Power Yoga Master Class – UNIT Yoga (Wiesbaden, Germany)

Power Yoga Master Class at UNIT Yoga in Wiesbaden, Hesse, is a yoga workshop led by Bryan Kest, the creator of Power Yoga. It suits students who have heard the name and want to practice with the teacher who shaped the style, and anyone curious about what Power Yoga looks like when it is taught as its originator intends. A master class with Bryan Kest is a chance to meet the practice at its source, in Germany, in a studio setting.

What to Expect

"Power yoga" has become a generic label for almost any vigorous class. Bryan Kest's own approach is broader than that. He teaches that power lies in strength, the yang side of practice, and equally in gentleness, the yin side, and that real health comes from a proper balance between the two. He also holds that the right balance is personal, so each student has to find it for themselves.

In his classes, students are asked to breathe deeply through the nose and to honor their limits. When sensation turns into strain, the invitation is to back off. Comparing yourself to the person on the next mat has no place in the room. Meditation and gratitude run through the practice rather than sitting off to the side of it. Kest describes the aim as "a system of exercise that fully integrates the body, mind, and spirit."

Expect a physically engaged class, then, but one framed around self-awareness and respect for your own body rather than performance.

About Bryan Kest

Bryan Kest, born in 1964, began practicing yoga in 1979 at the age of 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 been teaching since 1985.

Over those decades he developed Power Yoga into a practice that goes well beyond its popular reputation as a hard workout. He is known for emphasizing balance, patience and individual sensitivity, and for a teaching style that welcomes students to work at their own level.

The Setting

The class takes place at UNIT Yoga in Wiesbaden, the Hessian state capital. It is one of several stops Bryan Kest makes in German-speaking Europe, so the Wiesbaden session offers a way to practice with him without traveling far from the Rhine-Main region.

Before You Go

The approach is built around listening to your own body, so students at different levels can take part, each working at their own pace. Bring a willingness to breathe, to ease off when your body asks, and to leave comparison at the door.