What, no leg balances?

About This Class

Bryan Kest leads this expansive flow class from a Santa Monica studio, framing the entire practice as a personal buffet where students are invited to pick and choose movements based on how they feel rather than following instructions blindly. The class opens in child's pose and down dog, moves through a carefully rehearsed sun salutation sequence (down dog, forward fold, cobra, plank), and then progressively layers in more complex shapes: the "power yoga stroll" (bird-dog), side plank variations, low lunge, lizard, standing wide-legged forward folds with lateral stretches, Warrior/Hero (Virabhadrasana), a bound revolving lunge, and an exploratory hanumanasana (splits) progression. The back body is warmed through multiple cobra repetitions and a locust/airplane variation; the hips are addressed from every angle through lizard, pigeon-prep, and supine figure-four stretches. The class closes with supine core work (legs-up scissor crunches), plow pose, shoulder stand (described as "the king or queen of all yoga poses"), spinal twists, and an extended savasana. Throughout, Bryan continuously returns to the themes of deep nasal breathing as a stress-reduction tool, non-judgment, and calibrating effort to sensation rather than appearance — making the class as much a mindfulness practice as a physical one. No leg balances appear, keeping the sequence grounded and accessible despite its dynamic range.