Yes, I have learned a lot! And something I like to share during my Power Yoga teacher training is how my body, injuries, and the aging process have shaped my experience. The body I have now is not the same as the body I once had, so obviously I should not expect it to perform the same way. Yet, this is not something I considered when I was younger as I assumed all our bodies responded the same way to exercise. For example, one thing I assumed was if you stretch the same region daily, that region will gain a greater range of motion (i.e., become more flexible). I learned this lesson when I was younger at a time when I had a hamstring injury. 

My injured hamstring was not responding to stretching the same way it had before the injury. Believe it or not, stretching was tightening the region. It was like my hamstring region was recoiling tighter in response to the stretching. I now call this protection mode. The truth was that the region was healing from injury and wanted to be left alone yet in my ignorance I kept stretching as my ego didn’t want to lose the “progress” (this is a word that really needs to be examined closely in a teachers training). So, to protect itself from the violence I was unwittingly laying on my hamstrings they were recoiling into a protection mode. 

  When it comes to wellness, “progress” can’t be measured in quantity. This is how people embedded within the rat race measure progress. We all have boundaries and limitations so when progress is measured by quantity it is unsustainable. If it wasn’t unsustainable Usain Bolt would still be breaking records.

  Because of my inexperience, I expected other bodies (my class participants) to respond the same as mine. In other words, “if you use it, it will become stronger and more flexible. These are two words I don’t even like to use anymore! Back in the day, if other bodies weren’t responding the same as mine, I believed that they were not working hard enough or correctly. Of course, I was the “teacher” (I don’t like this word either) and people would believe me. I would be guiding people incorrectly due to my own inexperience. 

I have learned so much about what doing yoga “correctly” means! I have learned so much about the uniqueness of all of us and our genetic lineage and life experiences play a large role in our physical make-up and our body’s response to stimuli. Age, injuries, and much more also play a role in our uniqueness. What is “flexible” what is “strong”? These terms are relative to our uniqueness so truthfully, they can’t exist in any objective way. My new words are “tone” and “supple” which come with less pre-conceived assumptions. I keep all of this in mind during my power yoga teacher training. I know that the manner of my speech, the tone of my voice, and the word choice I have when it comes to these experiences are very important. 

 There is so much so share within a teacher’s training! In my power yoga teacher training, I share many lessons to help others avoid the pitfalls that I have had to go through. I will not describe things here further other than to emphasize how helpful my Teacher Training may be to potential practitioners and aspiring instructors.

I look forward to seeing you in one of my upcoming local or online Power Yoga Teacher Training!

Sincerely,
Bryan Kest

The post Sharing My Journey: Join the Power Yoga Teacher Training appeared first on Power Yoga.

In Los Angeles, the most yoga infatuated city on earth (outside of Rishikesh), where yoga was reborn anew by American spiritual pioneers, and yoga studios are as ubiquitous as coffee shops; creative Angelenos have reinvented this ancient healing exercise to fit a modern people and the issues modernity has imposed. Bryan Kest has led the way.

Bryan’s classes were the biggest and busiest classes in all of the country for three very clear reasons.

1) Bryan spoke English when so many thought they had to speak spiritual mumbo-jumbo. He made yoga simple to understand and practice.

2) Bryan permitted himself to translate yoga into a digestible and approachable practice. In doing this he was purposely encouraging others to do the same. Empowering people to flourish within their uniqueness and extolling that within one’s abilities and limitations lies everything one needs to excel and not to worry about anything else. “Do what you can do and don’t worry about the rest.” Know and believe that if you put in some effort nobody on earth can benefit more than you- it’s impossible. Bryan’s irreverent style of teaching lacks tradition, dogma, and conformity in favor of authenticity and common sense.

3) Bryan’s yoga philosophy made classes inclusive instead of exclusive. In other words, his classes could pretty much accommodate anybody and everybody. From old to young, loose and tight, strong and weak, sick and healthy, spiritual or not, and everything in-between. Anyone
could show up and give it a try and walk away feeling amazing!

An example of Bryan’s approach would be:

Triangle Pose | Power Yoga

Recent tradition would have you position your body in an “appropriate manner” (with the possibility of a few modifications.) Firstly, Bryan would have you step back and understand the futility of a dogmatic or generic pose. In Bryan’s triangle pose, there is only a general outline of the pose, then the real yoga begins as one needs to tune into their uniqueness and discover the appropriate pose, according to one’s genetic lineage and all experiences which have affected one’s body. No two bodies are alike. Now the pose becomes healing as we are working honestly and intimately with what we are feeling. This means being guided by the language and intelligence of one’s body. The result is something more personal and healing and much less generic.

This process requires intense listening to one’s experience within the pose. Bringing the mind and body into unison. This intense listening allows our mind to become quiet and present which frees us from the vicissitudes of our life and we then enter the meditative state of focus and concentration, which is a prerequisite for relaxation and the opposite of the stress that’s poisoning us.

Basically with dogma brushed aside the student and instructor become free to express themselves as they wish and apply the innate wisdom which they have acquired throughout a lifetime of experiences. This is most likely why you have experiences, so you can apply learned
knowledge and evolve.

Again this will be like NO other yoga training please don’t expect it to be.

You will not be asked to listen to Bryan you will be asked to listen to yourself.

If you’d like a generic “yoga alliance” training, THIS TRAINING IS NOT FOR YOU!

Please take a free online yoga class at poweryoga.com and make sure you resonate with Bryan’s personality and style before signing up. It’s virtual yoga at your fingertips!

