Core & Back

About This Class

Bryan Kest leads this vigorous, 100-minute all-levels flow that opens in child's pose and downward-facing dog before building through a carefully rehearsed warm-up series—cobra, plank, forward folds, and lunges—repeated multiple times until they become a fluid, Tai-Chi-like sequence. Standing balance work includes warrior-style lunges, airplane/Virabhadrasana III variations, extended-hand-to-big-toe pose, and twisting triangle. Core is targeted throughout: knee-to-opposite-elbow dynamic flows from down dog, boat pose with oblique twists, and a sustained hold Bryan calls "every machine in Gold's Gym Asana." Backbend depth is built gradually through multiple cobras, locust/shalabhasana with arms extended, and dhanurasana (bow pose) held for a long count. The sequence closes with plow pose, shoulder stand, supine hip openers (reclined bound angle, supine wide-leg stretch), a gentle seated twist, and a lying spinal twist as counter-poses. A guided gratitude meditation anchors the final cooldown. Bryan consistently encourages modification—back knee down in lunges, knees bent in forward folds—and frames the practice as a "yoga buffet" where each student chooses their own degree of effort. The instructor explicitly mentions caution for wrist issues (recent wrist surgery) and knee fragility in seated poses.