If you haven’t heard of Bryan relief for a bad back; although it was Kest, you could be accused of living what did for his mind that he under large stack of yoga bolsters. came to value most highly. is one of the West’s most coveted also found himself with back injury international yoga teachers whose due to a car accident and sought presence in the yoga spotlight spans solace in a deepened three decades. Each year, he criss- practice. Bryan crosses the globe visiting 100 cities to Kest isn’t the archetypal yoga teach sell-out master classes, teacher teacher. He never cues classes to trainings and workshops at studios start or end with ‘Om’ and considers heaving with yoga teachers and stringent postural alignment akin to students, all ears for his knowledge. dogma. Discussion on alignment, Having taught an estimated 18,400 which he prefers to refer to as yoga classes during his career, this “creating space”, might prompt Kest master teacher has seen a staggering to request a copy of the “Yoga Rule amount of bodies on the mat. Just Book.” As a student and former don’t call him a Guru. Teacher Trainee of Kest’s, I can also Kest’s throaty voice resonates attest that he’s especially good at down the phone from Santa Monica, dropping the f-bomb during class;

the life of the life Los Angeles, home to his successful which grabs an easy headline studios. “You ask any wherever he travels. question you want, and I’ll answer At the very outset, as Kest recalls Bryan Kest’s it.” It is this honest, self-assured it, he didn’t have a jot of interest in manner; coupled with a frank, creating another yoga ‘system’: unconventional accessible and inimitable discourse, “There is really no such thing as approach to yoga which provides some of the most Power Yoga. Baptiste yoga, has helped bring powerful attributes in Kest’s teaching Jivamukti, Bikram and Ashtanga arsenal. Yoga – these are all systems. Power yoga to the Western At age 15 and living in Hawaii, Yoga is not a system. world and shape Kest found himself in the position of You can take a ‘Power’ class being in the first Ashtanga yoga class anywhere in the world and it’s going a generation of outside of India. Fellow Island to be different because there is no teachers resident, David Williams - the system. When you take my class, I’m Western pioneer of Ashtanga yoga to really trying to encourage the whole By Karen Farrell America - became Kest’s first yoga mental side of things.” teacher, at the behest of his father. During the 1990’s and outfitted Kest Senior insisted that his children with shoulder-length black hair and practice yoga or, as Kest recalls it, oodles of swag, Kest cut a path as “get out of the house.” Perhaps somewhat of a yogi rock star, somewhat ironically, Kest’s father – keeping busy as Madonna and Steven yogajournal.com.au yogajournal.com.au a former paratrooper - found in yoga Spielberg’s wife’s yoga instructor. He 2015 august/september 2015 august/september

