It was tough in the beginning; back in 2001, Venice, California was gang-ridden and not exactly the place one would think an innovative upscale gym would be located. But Kimberly and YAS hung in there, and as she aligned the stars, the neighborhood transformed around them. The once sketchy neighborhood is now lined with high-class shops and bistros, and bustling with over 500 students a day happily sweating their way through YAS.

Fitness studios have cropped up all over the country using Kimberly’s business model, some even stealing her logo colors “green & gray,” which ten years ago, people thought strange. “Being an innovator is hard,” says Fowler. “When you first come up with your idea, everyone thinks you’re insane, saying it will never work, and then, when it takes off, everyone copies you.”

With four Southern California locations and over 50,000 members, Kimberly has led a yoga revolution. She is the yoga expert for the LA Marathon, contributor to countless magazines, star of a collection of fitness DVDs, designer of YAS’s Yoga and Sportswear line, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, The No OM Zone. A former triathlete and cancer survivor, Fowler has publicly shared her experiences through YAS, by raising over a million dollars for charities such as Think Cure!

About YAS

Founded in 2001 by Kimberly Fowler, YAS Fitness Center was the first studio dedicated to the combination of spinning and yoga, sparking the yoga hybrid movement that remains today’s biggest fitness trend. YAS attracts strong and capable clients seeking to take their fitness to new levels. With locations in Venice, Silverlake, East Costa Mesa, and Downtown LA, YAS is a place to come together with like-minded people for hard work and fun. Kimberly’s pioneering one-hour yoga class, YOGA for ATHLETES® integrates movement, strength, and breath work to help athletes excel, no matter their sport or ability level. Kimberly’s bestselling practical guide to yoga, The No OM Zone, is available at all YAS Fitness Centers, as are her three DVDs and celebrated YAS yoga and sportswear line. YAS offers comprehensive teacher training based in Kimberly’s original yoga hybrid philosophy.

Over the weekend of June 11-12, the YAS Team, members, instructors and staff came together for our second annual YAS-A-THON for ThinkCure, our fund raiser that included silent auctions and a 3-hour Spinning© marathon for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ cancer fighting charity. Between our four Southern California YAS Fitness Centers, we raised over $175,000 for cancer research done here in Los Angeles!

For the second year in a row, YAS was the #1 fund raiser for ThinkCure, which is amazing! I was also asked to throw in the “first pitch” at the game against the Angels. Wow what an honor! And a funny thing happened on the way into Dodger Stadium, I ran into Tommy Lasorda! I asked him for some free “pitching advice” and to sign my ball (I had my ball and glove with me just in case they let me warm up). He told me to “throw it into the stands.” Boy, I wish I could throw that far!!

Well, I did get it to the catcher, Dioner Navarro. He was giving me moral support. My goal was not to throw it into the dirt and wind up on a first-pitch blooper reel. YAS definitely hit one out of the park for cancer research!

I also got to speak with Stephen J. Forman, M.D., who has led City of Hope research efforts, and to present him with the Big Check (yes, he does look like Steven Spielberg). We talked about how the funds YAS raised for ThinkCure—now over $300,000 in just two years—has made a big impact on research related to cancer in children. “Go YAS!”

I can’t thank the YAS Team enough for all the time and effort everyone put into this year’s YAS-A-THON! Hopefully we can raise even more money next year…

Of course it was wonderful to be recognized by such powerhouse corporations. And it was fun taping the interviews and talking about how YAS came to be. The pieces on YAS turned out great!

They air on the Bloomberg TV during their series “The Mentor” and you can check them out online. To see the Extended Cut of “The Story of YAS Fitness Centers” just click on the image below.

It seems the current holiday season had succeeded in doing to Amy what holiday seasons are famous for doing to us all at one time or another: It had stressed her out, gotten under her skin, made her cranky.

Or as Amy put it: “I was so pissed off when I stepped into the yoga studio an hour ago.” Then she grinned and said “And now I’m totally blissed: Pissed to blissed! That should be your tag line.”

Everyone within earshot had a laugh, knowing exactly what she meant.

“It’s cheaper than therapy,” another student chimed in.

That’s an expression we hear a lot about YAS from regular students. “It keeps you sane,” is another one.

Naturally, such feedback is gratifying to hear. It’s why we do what we do. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say “I don’t know what I’d do without YAS,” and I understand: I don’t know what I’d without YAS, and all my wonderful students like Amy, either.

And nothing brings a holiday glow to your heart like having a student walk up after class and say: “Working out makes me a better Mom—I don’t want to kill my kids after I take class.”

Score another one for YAS and the No OM Zone. And Happy Holidays.

(BTW-That’s Amy and her YASaholic daughter Katie in the picture above.)