A Real Life Yogi

As you may know, I am a huge fan of Bryan Kest's Yoga DVD.

At $16.25 for 3 classes, this DVD is a great value if you only do each level once. However, E and I have consistently turned to this DVD for at least 5 years, making it one of the best investments I've ever made.

Tonight, I had the pleasure of attending a 3-hour master class taught by Bryan, in person.

Wow. First, there was the 1 hour lecture on his philosophy of yoga. Then a break. Then an extremely intense class composed of very simple poses collected in a very fluid flow that left me dripping with sweat, but able to keep my face relaxed and breathing somewhat even.

My favorite thing about Bryan live? He cusses like crazy, makes crass inappropriate jokes, and in general, takes himself even less seriously than the DVD's.

Best quote of the night? While extolling the importance of quieting the mind and focusing on the breath, and trying to emphasize the lack of importance of the physical aspect of the practice and how we shouldn't try to be more flexible or strong than we can be while being comfortable, he said the following, more or less:

The poses -- they're just like everything else in your life. Fucking Stupid. They're fucking stupid poses unless you decide to do them in a way that's smart.

How's that for some yogic wisdom?