What happens when you leave behind a steady career in hotels and software to follow music, yoga, and joy? For David Lurey, the answer was Mallorca. Since 2008, the travelling yoga teacher and musician has made the island his base, blending movement, music, and community into a life with more meaning than management meetings ever offered. His story is one of changing gears, listening to the heart, and creating spaces — from yoga classes to the Yoga del Mar Spirit Festival — that invite others to do the same: to connect more deeply, transform, and ultimately, be happy.
Where are you from, and what was your early life like?
I was born in Asheville, North Carolina. My mother, Celine, was an Egyptian Jewish exile who came to the US in the 1960s. She had an extraordinary life and passed away in 2023. My father, a fourth-generation Eastern European Jewish immigrant, still lives in Asheville. He worked in textiles and clothing, then ran a catering company with my mom for 25 years.
What I’m most grateful for is that they gave me love, freedom, and encouragement to follow my own path. My mom practised a kind of tough love — she held me to a very high standard. One of her catchphrases was: “The only way to get shit done… is to get shit done.” My dad was always there with practical, direct advice.
What did you study, and what path did your career take?
I studied Hotel & Restaurant Management, dreaming of running my own guesthouse one day. After university, I worked for Hyatt Hotels in San Francisco for three years, then moved into a software job building databases for food service professionals.
I’d already been practising yoga for five years, and by 2000 I was ready for a change. My parents asked me the most important question: “Are you happy?” The answer was no. So, I quit and took my first yoga teacher training. It was called The Rocket — Power Yoga. I freelanced as a yoga teacher, bartender, and catering manager until yoga became both a lifestyle and a sustainable career.
I’m also a musician. I’ve played guitar and sung since childhood, and music has always been my medicine. Blending it with spirituality was a natural step.
How did you come to Mallorca?
In 2007 I came for a one-month yoga teaching residency, and a year later I met my wife, Mirjam, who was already living here. We spent 10 years in Palma with her two children, and when they became adults, we bought a finca in Establiments.
These days I’m also an organic farmer and custodian of our land, which I love. At the same time, I like that Palma is just 15 minutes away — we’re not ready to give up a connection to urban life.
Can you tell us a little about your brand Find Balance?
When I completed my first Yoga Teacher Training, I figured I would keep consulting in the hospitality field as I am pretty good with balance sheets, production kitchens and project management. So, it became a multi-form brand: balance between yoga and working life and also balance on the yogic path to stay centered, connected and spiritual without going too far in any direction.
I had a Yoga studio in San Franciso from 2001 – 2005 and then started travelling the world in the early stages of ’travelling yoga teacher’ life… which is now very common.
What challenges did you face?
My thin skin. I’ve always had presence, clarity, and confidence — but even the smallest piece of constructive feedback could bring me down. It still stings sometimes, but decades of experience have taught me to meet it with a smile.
What lessons did you learn from leaving your earlier careers?
That I can’t just do what I “thought I should do” because of my degree. Hospitality and software both looked great on paper, but they weren’t making me happy. Twice in my twenties I had to make radical changes. The conclusion is simple: do things that make you happy, do them with authenticity, passion, and love, and good things will come.
What are you most proud of?
So many things, but a short list:
- Making those radical career changes in my twenties.
- Creating my own 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training programme, which ran from 2009–2020 and graduated over 400 teachers worldwide.
- Recording two full-length CDs; one of my mantra tracks on Spotify has almost 15 million streams (Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu — “May all beings everywhere be happy and free”).
- Listening my heart and Mirjam when it was time to ‘grow up’ and commit to a long-term relationship based on love, trust and freedom
- Having a positive impact on thousands of lives as a yoga teacher and musician.
What do you think about the protests against mass tourism in Mallorca?
I agree wholeheartedly with the push back of mass tourism. Which is the challenge of these protests, how to distinguish between mass tourism and the ‘good’ tourism that keeps many surviving on the island. In my opinion, the press and government are missing the point with this valuable distinction. Minimizing cruise boats, controlling holiday rentals to manage the housing crisis, regulating cars on the island and so much more can be ‘easy solutions’ to the mass tourism without losing the gift of sharing the island with visitors.
What makes Mallorca better than other places you’ve lived?
The balance. City, countryside, mountains, and beach — all close together. The ability to be connected to community, or retreat to my finca when I want quiet. The safety of island life, both culturally and geopolitically. I can grow my own food seasonally, and I love the rhythm of the seasons here.
What are your plans this year?
The Yoga del Mar Spirit Festival at the end of August is a big focus — it’s a lot of work, but a highlight. I also produce Ecstatic Dance Mallorca and our monthly events nourish my body and soul. I have a few music projects on the radar and my overall plan for the year, keep doing things where I can stay balanced and aligned with my purpose: to open consciousness and vitality.
