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David Moore, director at the School for F.M. Alexander Studies and author of Smart Yoga: Apply the Alexander Technique to Enhance Your Practice, Prevent Injury, and Increase Body Awareness, talks with J about the elusive technique created by F.M Alexander. They discuss David’s experience of what Alexander defined as “control of human reaction,” the difference between sensing and feeling, educated intuition, letting go of old patterns by engaging your whole system in doing something else. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

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Michael, Lear, founder of Pangea Yoga and Yoga4Drummers, sits down with J to talk about his unique mix of Trager Approach and Ashtanga Yoga. Michael was born in Easton PA, the town that J moved to a few years ago. They discuss the early yoga scene there and his relationship to Ashtanga Yoga, his work with integrative somatic therapies, how he ended up doing service work around the world, transference of healing through nervous system communication, and the pure joy of rocking out. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Jay Fields, author of Teaching People Not Poses, talks with J about their parallel journeys from the early blogosphere days and postural practice to embodiment principles and resilience. They discuss her studies in yoga and neuroscience, some pivotal events in her life that caused Jay to cherish life anew, the principles of embodiment and resilience that she has come to understand and teach, methods for inviting inquiry instead of imposing experience, and the power of doing things just for fun. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

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Alex Auder, director of Magu Yoga, is a long-time friend of J’s from the early NY days and they get together to talk about her newly-gained Instagram stardom and the recent conversation around consent and touch. They discuss what is behind Alex’s irreverence and trolling on social media, the NY times article, somatic dominance and implicit abuse, the precarious balance between holding people accountable and cancel culture, and the need for modern yoga to evolve beyond its history of abuse. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Catherine Salin Derrow, featured in a recent high-profile NY Times article, talks with J about her experience of becoming a flashpoint around consent and touch in yoga. They discuss what happened behind the scenes at the workshop covered by the NY Times, old-school teaching and healthy boundaries, holding people accountable and cancel culture, and the uncomfortable contradictions and difficult questions that must be reckoned with for us to find a healthy way forward. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

You are listening to the free version of J. Brown Yoga Talks. To hear the rest of our conversation, please subscribe to podcast premium at: https://www.jbrownyoga.com/premium.

Ethan Nichtern, author of The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path, has a candid conversation with J about the scandal in the Shambhala Buddhist community, the underlying dynamics at play, and the broader implications for modern spiritual seekers. They discuss the origins of the tradition, his childhood in the community, gurus and his relationship to Chögyam Trungpa and Sakyong Mipham, and what might be needed to foster change in both our inner lives and outer politics. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Ean Price Murphy, founder of Moxie Bookkeeping, is an old friend who reconnects with J to discuss how to overcome money shame with cash-management systems that even yoga teachers can understand. They talk about Ean’s viewpoint on numbers and business as a balance of order and chaos like jazz music, the emotional nature of money, using percentages and the Profit First system, and some actionable steps that anyone can take to empower themselves financially and fulfill a sense of purpose. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

You are listening to the free version of J. Brown Yoga Talks. To hear the rest of our conversation, please subscribe to podcast premium at: https://www.jbrownyoga.com/premium.

Donna Farhi returns to the show to talk with J about addressing the fundamental problem of power abuse in Iyengar Yoga and beyond. They discuss the difference between pedagogy and ‘heutagogy’ or self-determined learning, when quiet authority is given by students or authoritarianism is asserted by teachers, educating people about what is between the lines and understanding the invisible matrix so we can make change, and the inquiry and shared humanity that makes for a lifelong sustainable yoga career. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Amy Quinn Suplina, founder of Bend and Bloom Yoga in Brooklyn, NY, talks with J about how her center has managed to survive when so many others have closed. They discuss what things were like when they opened their studios, the influences that shaped Amy’s choices, what has contributed to her centers’ sustainability including how much she pays her teachers, her thoughts on social justice and unionization efforts, and the healing power of fostering relationships and developing community. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

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Julie Dohrman, founder of Shaktiyoga New York, connects with J on the unionization effort at Yogaworks NYC and their shared experience of the evolving yoga industry. They discuss the early days of the NY scene and Julie’s initial foray into yoga, her time in the Anusara community and the trauma of its devolution, the difference between working for a corporation and an independent center owner, survival as a professional teacher, and the effort to create a yoga teacher union as a way to change the industry. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Luvena Rangel, founder of The Curvy Yogi, talks with J about the trauma caused by colonization and the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation. After reading Luvena’s blog, Too Much Ado Around Isms, Or is it?, J reached out to discuss the hurt caused by western yoga teachers’ insensitivity to the experiences of Desi’s and BIPOC (Black/Indigenous/People of Color,) and how to stop perpetuating a legacy of injustice by recognizing privilege and creating more impartial narratives. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

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Godfrey Devereux, author of many books including The Elements of Yoga, holds a special place in J’s mind and joins him to discuss the early seeds he planted and the hard-nosed realism he is known for. They discuss his formative years, the role he played and his regrets in “mainstreaming” yoga, gurus and rejecting hierarchies, zen and the influence of child development education, the harm created by using poses for anything other than developing sensitivity, and keeping mysticism practical. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Marlysa Sullivan, coauthor of Yoga and Science in Pain Care and assistant professor at Maryland University of Integrative Health, talks with J about Eudaemonic Well-Being, Polyvagal Theory, and the difference between Yoga and Yoga Therapy. They discuss the intersection between yoga philosophy and biomedical science, samkya and evidence informed practice, creating research models that root the data in yoga, and a mutual agreement on potentially clarifying the definition of yoga therapy. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

