Credit: Brett Mountain

arts & life

on the cover

David Tessler

Flying High Now

Meet David Tessler —
serial entrepreneur, yoga
master and co-founder
of Jabs Gym.

Detroit artisan Juan Rodriguez made the gym’s sign.

36 July 14 • 2016

Suzanne Chessler | Contributing Writer Brett Mountain | Photographer

M

ix boxing and yoga — yes,
mix them — and find a
very modern workout in
Birmingham, and now, Detroit.
That’s the combo that makes Jabs
Gym stand out. And it’s just one of the
many cutting-edge and diverse business
ventures David Tessler helms.
Developed by Tessler and Willie
Fortune — Tessler teaches yoga while
Fortune, a pro fighter, shows how to
punch — the gym offers a unique expe-
rience plus options for those who also
want something more conventional.
“Yoga and boxing complement each
other,” says Tessler, 33, who took up
yoga before thinking about getting into
boxing. “With the breathing and mental
focus that come into both, they work
well together.
“Boxing brings the heart rate up, and
a round of yoga makes the heart rate go
down. That burns more calories and is

a more challenging workout.”
The two sports enthusiasts have
trademarked their idea as BOYO, join-
ing the first two letters of each disci-
pline and reminding customers that
both are great stress relievers. Punch
out stress or breathe out stress, they
advise.
“I’ve been a yoga teacher for about 10
years and moved to Los Angeles for a
year to teach,” recalls Tessler, who grew
up in Lathrup Village and Birmingham,
attended Groves High School and tried
yoga at the urging of a friend.
“The studio where I was supposed to
teach in California didn’t open, and I
was looking for another physical activ-
ity. I wandered into a boxing gym and
got into that.
“When I moved back to Michigan, I
wanted to keep up with boxing. I was
teaching yoga and started teaching that to
the guy who was training me in boxing.”

As the two men got to know each
other, they came up with the idea for
Jabs and opened their Birmingham
location in 2013. Fortune suggested the
name Jabs because of the importance of
jabs in setting up other boxing moves.
Tessler, based in Birmingham for
residence (see Home story on page 41)
and work, decided on a Detroit loca-
tion while organizing other business
projects in the city. The second facility
opened at the end of last year.
“I’m in a real-estate business and saw
what was going on Downtown,” Tessler
explains. “There were new restaurants
and new things to do, but I was seeing
a lack of fitness. There were a couple of
yoga studios and a couple of gyms but
nothing like what we did.
“We had the opportunity to go into
Midtown or Downtown Detroit,” he
adds, “but we wanted to find a space
that embodied the spirit of Jabs. Even