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.

Diane Bruni was the first Ashtanga yoga teacher in Canada. She stopped by J’s yoga class in Brooklyn and they sat down afterwards to talk about her story of yoga’s entrance into the mainstream, yoga injuries, and the new directions that are being forged. Diane shares openly about her early and unconventional instruction in Iyengar method, controversial exit from the Ashtanga community, cancer diagnosis and healing, and the movement research she is exploring now. They discuss the current state of the Slow Yoga Revolution.

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Bernie Clark has intimate knowledge of one of the most popular forms of yoga practice today, Yin Yoga. He talks to J about where it comes from, how he got to it, and what distinguishes it from other styles. Bernie answers some of the most common questions about Yin Yoga, including whether or not you can stretch a ligament and what happens to a fibroblast when you hold a pose for longer periods. They discuss his new book, Your Body - Your Yoga, and other aspects of the science and metaphysics at work behind the approach.

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Anneke Lucas was sold into a child sex-trafficking network at the age of six. Now she teaches yoga in prisons through her organization, Liberation Prison Yoga. J sits down with Anneke to talk about her journey of healing trauma and expanding consciousness, being groped by Pattabhi Jois, the Jivamukti scandal, a panel discussion on power in the yoga world, trauma sensitivity training, and how to create safer spaces and better support for victims. The conversation touches upon difficult topics, listener discretion is advised.

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Neil Pearson has spent over 30 years in the field of physiotherapy and pain management science. J talks with him about the difference between awareness and self-regulation, prescription vs process, the intertwined nature of pain and suffering, how the medical system teaches us to give power over to someone else, and recognizing things as safe or dangerous. The conversation touches the philosophical nature of science, and where science and yoga are coming together to help people address pain.

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Dianne Bondy has become a leader in encouraging greater diversity in yoga. J talks with her about his own blinders, her move from fitness to yoga, drinking the Anusara cool-aid, being DIY on and off the mat, the power of language to either empower or disempower people, and ways in which yoga can move us into fuller acceptance of ourselves and others. They also discuss being a spokesperson and have a lively back and forth about practice, communing in their shared intention to present yoga.

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Hari-kirtana has gone by many names depending on the different lifestyles he's led. J talks with him about being a member of "the mother of all cults", the Hare Krishna movement, participating in Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training, separating the teachings from the teacher, comparative yoga philosophy regarding non-duality and the inherent duality of bringing theology and realization to the modern marketplace of ideas.

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.

Matthew Remski has become known for his provocative, sometimes controversial, and inspiring writings on pressing issues in the yoga world. J talks with him about his early experiences and how they have shaped the course of his work, the misconceptions and current status of his ongoing WAWADIA (What Are We Actually Doing in Asana?) project, the recent flap regarding Jivamukti Yoga, his interest in subtle body phenomenon and the grey zone between the mystical and the wounded.

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Pleasance Silicki started out in the DC Public School system working with inner city youth before she forged a path as a yoga teacher and founder of Lil Omm. J talks with her about how she ended up in the yoga world, her experience of opening and closing a yoga center, the changes that have happened in the last ten years and the challenges that yoga teachers are facing, and her new book that was born out of her need to embrace change and move forward.

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J finally has the guts to bring Mark Whitwell, his most influential teacher, on the podcast. They trace Mark’s life in yoga, from his early years before teaching to his experience meeting Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, and the Krishnamurti’s, and his travels around the world. The discussion is wide ranging as they reminisce about their shared past, changes in the yoga industry, and the directions they see things going in the future.

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Jared Hirsch is an old friend who shares a mutual teacher with J. In this talk, they reconnect after more than 10 years and commune on how things have happened as time has gone by. They discuss early days as young upstarts, differences between teachers aligned with the TKV Desikachar tradition, graffiti art, the ins and outs of dealing with ulcerative colitis, and the blessings of partnership, family, and friendship.

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It’s not always easy to make sense of what is happening in the broader yoga world and society at large, but Carol Horton can sometimes help illuminate and clarify the issues so we might stand a chance. J talks with Carol about her transition from political science professor to yoga writer and thinker, her work in the Cook County Jails, the heyday of the yoga blogosphere, the books she’s published, the pioneering work of the Yoga Service Council, and the current political atmosphere.

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Josh Sitron, J's producer, becomes his first repeat guest as they sit down to check in on how things have been going since the first episode of the podcast and discuss the release of J's new online workshop: Gentle is the New Advanced. They share intimate details about the process that led to its creation, the purpose for its existence, and an impromptu strategy session where much the signature back and forth between the two friends ensues. J gets personal from a hotel room in Japan and ponders his way forward.

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J has been interviewed by Ann Votaw a few times over the years for articles she’s written and he was always impressed by her wit and spontaneity. In this intimate and honest discussion, they talk about taking responsibility for your own mortality, the profound work of being a caregiver, the misconceptions people have about yoga teachers, and the crazy pace of everything from politics to online dating. Ann shares personal stories and they do their best to make sense of what they see happening in yoga and the world around them.

