Robert V
04-26-2004, 12:35 PM
I'm posting something I wrote on another forum.
I must say I was truly impressed by the physicality of Bryan Kest Power Yoga as well as the concept.
I tell people often that I didn't get the nucleus of yoga until I began study BodyFlow. Bodyflow cuts away the "crap". Bryan cuts the crap away also.
His Power Yoga is a great form of GPP.
Sat:
But if you are looking for that "no pain, no gain", teeth-grinding type activity, are you sure you want to do yoga? The essence of yoga is to relieve tension, not cause it. You should be "comfortably challenge", other wise you will create more tension in your body and tension is the number one nemesis of "flexibility".
Bikram is a good form of yoga for "static" flexibility and static balancing. But static flexibility is not that important to the "dynamic" athlete, nor is static balancing.
Bikram does not do a lot for core strength. Granted, it does some, enough for the average "occupational" athlete, but for the more intense athlete there are much better sources.
If you want to stick to yoga, try a Power Yoga or Ashtanga class. It is very dynamic, athletic and utilizes a great deal of "core" activation. +
As we speak, I'm in the middle of Bryan Kest's Power Yoga workshop. We did a session today that ranks among the most intense workouts I've encounter in all my years, all my sports, and in all my martial arts. Sunday,tomorrow, is the final day. I'm looking forward to it. He's a great guy and teacher. One of the only yoga teachers you'll find that swears like a sailor during class and loves a nice thick steak!
If you really want to focus on flexibility and core strength for athletes(without weights)then you must invest in "BodyFlow" by Scott Sonnon. It focuses on an athlete's most essential flexibilty, which is dynamic flexibility, along with mobility, agility, balance and coordination. The "core" activation is second to no BWE that I know.
Or find a gymnastics class.
Most important, find something you enjoy and you will stick with for sometime.
Robert
Sun:
Wow! I just got back from the final day of Byran Kest, of Power Yoga, workshop.
Guys, I've never quit anything in my life except when I was kickboxing a world champion about 15 years ago and he was beating so bad that I said "no mas"! And lately, when I've fought some pro NHB fighters, but...I almost quit an hour into this grueling two and half hour power yoga class. The only thing that resembles it was S. Sonnon's BodyFlow instructor's training and that was about eight hours.
Anyway, it was a flow class with salutations, just holding basic poses for five breaths(really about 30-45 seconds), for he talked a lot. But it was "how" he constructed the sequence of poses that kicked butt. There were only a couple of poses that were new to me and some that I knew but avoid, for I'm a "chicken" sometimes.
The essence of the class was what pleased me most. His philosophy on yoga is the same as my own. I often use the Dog Brothers quote, "Higher consciousness through harder contact" in my own class. Which really means anyone can be calm and serene when your surroundings are calm and serene(Many yoga styles), but can you keep that same piece of mind, calmness and most of all, a calm and breath under circumstances that are difficult. That is the "Power" of Power Yoga. It's not about muscular strength or flexibility, but a by-product.
The trick is gauging "too much" and "not enough", being brave enough to push yourself to the edge, yet having the strength to pull out when it's too much. only you know where that is. I had to pull out a couple of times. The ego is a devil. Wisdom is an angel.
He is very hard on people who compare themselves to others. He hates the "gumby" yogi's, for he feels that type of stunt is useless. He is also critical on the Iyengar types, looking for the "perfect" pose, for if you are feeling it at your level, it is perfect for you at that time.
The breath is the most critical thing he focuses on. That same breath utilized by fighters under stress, calm, cool and collected, no matter the circumstances.
Even though it was almost three hours, if you are in tune with your breath, you'll never be breathing hard. But, the muscular endurance and strength was the kicker! This is what Power Yoga has brought me in the last 6-7 years. My muscles don't get tired when I'm fighting. I'm almost 40 and my muscles got tired a lot quicker when I was in my 20s. My fighting cardio still sucks against good fighters, though.
The challenging things are the depth and angles the muscles are attacked in Power Yoga. I can't explain it, you have to feel it.
He is philosophical, but in a "real guy" sense, not eastern spiritual way. But, he still gets the same message across...in english. I thought he might offend some of the ladies in the class, but they were so "google-eyed" it didn't matter what he said.
