Long, Thorough & Deep!

About This Class

Bryan Kest leads an expansive, unhurried flow session designed to touch every corner of the body while keeping the meditative quality of breath and inner attention front and center. The class opens in Child's Pose with an extended introduction to deep nasal breathing and mindfulness, establishing the foundational principle that yoga without meditation is "Eastern calisthenics." From there, the practice builds through multiple rounds of a core flow — Down Dog, Cobra, Plank, Chaturanga, and Crescent Lunge — gradually layering in complexity with standing arm balances (one-armed balancing), Warrior-style lunges, Awkward Airplane, bent-knee balancing, Triangle/Side Angle variations, and hip-opening sequences. Backbody strengthening is developed through Locust and Bow Pose. The second half addresses the deep hips and hamstrings with wide-legged forward folds, seated straddle stretches, and supine figure-four hip openers. The class culminates in Shoulderstand, Plow Pose, supine spinal twists, and a seated meditation including a compassion visualization. Throughout, Bryan consistently prioritizes self-awareness over aesthetics, discourages comparison, and offers modifications for knees, wrists, and energy levels. The class suits a wide range of practitioners and is framed as the ultimate cross-training due to its integration of flexibility, strength, balance, cardiovascular effort, and meditation.