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Ian Baker, author of Tibetan Yoga: Principles and Practices, talks with J about Tibetan Yoga and its radical underpinnings of Tantric Buddhism. They discuss Ian’s relationship to the Dalai Lama and the permission he was granted to reveal long-held secrets, misconceptions about Buddhism, the red-robbed sutric path of the renunciate and the white-robbed integrative path of the tantric, and the importance of restoring personal agency obscured by hierarchical Institutions and abused by spiritual leaders. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Nathan Oxenfeld, founder of Integral Eyesight Improvement, talks about the Bates Method and helps J unravel some os his own vision patterns. They discuss Nathan’s journey of improving his eyesight and no longer needing glasses, Dr Bates and his method, connections and parallels between Integral Yoga, Sri Aurobindu, and the Bates Method, conventional notions about eye health that limit our perceptions of what is possible, and the deeper implications of inquiry into eyesight. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk and Ropana CBD.

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Timothy Lynch, formerly authorized Mysore Ashtanga Method teacher, invites J to his Mysore room for a practice and discussion on the state of Ashtanga Yoga. A few weeks before they got together, Timothy decided to have his name removed from the authorized Ashtanga teachers list and they talk about why he made that decision, the history of his practice, consistency vs needing to evolve, and the responsibility of the AY community to repair and address the history of abuse. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Dan Coniglio, an official Wim Hof Method Instructor, visits J in PA for an exchange of yoga, friendship, and ice baths. After J gave Dan a yoga class in his studio, Dan took J through a Wim Hof session that culminated in this conversation about the three pillars of: breath, mind and cold. They also discuss how Dan got to the method, parallels to yoga, understanding the value in uncomfortable rituals, and the importance of remaining open to the full range of experience possibility. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk and Ropana CDB.

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Chara Caruthers, author of Eat Like You Love Yourself, offers J a fresh look at Ayurveda as a means to know and love ourselves. Chara has been participating in J’s weekly teacher’s class and when he saw that she hosts a TV show on Ayurvedic cooking, he seized the opportunity to learn about her, discuss some commonly held misconceptions about Ayurveda, and explore practical ways of thinking about and applying Ayurvedic principles that inspire us to make healthier choices. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft and Moonclerk.

You are listening to the free version of J. Brown Yoga Talks. To hear the rest of our conversation, please subscribe to podcast premium at: https://www.jbrownyoga.com/premium.

Mark Whitwell sits down with J to discuss T. Krishnamacharya and the power of the cosmos. They have a long history together and in this rare meeting they discuss the paradox between abuse and blessings in guru lineages, what Mark means when he says “The Great Tradition,” the Krishnamurti’s and why striving for a future possibility is a dysfunction, and bringing forth a new renaissance of ancient wisdom in mainstream yoga and beyond. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk and Ropana CBD.

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Nicole Cardoza, founder of Yoga Foster and Reclamation Ventures, joins J to discuss her recent run-in with Yoga Journal and the work she is doing to reduce the wellness gap. They discuss her background as a strategist for large companies like Nike, becoming a yoga teacher and volunteering in public schools, the recent controversy involving her being featured on the cover of Yoga Journal, and her dedication to empowering school teachers and underestimated entrepreneurs in the wellness space. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Frederick Newbill III reached out to J after listening to the show and his unique life experience inspired this discussion on the intersection of race, religion, and yoga. They discuss what it’s like to have a grandfather who is a prominent southern Baptist minister while having a father who is a career criminal, being mixed race and the differences between white and black churches, finding yoga and a passion for academic study in Sanskrit and Indic Religious History, and the power of yogic inquiry. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD. 

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J hosts a live panel discussion at the Lehigh Valley Yoga Festival with Dr. Donna Mueller, Dr. Shekhar Annambhotla, Charles Curtis, Harrison Bailey III, and Anne Alexander. They discuss yoga in clinical settings, the roots of mindfulness in Ayurveda, mindfulness based cognitive therapy and neurolinguistic programming, the impact of mindfulness programs in high schools to address greater levels of trauma our kids experience and in the larger media environment to shape culture and society. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Guy Donahaye, coauthor of the book: Guruji: A Portrait of Sri K Pattabhi Jois through the Eyes of His Students, sits down with J to discuss the history of guru worship in Ashtanga Yoga, the abuse that was committed, and his feelings about it now. Guy talks about discovering the practice, making it his life pursuit, his experience of Pattabhi Jois, what he knew and has learned about the abuse, the story behind the Guruji book and his decision to remove it from publication, and evolving his understanding. This episode is sponsored by Ropana CBD.

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Molly Lannon Kenny, founder of The Samarya Center, is an old friend of J’s and in this talk they discuss her formative work in yoga service and the trajectory of the industry over the last twenty years. Molly shares her insights into the early ashtanga scene, working in clinical environments, yoga therapy and standardization, mystical and contemplative aspects of practice that make yoga as a spiritual path dangerous, and a return to the essence of connecting with people right where they are. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.

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Ida Jo, musician and Ghosh Yoga teacher, reached out to J to talk about the research project she is undertaking on Woman of Yoga. Ida worked alongside Jerome Armstrong while he was writing his book, Calcutta Yoga, and is picking up the thread to tell some of the untold stories of woman yogis. They also discuss Ida’s music and art, aspects of prescriptive or therapeutic yoga in the Gosh tradition, the grind of creative pursuits, and the importance of sharing stories. This episode is sponsored by Yogic Studies and Ropana CBD.