1971
David Williams first traveled overland to India in 1971 in search of yoga. He discovered Ashtanga Yoga in 1972 after meeting Manju Jois in Pondicherry, and then began studying directly with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore in 1973.
1988
Jonny Kest and Bryan Kest are introduced to yoga through their father in Hawaii, studying with David Williams. Soon after, they travel to India to study with Pattabhi Jois.
1990s
My father opens one of the first yoga studios in the Midwest. Detroit. Teacher trainings. A community. I'm born into all of it in 1996. The yoga room is my first home.
1998
Rooted in the discipline of Ashtanga Yoga, the practice evolves into the Seven Doorways of Vinyasa — blending breath, rhythm, creativity, strength, and fluid movement into a new language of flow.
2000s
Power Yoga expands globally. Bryan Kest releases his Warner Bros. yoga DVDs, helping bring the practice into homes around the world as yoga continues to grow and evolve.
2012
Jonah Kest begins studying and takes teacher training with his father, Jonny Kest. A few years later, he leaves school to fully commit to the path — moving to Los Angeles to teach full-time and travel the world sharing the practice.
2020
Jonah Kest continues traveling extensively, teaching workshops, festivals, retreats, and trainings across the U.S. and internationally while building a growing online presence. During this time, he collaborates with multiple wellness and lifestyle brands, helping bring yoga into more mainstream spaces through movement, storytelling, and community. In 2020, he signs with Nike, marking a major step in bridging yoga, performance, and global culture.
2021
Become a Yogi is born. What began as a vision for a more immersive and modern approach to yoga education quickly evolves into a global teacher training experience — bringing together students and teachers from around the world through movement, philosophy, community, and transformation.
I didn't choose yoga. Yoga chose my family. I rebelled, I chased other dreams, and then I was 17 and I watched a room full of people walk out of my father's class completely transformed.
I was chasing the NBA. Then baseball. I thought yoga was for someone else. Then I was 17, and I watched my father teach a room full of people. They walked out glowing. I quit sports that week and never looked back. At 18, I sat a 10-day silent Vipassana retreat. It was the hardest thing I have ever done — and it changed the axis of everything.
I have been teaching since before people wanted to listen to me. That early doubt was a gift. It taught me to walk my walk before I asked anyone else to follow. Thirty years in, I still get nervous before I teach. I still approach the mat like I don’t know what’s coming. That’s not a weakness. That’s the practice.
In Good Company
Brand partnerships that share Jonah's commitment to movement, presence, and craft.
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Yoga isn't something you do. It's something you become
I didn't choose yoga. Yoga chose my family.
At 17, I watched my father’s students walk out glowing. I quit sports that week.
I'm still becoming. That's the whole point.
From lived experience
They came to practice. They stayed for life.
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