Meet David Penn | Owner & Founder, Sun Dragon Yoga

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Penn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, what inspires you?
I’m inspired by psychologist turned yogi Ram Dass. He was a famous psychologist that was fired from his position as a professor and he became a famous yogi and meditation teacher. ‘Be Here Now’ is a well-known quote of his. I love this quote for what it’s not more than for what it is. Not to live in the past, not to live in the future, but engaged in your life right now. How do you want things right now? Beyond nice things, bought experiences or status, what brings you happiness, purpose or contentment right now?

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I began practicing yoga to deal with a stiff back and neck, and an increasingly limited range of motion. 12 and 14 hour days in the corporate world had left me feeling like a weak old man while barely in my thirties. I tried weightlifting and other types of workouts, but none helped with my level of stress, pain and overall tightness. Although I had done yoga a few times before, I hadn’t truly ‘dug in’ to yoga. This time was different. My studio in Boston offered a teacher training that required some considerable time off of work. I informed my company I needed to do this, and they agreed.

Through my teacher training, I came to find that life was much more of a gift than I had realized. Of course, my back and neck did get better. But my awakening to my new-found appreciation of simply being alive was what changed everything.

I noticed the unfortunate stigma that yoga had – that it was for the young, that it was for those who were a certain body type. Magazines and Instagram posts certainly reinforced that concept. But what I needed, and what I found the community needed, was yoga that was for the rest of us. We, that have tech-neck from too much desk time every day. We, that have bad knees so we can’t run anymore. We, that are sore when we get out of bed in the morning. We, that need an easy breathing technique to help de-stress and calm before a big meeting. That was the niche’ for Sun Dragon Yoga. That lead to our mantra, ‘Feel Better All Day.’

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Definitely set aside some time to go to Dekalb Family Market. The dessert selection is unbelievable. Down the road from Dekalb Family Market, check out Heck House. Take pictures with all the crazy fun stuff you’ll see there. No Tomorrow at Underground Atlanta is another fun spot. You never know what you’ll experience there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is an easy one. A shoutout to my partner for the past 30 years. My wife believed in me when it didn’t occur to me to believe in myself. The question mentions a litttle bit of credit. I think my wife might deserve closer to 95% of the credit. I left the corporate / start-up world ( and a whole lot more money) for a dream. The dream was “what if I could do whatever the hell I wanted to do?” I was lovingly but aggressively encouraged by my wife to pursue opening a yoga studio. She had seen the difference my daily yoga practice had made in my personality, general well being and overall contentment in life. She wanted me to pursue that rather than continue in the field I was in. Of course there are challenges that came with that decision. But we’re well prepared to deal with them. We don’t vacation in Europe, we don’t get a new car every year and we couldn’t be happier.

Website: www.sundragonyoga.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundragonyoga/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpenndavid/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sundragonyoga

Image Credits
Jill Mellis