The Park Hill Yoga studio is located in a converted carriage house behind the owner’s home.
Park Hill Yoga celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer. Over the decades, founder Deborah Baker has nurtured a tight-knit community of yogis who have supported one another through life’s biggest triumphs and challenges.
Tucked behind Baker’s Park Hill home, students gather daily in person or virtually to practice Iyengar yoga, a classical form of Indian Hatha yoga.
Park Hill Yoga didn’t start here, though. In the late 1990s, Baker began teaching Iyengar Yoga at community centers across Denver, from the Jewish Community Center to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. As interest in Iyengar yoga grew, she established a dedicated space, first in her basement and later in a converted carriage house, where she continues to operate today.
Deborah Baker explains a pose to her class with the help of one of her students.
“Some people came from those classes they knew me from,” Baker said. “And then just little by little, kind of one student at a time, people started showing up.”
Baker explained how her first group of students has grown into what she calls her “advanced class,” meeting every Saturday at 10am. For nearly 20 years, this core group has practiced together, flowing through poses like Sarvangasana—an intense shoulder stand—while offering each other adjustments and assisting with props in a collaborative, team-like environment.
When the class ends and mats are rolled up, personal conversations unfold, often carrying on for hours in Baker’s backyard.
“I share vulnerability,” Baker said. “If you really practice Iyengar, you’re really vulnerable because you’re turning over a new leaf trying to know yourself better.”
Over time, Park Hill Yoga has become a trusted space where students feel comfortable sharing their lives. The community has supported one another through divorce, illness, and loss—always returning to the studio for support and shared practice.
Elizabeth Johnson began practicing with Baker when she was pregnant with her second child. She recalled how the Iyengar practice supported her physically through the pregnancy, while the group supported her emotionally during a transformative time.
“Deborah’s ability to bring me in and make me feel part of something helped mother me through it all,” Johnson said.
Seventeen years later, Johnson remains a devoted attendee. She explained how the community has uplifted her through many life events, from raising teenagers during Covid, to the recent death of her mother.
“There are so many people in that class who are older than I am, which is amazing,” Johnson said. “People in their 60s and 70s who have been there, they’ve lost a parent, and people just put their arms around you,” she added.
Even as the founder, Baker has experienced the support of the community she cultivated.
In 2016, Baker was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was unable to teach for several months. While she was recovering just a few feet from the studio, the advanced class continued meeting, offering her quiet and consistent support through her illness. She reflected that the experience brought the group even closer together. When she recovered, students gathered for a backyard potluck to celebrate her remission.
“These people went through my own illness, they were there, and that’s why I said it’s all paying forward from here,” Baker said.
Over the past quarter century, Baker has overcome multiple recessions, a cancer diagnosis, and a global pandemic. However, she remained tenacious and committed in fostering a safe, inviting space for the Park Hill community. She hopes to continue operating the studio for as long as possible, working toward advanced certifications and offering free classes to students battling cancer.
Front Porch photos by Christie Gosch
Denverites are lucky to have a teacher of Deborah Baker’s caliber. She embodies the Iyengar method — unique in the yoga world — that celebrates the rhythm of the body, melody of mind, and harmony of soul.