With love and gratitude,

Sincerely, Bryan Kest

P.S. And all that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Other topics explored:
● Yoga philosophy
● The multi-dynamic possibility of all yoga poses
● Brahma yoga
● How to create personalized flowing sequences
● Creating dialogue
● Modifications and yoga for injuries
● How to discover proper alignment
● and believe it or not, so much more

More on teacher training!

The post Let’s Kick It up a Notch: Why Power Yoga’s Teacher Training May Be Right for You appeared first on Power Yoga.

There are so many varieties and styles of yoga that have been created to fit the variety of health, fitness, and wellness needs of a very large and diverse population. So, a children’s yoga teacher course would be for someone who wants to share yoga with kids. Working with kids is a very special talent that I certainly don’t have and I don’t believe that these types of courses will give you the gift of working with kids. But, having said this, if you do have this gift, then these courses will help you develop the nuances of sharing your gift through yoga.

Even within this category of kids, there may be sub-categories like kids’ special needs courses as there are many different types of children ranging from different ages to health issues, etc…Maybe it’s right after the kid pops out as in a postnatal course, or even before the kid pops out as in a prenatal yoga teacher training, which is happening all over the place.

Once you decide who you want to share yoga with, then you have to decide timing. In other words, when are you available to participate in a course? Because if you cannot be available when the course is happening, what’s the point? So, then you may have to consider an online yoga teacher course. That’s okay because there are plenty of online courses and many of them like mine at Poweryoga are created to fit a busy person’s schedule.

“Can I find a yoga teacher training near me?” Good question. If not, and you don’t want to travel again, online courses might be the way to go. Online sometimes gets a bad rap and it shouldn’t. Overall, they are equal to any other type of course. Sure, in-person courses have their advantages, but so do the courses that come to you via the internet. The most potent course I ever took was actually via video.

If you can travel, maybe you would like to get away and combine your time learning with a retreat. This is always a nice way to learn as you remove yourself from all of life’s distractions. In this case, then, you would search for yoga teacher training courses. But of course, you would need to find a retreat within your time constraints and I also need to mention budget. By the way, online courses are usually a little less expensive.

Some of these courses will call themselves an intensive yoga teacher training course. I’m not sure what they mean by saying “intensive.” You will need to ask them what they mean. I’m thinking that all of these condensed courses are intensives. Speaking of asking them, make sure you ask them anything you need clarification on before you pay. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.

I cannot mention all of the different types of yoga practices here in this blog, like a restorative yoga teacher course, or yin, flow, Iyengar or Ashtanga–the list goes on and on. All will have some sort of learning courses for you to partake in, you just need to decide who you want to share with or better yet, where does your passion lie? Follow your joy as they say, which I certainly would agree.

By the way, where would you like to share all of this? In your home? At a gym or yoga studio? Or, do you want to teach yoga online? Maybe the answer to that question will influence the course you decide upon. If you wanted to share this online, then maybe that influences your decision because seeing how they present the course could give you some ideas on how you would like to present things.

In a training course, they will teach you how to teach yoga, correct? Can you imagine them not teaching you that? Make sure you know what their course will emphasize. Yoga teacher trainings don’t always focus or emphasize actual teaching. There are many facets of sharing this modality, so make sure your area of interest is being covered. These are again questions you want clarified according to what you would like to get out of the course.

I hope this was helpful!

The post To Be Or Not To Be A Yoga Teacher appeared first on Power Yoga.

How to prepare for yoga teacher training?

You may get as many answers to this question as times you ask the question. Each training will probably have its own prerequisites. I always answer this question by suggesting that whatever training you take, always take five to ten classes with the person or persons leading the training. This way, you can discern for yourself whether you resonate with the instructors leading the training, as there are infinite ways to express yoga and ways to practice it, and not every form of expression is for every person. So take responsibility and do your homework and investigate before you commit your time, energy and hard-earned money to particular training. I myself find my own style of leading classes and training certainly not for everyone, and I always suggest attending some of my classes in person or online before you commit to my training. This saves you and me less stress and problems if you were to have an allergic reaction to me, which is not uncommon. So this is first and foremost and of course most important!

Yoga teacher training — what to expect?  

Well, as I said, each can be very different, but since most studios have succumbed to Yoga Alliance standards, you can expect philosophy, anatomy, asana (posture) deconstruction, and maybe sequencing. Some may venture into preparing you for the business side of being a yoga instructor, and others may branch off into diet and other forms of health and well-being. Some may specialize in working with particular conditions or working with particular physical, mental, and emotional issues. Truly, the array of possibilities is immense, so again, do your homework. Don’t plan on actually teaching, though. Giving each student an opportunity to teach is very time-consuming, so it is not something to assume will happen, although it is a possibility. Again, do your homework. As I had previously mentioned Yoga Alliance, their standards are commonly accepted (not by me), so look into their standards, and if that appeals to you, then look into their approved courses if you are interested. The benefits of a yoga teacher training course can also be immense, whether it is gaining or deepening your knowledge in any of the above-mentioned aspects of yoga. More importantly, deepening and enriching your own practice. This is where I have found the greatest benefit to leading classes, as the more experience I have, the more I have to share.

How long does it take to become a yoga teacher?

Whatever experience you have you can share, so it does not take long at all. After that, your skills as a yoga instructor will constantly evolve, as your knowledge and experience evolve. As you practice yoga day in and day out, and as you immerse yourself in different yoga experiences, you will have more and more to offer, and this process never ends.

In my trainings here at Poweryoga.com, the emphasis is on understanding yoga and how it works. The reason is that the deeper your understanding, the more confident you are in sharing and sharing in any way you feel is most optimal.

I hope this blog is of some help. We offer training and immersions throughout the world as well as online. Check us out here. And check out our feature in YogiTimes about online teacher training!

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