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Andrew Tanner is the official spokesperson for the Yoga Alliance. He reached out to J to record this conversation about a new policy that was announced regarding the use of yoga therapy terminology. Andrew explains what the new policy is and why it was implemented. J pushes back for a compelling talk on some aspects of the new policy, as well as other issues surrounding the YA, yoga teacher training, and the industry at large. This talk expands upon J's blog post for this month: Establishment Politics in Yoga.

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When it comes to the inside track on being a yoga teacher and the industry, Leslie Kaminoff has been part of the conversation since it started. J has known Leslie for many years, he was one of the original teachers at The Breathing Project and their programs have become “sister schools.” In this conversation, they talk about the early times before J got on the scene, the origins of the Yoga Alliance, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, regulation of yoga, the business of independent studios and the heart of why yoga teachers do what they do.

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Chase Bossart is J’s go-to-guy for all things Sanskrit and ancient texts. In this rare conversation, Chase shares insights into the translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and opens up about his long-time relationship with the Desikachar family and the tragedy that has befallen the lineage. As they trace Chase’s trajectory from the late 80’s till today, the conversation touches on the difference between Yoga and Yoga Therapy, illuminates some trends and downfalls in the current industry, and points to potential alternatives going forward. 

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Cristina Kuhn opened The Yogi Underground last year and invited J to teach some workshops there. They sat down to talk about the process of becoming a teacher and opening a center, all while being a wife and mother of three children. From her experience of being out there in the “big bad yoga world” teaching in gyms to the intricacies and nuances of managing her own local center, Cristina shares her viewpoint and insights. There is also a secret reveal that forms a precursor for another meeting between the two friends.

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Lilia Mead was the owner of Go Yoga in Brooklyn NY, recently closed after fifteen years of operation. J taught there as a senior teacher for seven years before he opened a center himself. They sit down together to talk over the last twenty years, just in time before Lilia’s permanent move to Los Angeles. The discussion tracks from the early nineties until today and comments on the way yoga teachers are trained, make a living, and the immense changes that have taken place affecting both. Their shared history, friendship, and love of yoga is celebrated.

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For more than five years, J has been buying yoga mats from yogalifestyle.com. He always appreciated that it was independently owned and operated. So he decided to have a talk with the owner, Ray Greenberg. They discuss how he fell into the yoga supply business, nuances in the yoga products market, insider business considerations (i.e. Amazon), and how things have changed in the yoga world. Ray speaks passionately about both yoga and the products he sells. They commune on the need to foster and nurture personal relationships.

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J spends time with Roberta Karp, a long-time friend and student. They talk about Roberta’s ongoing struggle with chronic pain, due to several chronic conditions including diabetes, fibromyalgia and colitis. Roberta shares openly about her grieving process after her husband’s death and how yoga has been a “game changer.” J and Roberta come together on what it means to be OK despite our difficulties, and the beauty that life holds

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Renowned yoga teacher and author, Elena Brower, talks with J about the early boom times, the rise and fall of Anusara yoga, closing her own center after twelve years, what it’s like to teach 10,000 people at once, and the challenges of making a living as a yoga teacher in today’s climate. They reminisce on their shared past and discuss Elena’s forthcoming projects, including a new book with co-author Gabrielle Hartley entitled: Your Elegant Divorce.

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J sits down with the former manager of BackBay Yoga Boston, Ryan Cunningham, to discuss how he got to yoga, became the manager of BackBay, and the surprising announcement that Yoga Works bought the center three days before J got there to teach workshops. They also discuss the realities of conducting yoga teacher training, the role it plays in a yoga education, and the dawning realities that independent yoga teachers and centers are facing.

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J talks with Richard Karpel about his brief tenure as the President and CEO of the Yoga Alliance. They discuss the circumstances surrounding his hiring, limitations in not-for-profit structures, working with boards of directors, the need for ‘radical transparency’, and the ‘yoga of bureaucracy’. J also shares an example of how yoga is applied in his personal life, and comes clean on his ambivalence regarding the Yoga Alliance.

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Distinguished yoga teacher and movement expert Amy Matthews and J talk about their dance, theater and movement roots, shared history, and ongoing evolution as yoga teachers. Amy gives background and insight into the field of Somatics and they engage in spirited debate on subtle points of disagreement, exploring the relationship between our movement and practice patterns and how we are in the world.

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.

J. decides to start a podcast. In this first episode, he talks with his producer, friend, and long-time student, Josh Sitron. They discuss how he came to do yoga back in 1993, how he found his way to J's yoga class, their reacquaintance years later which led to producing J's yoga video, and why J is starting the podcast.. Josh openly shares his struggles with depression, anger, the recent stress from his wife's cancer, and how yoga has helped him through it all.