Vijay Hassin, Sharada Thompson and Kathleen Rosenberg talk with J about the underbelly of Swami Satchidananda and the Integral Yoga Institute. They discuss Vijay's history including his founding of the center in San Francisco, the meeting in the 1970's when allegations of sexual misconduct were first made, more recent revelations and the Facebook group that Kathleen started, Sharada's story of mistreatment at the hands of Swami Satchidananda, and reconciling the hurt created by failed leaders and institutions.
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Lizzie and Judith Lasater return to catch up with J and talk about their latest offering, a free mini-course in Restorative Yoga to Support Menopause and Beyond. They discuss teaching during the last few years of transition, the genesis of their new course on menopause, generational differences, adapting practice, viewing body changes as a process vs treating a condition, menopause belly, exercise vs innercise, feeling rushed, places of refuge, positive aspects of aging, biopsychosocial self-care, and some keys to a long healthy life.
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Hy Brown is J's dad and they have a candid talk about the life he’s led, choices he’s made, and the lessons he's learned. They discuss growing up in Brooklyn, his involvement with the mob, becoming a civil engineer and vice president of Tishman Construction, working on famous building projects, understanding the system and the art of the con, the life-changing impact of having a heart attack at age 47, meeting J's mom and navigating her death, leading a dual life, fracturing of families, finding new purpose, and learning to care for others.
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Bryan Kest, author of Autobiography of an American Yogi, talks with J about the trajectory of yoga into the mainstream and the role he played in it. They discuss the early LA yoga scene, class in Maui with David Williams, one-to-one with Pattabhi Jois, mentality of not being good enough, learning from India, before "power yoga" became a generic term, beefing with Maty Estaty, opening a donation based studio, systematization, controversy with his brother, doing away with adjustments, and the passion and commitment that fuels a life in yoga.
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Esther Ekhart, founder of EkhartYoga, talks with J about the purpose and passion behind being an early pioneer of yoga video online. They discuss her mother's influence, witnessing healings in the Philippines, miracles of Satya Sai Baba, learning devotion and surrender, becoming a teacher and opening a studio, deciding to make videos and go online, YouTube, being the face of a company, the pandemic boom and slowdown, merging the business, relinquishing over to something bigger, and navigating from a place of love as a given.
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Noah Mazé, founder of The Mazé Method, talks with J about the stark realities that yoga professionals are facing. They discuss the "ecosystem" of the yoga world before lockdowns, Yoga Journal conferences and Wanderlust festivals, shortening of classes and workshops, going from DVD's to online with Yogaglo, impact of subscription-based services, intellectual property, sustainability of teacher training and the studio model, integration and strength instead of pushing the envelope, and finding meaning in uncertainty.
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Cindy Lusk, author of Align and Refine: The Journey of Yoga and Meditation, talks with J about the continual refinement of intention and understanding. They discuss the renunciate path of Patanjali and householder purpose, Richard Freeman's influence, Patabhi Jois's adjustments, Anusara and the legacy of John Friend, Paul Muller-Ortega, certification and the role of asana through different life stages, grappling with questions of higher consciousness, Bhāvanā, and the iterative process of bringing out the best of who we are.
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Ranju Roy, author of Yoga as Pilgrimage: Sutras for a Modern Age, talks with J about the ways in which practice and study become interwoven into one's life. They discuss the meaning of a pilgrimage, understanding the Samkhya terrain in relationship to the map of Patanjali, Prana and Apana, poetics and not limiting ourselves to secular materialism, respecting other viewpoints , honoring traditions, radical transparency, letting go appropriately, uncomplicated wholeness, and engaging in the creative act of learning and sharing knowledge.
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Dr Lauren Tober, creator and author of Mental Health Aware Yoga, talks with J about the intersection of psychology and yoga for mental health. They discuss the limitations of a clinical approach, the DSM5, doing an n=1 study, finding the right treatment methodology, differences in pedagogy, importance of relationship, supporting students, mental health integrating with the gunas, protocols for helping people feel safe, touch and consent, and staying within or widening our windows of tolerance to better cope with life.
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Ryan Kurczak, host of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, talks with j about understanding and appreciating what is real. They discuss being ordained into Kriya Yoga by Roy Eugene Davis, the history of Self Realization Fellowship, scalability and maintaining direct connection, vedic astrology, occultism, dramatizing your spiritual path, Ishvara Pranidhana, Samkhya, Jesus Christ, a universal principle of love, creating grooves in your consciousness, Samahdi, and learning to pay attention to the essence of what is divine rather than the manifestation of form.
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Tara Stiles, co-founder of Strala Yoga, returns to compare notes with J about the current state of the yoga world. They discuss the ray of humanity that brought them back together, letting go of brick and mortar spaces, online trends moving from brands to influence, opening up the conversations around spirituality, connecting across divides, gentle yoga becoming trauma informed, training the algorithms to curate your internet experience, the appropriate use of touch, and reacclimating to in person teaching and co-regulating together.
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Jonathan FitzGordon, creator of the CoreWalking Program and Rejuvenation Movement Method, talks with J about learning how to move and be well. They discuss teaching people how to walk and stand, extreme sensitivity and hypermobility, Jonathan's three knee surgeries, alignment and choosing not to do certain poses, appropriate practice in group classes, core tone, strength that comes from balance, integrated conditioning, how we see ourselves in space, changing perspectives, and getting to know yourself and heal.
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Paul JJ Alix, founder of Yoga for All, talks with J about his time during the formative years of yoga coming into the mainstream and the rifts between teaching and consumerism that emerged. They discuss the intersection of meditation and ballet, being an early adopter of pilates and choosing yoga as a focus, meeting TKV Desichackar, teaching in NY and setting conditions to attract only committed students, causing a raucous over start times at Ananda Ashram, the need for clarity, staying true to principles, and the enduring power of practice.
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Nate Klemp, author of OPEN: Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World, talks with J about making your life your practice, digital realities, and political universes. They discuss the limitations of thinking to experiencing, the tradition of living philosophy, blogging about a life beyond logic, family life and yogic caves, the 80/80 marriage plan, a mindset of radical generosity, strategies for addressing screen cravings and addiction, lethal mass partisanship, and when surrendering to joy and possibility becomes your only best option.
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Josh Thomas is a friend of J's who joins the show to talk about intuitive facility and luminous darkness. They discuss transition states, being motivated by an undercurrent of "not good enough-ness," dissolving boundaries and destruction of ego structures, becoming somebody to become nobody, parapsychology proven real beyond probability, fear of being shunned by the culture, taking belief out of the equation, spiritual healing, radiating peacefulness in everyday life, and marking your intention to a guiding true north of love.
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Weena Pauly, creator of SE+AM (Somatic Experiencing + Authentic Movement) and host of the Reverence for Impulse Podcast, talks with J about reclaiming how your body wants to move and the focus of seeing and being seen. They discuss sturdy containers for letting the unknown be revealed, nothingness and staying with trembling discomfort, distinguishing impulse from being impulsive, attributing value, power dynamics and reciprocity of wisdom, hope for our children, and experience as a language of the divine.
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Keith Parker, co-founder of Field Dynamics and host of the Field Dynamics Podcast, talks with J about energy healing, the human aura, and infinity exploring the finite. They discuss transitioning from music to yoga, being tamed by India, striving for liberation or enlightenment, limits of a materialistic paradigm, seeing human auras, gross/subtle/causal relationships, the structure of a soul, Chakras and identity, palpating energy, magical realms, higher intelligence and serving a greater good, and helping to bring subtlety into the foreground of perception.
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Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.