Donation based yoga is just another way for people interested in cultivating a yoga practice to do so. There are countless talented and inspired yoga teachers in Bristol alone.Yoga for the People isn’t about undercutting the efforts of these people. Its simply an alternative. Its a way to explore one’s intentions for practicing and directly experience the relationship of investing in ones self.

Background

The inspiration came from the time I lived in Los Angeles following my post graduate studies. In the fall of 2008,  I arrived in Los Angeles doe-eyed and hopeful to find employment. I was enrolled in Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow® certificate program and had planned to study with her on a regular basis.

Unknown to me, that period was later to be referred to as the “Great Recession” and there wasn’t a paid job to be had. Five months and more than one hundred unsuccessful job applications later, I was broke, facing homelessness and depression was creeping in. Classes with Shiva Rea were upwards of $20 and I simply couldn’t attend, no matter how much I new they’d benefit.

That’s when I discovered Bryan Kest’s studio. What a life saver! I was able to attend inspiring classes led by highly qualified teachers and all they asked for was a donation at the end of class. I was no longer excluded from the L.A. yoga world, instead I was right in the thick of it. The classes were full of serious practitioners, but with a refreshingly laid back attitude. Not everyone was broke like me, but it didn’t matter. The support and encouragement I experienced there helped me stay connected to my body and avoid slipping into deep depression, making it through that difficult period of my life.

I’m so grateful for that experience that I’d like to offer that opportunity to people in Bristol.

And for the record, I am still working on my Prana Flow® certificate with Shiva Rea. She is the queen of creative sequencing in my eyes and has been a great inspiration to my personal vinyasa practice. When the opportunity arises to attend another one of her modules, I will be there!