that over 1000 students a week move through their Metro Detroit studios. With statistics like these, he appears to be creating one of the largest yoga communities in the nation.

“It doesn’t matter how anyone specifically comes to yoga, just that they come.” Jonny explains. “Once we arrive at the mat, we use our breath and postures to connect with our nervous system, and when we do that, we literally set ourselves free. Within our nervous systems are the root causes of all our suffering. Our physical and emotional pain. Breath and movement allow us to push past that and go deep within. That is where the freedom comes. Yoga can bring us freedom and ultimately, personal transformation.”

Jonny’s passion and transformational message continue to flow out to others nationwide. He is the founder of the Midwestern Yoga and Wellness Conference, held in Ann Arbor annually. In August,. he launched the 1st Annual Southeast Yoga Conference held in Stone Mountain, Georgia. His enthusiasm seems to be boundless as he travels the country, now sharing with us that he also hopes to launch a magazine in the near future, not unlike “Yoga Chicago” for Michigan yoga practitioners.

Despite his energetic lifestyle, (or maybe because of it) Jonny keeps it all in balance and in perspective. He and his wife, Milla, (who helps run their organization) are parents of 2 and 1/2 children, expecting their newest child in the winter. He is a dedicated father and the author of a children’s book, Children Are Like A Garden.

Jonny ends our interview with these thoughts and invites us to consider them. “What will push yoga into the next decade is its ability to help others listen and to serve. Yoga is not just about looking good. It is about feeling alive. Even if you come to yoga for a workout, it doesn’t take long before you realize transformation is taking place. You are calmer, less reactive, you listen more deeply. By coming to the mat, you set yourself up for personal transformation. It’s inevitable.”

Recommended Resources:

Power Yoga (video) by Brian Kest
The Art of Living by William Hart
Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow

Jonny Kest is a student of Ashtanga yoga and meditation for over 20 years. He is a Master Teacher of Healthy Backs Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga, and a trainer of yoga instructors nationwide. For further information contact him at (248) 386-YOGA or visit his website www.centerforyoga.net.