Bryan Kest

Bryan Kest is the creator of Power Yoga. Born in 1964, he began practicing yoga in 1979, at 14. He was one of the first Westerners to learn Ashtanga, studying in Hawaii with David Williams and in India with Pattabhi Jois. He has taught since 1985.

Kest points out that "power yoga" has become a generic term for a vigorous class. His own version is broader. He holds that power lies in strength (yang) and also in gentleness (yin), and that real health comes from a proper balance between them. He also holds that the right balance is personal and has to be found individually. His classes ask students to breathe deeply through the nose, honor their limits, back off when sensation turns to strain, and avoid comparing themselves to others. Meditation and gratitude run through the practice. In his words, the aim is "a system of exercise that fully integrates the body, mind, and spirit," as he put it in the description of the official Power Yoga YouTube channel.

His library on poweryoga.com has more than 1,300 classes, from gentle, yin, restorative, prenatal and kids classes to long, vigorous flows and meditation. Kest teaches many of them himself, alongside a group of instructors he has hand-picked. He has also built programs on the same foundation, including an online teacher training, a 30-day program and a wellness program. He offers one-to-one talk therapy sessions from a yogic perspective and still teaches in person.

He is also the creator of the western world's first donation yoga studio, Santa Monica Power Yoga, and the site says it gives monthly to the Children's Tumor Foundation, Smile Train and the Veterans Yoga Project.