David Life is a yoga master, author, animal activist, and artist with a commitment to yoga as a path for spiritual activism and activation. He is cocreator, with Sharon Gannon, of the Jivamukti Yoga Method, which emphasizes vinyasa, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting, and meditation, as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism, and political activism as paths to enlightenment.
A student of Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, Shri Swami Nirmalananda and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Life has a strong foundation in Ashtanga Yoga. Life’s classes are imbued with metaphor, musicality, and spirituality, and are spiced with humor, vigor, and spontaneity. A respected teacher of the Jivamukti Yoga Method both nationally and internationally, he is considered a “teacher’s teacher.”
Together with Sharon Gannon and Janet Rienstra, David Life established the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Program at the Humane Society of New York City in 1999. He is a longtime vanguard member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and, with Gannon, established and maintains a 76-acre wildlife forest sanctuary in upstate New York.
Life is coauthor (with Sharon Gannon) of Jivamukti Yoga, The Art of Yoga, and Yoga Assists. He writes regularly for publications like Yoga Journal and Yoga+ Joyful Living (formerly Yoga International). He teaches the Jivamukti Yoga Method both nationally and internationally.
What Others are Saying About David Life
“David and Sharon have inspired and encouraged us to think of yoga not just as a system of exercises but as a door to the infinite.”
—Sting, musician
“Expressive yoga classes with ebullient, kissable teachers that whirl up your inner fire.”
—Paper magazine
“[Jivamukti teacher training] is The Gold Standard.”
—Time Out New York
“[Sharon Gannon and David Life are] American originals who are shaping Yoga today.”
—Yoga Journal