I must say I was truly impressed by the physicality of Bryan Kest Power Yoga as well as the concept.
I tell people often that I didn't get the nucleus of yoga until I began study BodyFlow. Bodyflow cuts away the "crap". Bryan cuts the crap away also.
His Power Yoga is a great form of GPP.
Sat:
But if you are looking for that "no pain, no gain", teeth-grinding type activity, are you sure you want to do yoga? The essence of yoga is to relieve tension, not cause it. You should be "comfortably challenge", other wise you will create more tension in your body and tension is the number one nemesis of "flexibility".
Bikram is a good form of yoga for "static" flexibility and static balancing. But static flexibility is not that important to the "dynamic" athlete, nor is static balancing.
Bikram does not do a lot for core strength. Granted, it does some, enough for the average "occupational" athlete, but for the more intense athlete there are much better sources.
If you want to stick to yoga, try a Power Yoga or Ashtanga class. It is very dynamic, athletic and utilizes a great deal of "core" activation. +
As we speak, I'm in the middle of Bryan Kest's Power Yoga workshop. We did a session today that ranks among the most intense workouts I've encounter in all my years, all my sports, and in all my martial arts. Sunday,tomorrow, is the final day. I'm looking forward to it. He's a great guy and teacher. One of the only yoga teachers you'll find that swears like a sailor during class and loves a nice thick steak!
If you really want to focus on flexibility and core strength for athletes(without weights)then you must invest in "BodyFlow" by Scott Sonnon. It focuses on an athlete's most essential flexibilty, which is dynamic flexibility, along with mobility, agility, balance and coordination. The "core" activation is second to no BWE that I know.
Or find a gymnastics class.
Most important, find something you enjoy and you will stick with for sometime.
Robert
Sun:
Wow! I just got back from the final day of Byran Kest, of Power Yoga, workshop.
Guys, I've never quit anything in my life except when I was kickboxing a world champion about 15 years ago and he was beating so bad that I said "no mas"! And lately, when I've fought some pro NHB fighters, but...I almost quit an hour into this grueling two and half hour power yoga class. The only thing that resembles it was S. Sonnon's BodyFlow instructor's training and that was about eight hours.
Anyway, it was a flow class with salutations, just holding basic poses for five breaths(really about 30-45 seconds), for he talked a lot. But it was "how" he constructed the sequence of poses that kicked butt. There were only a couple of poses that were new to me and some that I knew but avoid, for I'm a "chicken" sometimes.
The essence of the class was what pleased me most. His philosophy on yoga is the same as my own. I often use the Dog Brothers quote, "Higher consciousness through harder contact" in my own class. Which really means anyone can be calm and serene when your surroundings are calm and serene(Many yoga styles), but can you keep that same piece of mind, calmness and most of all, a calm and breath under circumstances that are difficult. That is the "Power" of Power Yoga. It's not about muscular strength or flexibility, but a by-product.
The trick is gauging "too much" and "not enough", being brave enough to push yourself to the edge, yet having the strength to pull out when it's too much. only you know where that is. I had to pull out a couple of times. The ego is a devil. Wisdom is an angel.
He is very hard on people who compare themselves to others. He hates the "gumby" yogi's, for he feels that type of stunt is useless. He is also critical on the Iyengar types, looking for the "perfect" pose, for if you are feeling it at your level, it is perfect for you at that time.
The breath is the most critical thing he focuses on. That same breath utilized by fighters under stress, calm, cool and collected, no matter the circumstances.
Even though it was almost three hours, if you are in tune with your breath, you'll never be breathing hard. But, the muscular endurance and strength was the kicker! This is what Power Yoga has brought me in the last 6-7 years. My muscles don't get tired when I'm fighting. I'm almost 40 and my muscles got tired a lot quicker when I was in my 20s. My fighting cardio still sucks against good fighters, though.
The challenging things are the depth and angles the muscles are attacked in Power Yoga. I can't explain it, you have to feel it.
He is philosophical, but in a "real guy" sense, not eastern spiritual way. But, he still gets the same message across...in english. I thought he might offend some of the ladies in the class, but they were so "google-eyed" it didn't matter what he said.