50 Fun k N ate photo: 51 which he says is “intended to leave the problems with loose hamstrings. I “The only way to judge your student completely tension free,” he is keen encourage people to really figure out where to emphasise that the physical is just they belong within the experience. We use progress in yoga is how little the tip of the iceberg: “Yoga is just basic, simple poses, which are you judge your progress in calisthenics from India if you don’t practice approachable to everybody and encourage with a yogic mentality. The real objective is people to take those poses to their own yoga.” to bring the qualities of meditation into degree… Basically, we can have a Grandma your asana practice.” and Granddaughter, who are at different scant and sometimes the subject of satire in While Kest’s asana practice extends 33 stages of their lives, using the same pose to Kest’s classes – such as likening years, what is not so widely known is that find their own personal edge. It might look Parsvottanasana to “bending over my (insert he’s also assiduously followed a Vipassana different but they both benefit equally.” expletive) knee pose” – the Yamas and Meditation practice for 27 years – likely For Kest, the “teacher” doesn’t come as Niyamas - Ahimsa, Satya, Aparigraha - are inspired from his time studying in India a Guru draped in orange robes and littered throughout his teachings, which he with S.N. Goenka - the Burmese-Indian dreadlocks – rather, he considers life itself, makes a point of instructing in English: “It teacher of Vipassana meditation. As part of with its myriad experiences, as the greatest doesn’t need to be said in a way that was a year-long sabbatical living in Mysore, teacher – even viewing injury as an spoken over 5000 years ago or in Gothic or India, Kest also studied with the main opportunity for growth: “Injuries are your Sanskrit. It can be spoken in plain English... proponent of Ashtanga yoga, K. Pattabhi greatest teacher because your forced to “All the great ones who have visited our On behalf of Yoga NRG, Jois. Kest credits this time with Pattabhi as become more sensitive, gentle and humble. Planet - Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Mother Teresa, Bryan Kest returns for a formative experience: “It was a great time All the qualities you have when you work Yogananda, Osho or Gandhi – were dedicated because I was there with Pattabhi by with injury are the qualities that the yogis to the wellness, peace and uplifting of all his fifth Australia tour in myself, so I really got to know him and I got have always been aspiring to develop… beings by giving discourses on qualities of August to teach Power to pick his brain... What I learned from Practicing intelligently means practising mind like love, compassion, gratitude and Yoga and LSD Master Pattabhi is mostly everything I never want gently. codes of conduct.” Classes, and will also to be as a yoga teacher and that’s been Practising gently really is impossible Yoga’s ultimate goal, says Kest, is to facilitate his first Australian really important to me to move forward. I unless you are aware so you could say eradicate judgment: “I have always felt the only Teacher Training. needed to have that experience with practicing with awareness. It’s a really way to judge your progress in yoga is how little you judge your progress in yoga, or maybe Pattahbi to push me to where I wanted to strange concept to the Westerner; it’s called Visit www.yoga-nrg.com go.” ‘moderation.’” judge anything.” for booking info. At 51, Kest packs seemingly While direct references to Sanskrit are indefatigable energy and still practices six times a week, although these days he sports much shorter hair. What doesn’t appear to have changed from his early teaching days is Kest’s unflagging tenet - “there is no enlightenment at the end of a yoga pose” - a notion he continues to reiterate to his “He’s especially good at dropping the f-bomb during class; students. A large part of Kest’s maxim is to which grabs an easy headline wherever he travels.” encourage students to leave rivalry, judgement, narcissism and reactivity at the popularised vigorous flow classes and donation-based yoga studio in the mid studio door: “A lot of people bring a coined the term “Power Yoga” – a name Nineties. His incentive for opening a pay- stressful state of mind into yoga and end up he’ll candidly tell us is redundant: “I used to what-you-can studio model was inspired perpetuating that mind state in yoga as think Power Yoga was a cool name as from his understanding that traditionally they’re too busy trying to touch their head there’s nothing more empowering than yoga was originally offered for no charge to their toes or do Triangle Pose correctly… doing a well-rounded yoga class but now I and to make yoga accessible to everyone. That’s why I say people bring their rubbish just think it’s a stupid name. It intimidates This all-embracing approach continues to yoga and they turn their yoga into people as they sometimes think this style of at Kest’s studios today, where the homeless rubbish.” yoga is too hard for them. I don’t want to plus everyday people and famous celebrities Through an incessant dialogue, which is alienate people. As soon as I find a better might be found practicing alongside one often delivered in first-person - “if there’s yogajournal.com.au yogajournal.com.au name, I’ll change it.” another. One Christmas, on emptying out anything I’m holding on to, I can just let In 1995, Kest released the sometimes- the studio donation box, Kest found an go” – Kest strips back any preconceived parodied Power Yoga with Bryan Kest anonymous note accompanying a $700 ideas that perfection has a place in yoga. At videos featuring a young, darker-haired cheque – payment for three years of free the very core, he wants students to enjoy Seane Corn as a model yogini. It was from yoga classes made good – testament to yoga as the ultimate personal practice and this era, which Kest rose to become the Kest’s mantra: “When you’re living your emphasises the need to be on high alert of g e) xxxxx a c in g pa esteemed yoga authority he is today; truth, somehow the universe takes care of feeding negative mental habits – namely, stirring countless, others along a yogic you.” comparison and competitiveness. 2015 august/september 2015 august/september pathway. Kest hasn’t had a regular pay Albeit, while Kest is renowned for “I think we can all agree that we’re not

52 cheque since starting America’s first teaching a complete physical yoga routine going to heal relationships and solve s : xxxx; ( f photo 53