Calling all yoga enthusiasts! The irreverent but utterly charming Bryan Kest will be back at Evolution Yoga March 28, 2012 for a Power Yoga class.

For those of you who are familiar with this world renowned power yoga teacher, you know we’re in for a treat. Now 45, Bryan Kest has been practicing yoga for more than 31 years. He initially studied in Hawaii with David Williams, the first person to bring Ashtanga yoga to America. He then studied in India with K. Pattabhi Jois, the main proponent of Ashtanga yoga. Kest has been teaching yoga for 27 years.  Over the years, this style has made him a well-known, popular teacher across the country and around the world.  He’s a serious enthusiast & teacher but approaches the practice with humor. 

Bryan believes that yoga is about connecting with something “bigger than ourselves.” Bryan, who is Cleveland born, created the Power Yoga scene on the west coast since the early 90's and has been a mentor to many of our local teachers, including our very own Sandy Gross. Bryan is fun, entertaining and a very motivational teacher who simply refuses to take himself seriously.

“My primary objective,” he says. “is to turn more people on to not only the physical practice of yoga but also to a healthier more peaceful lifestyle that continually challenges them to grow. The combination of mind, body and spirit is our objective as well as achieving top physical conditioning.” 

Other great Bryan Kest quotes..."The old fitness mentality is over! We are way past tearing ourselves to shreds simply to be more aesthetically pleasing. Power Yoga is about working hard sensitively. It's about feeling good, not just looking good. The tone and shapeliness you attain from this work is a byproduct. The focus here is balance and healing."

"There is simply no reason to have a bicep bigger than your head"

"Yoga is the foundation of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism...Moses came down from the mountain with a set of laws, codes of conduct, to help teach his people how to be. Jesus taught us too, how to be, Buddha taught us how to be. These are the moral foundation stones of our societies, but we go about our life and we don't give them much consideration. Yoga practice gives us an opportunity to strengthen these qualities so that when we go into our daily interactions, they happen with a little more integrity, a little more morality, more ethicalness, a little less reactiveness, because we have taken time out of our day to work on these things. I don't know how we can expect these qualities to just happen in our lives if we don't take time to work on them. That's what we call yoga practice."

Bryan founded three studios in Southern California (Santa Monica and Calabasas). He also teaches at workshops and retreats around the world; provides an intensive teachers training program; and is featured in his own Warner Brothers video series from 1995, as well as a newer video series and audio CD series. For articles by Bryan and more information about Power Yoga, visitwww.PowerYoga.com.