Yoga 101 Yoga Buffet

About This Class

In this brief but thought-provoking Q&A snippet, Bryan Kest addresses what might seem like a contradiction: his strong emphasis on gentleness paired with physically demanding classes. He reframes challenge as a feature, not a bug — explaining that a wide range of practitioners needs something tangible to work with, and that each student's job is to find their own place within the class rather than do it all. Using the metaphor of a buffet, he invites students to eat (practice) only what nourishes them and leave the rest. More deeply, he argues that difficulty is a necessary teacher: it gives practitioners the opportunity to practice staying calm under pressure, to set aside ego, to honor their boundaries, and even to feel empowered by consciously choosing not to do something. The talk reframes the "hidden challenge" of yoga as an internal, mindfulness-based one as much as a physical one.