Baron Baptiste, Beryl Bender Birch, And Bryan Kest: Fathers Of Power Yoga

There are three main founders of Power Yoga: Baron Baptiste, Beryl Bender Birch, and Bryan Kest are all said to be the founders and “fathers” of Power Yoga. All three have individual ideas about power yoga, but have a common thread that is: to help strength and improve flexibility throughout the body through both the physical body and ones mind. Vinyasa means to move without resistance (1), which is a key point in Power Yoga. One must be able to listen to their own body, and breath in order to keep Power Yoga fluid. Power Yoga is described to have many benefits much like other types of yoga. It is said to help: increase better circulation and oxygenation; slow pulse rate so the heart can beat stronger to be able to push more amounts of blood
Kest stresses the importance of acceptance of oneself as vital in yoga and in life. He speaks about how life is a messy web, and that people’s egos make it impossible to attempt to clean up the world. Yoga has been designed to bring awareness to life’s messes and help direct one to be able to start the cleanup. Kest states that his main objective in his yoga practices is to “turn more and more people onto a healthier, more peaceful lifestyle, that continually challenges them to grow- to teach a system of exercise that fully integrates the body, mind, and spirit” (6). He explains that ego creates vulnerability and is what aids in everyday occurrences to become out of control. People ignore what they truly need by feeding their ego with desires. This causes imbalances and one ends up working against what their goal is. Kest explains that as a society, we need to quiet down, stop thinking and controlling and start listening. Our bodies are in the natural world even though we live in an unnatural environment. If we listen to what our bodies need instead of telling it, we can feed ourselves naturally and properly and become harmonious with the natural world. “Real health and vitality comes when we stop comparing and competing with each other and start listening to the voice within that tells us what we need. By turning off the controlling mind, we can finally listen to the innate wisdom that waits to be heard” (6). Kest’s Power Yoga is directed to maintain the highest level of energy, vitality and freedom. The first step to do that is to quiet our mind and release tension. Power yoga allows one to do that and embrace lightness, balance, and