J. Brown Yoga Talks

Susi Hately, founder of Functional Synergy, talks with J about the unfolding process of helping people. They discuss how Susi got to yoga therapy, distinguishing yoga therapy from western medicine, yoga anatomy books in 2004, persistent pain and perceptive awareness, alignment vs movement function, novel experiences and reality thoughts, pain and tissue damage, compensatory patterns, gait analysis, biomechanics, exploring where states of knowing come from, and the heart and soul required to make a life of a yoga profession.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Melissa Scagliarini, founder of Satya Yoga Studio, talks with J about teaching, having a center, and a local call to the divine. They discuss experiencing in person classes in remote New Hampshire, reasons for teacher training, health food stores, teaching opportunities and boom times for yoga centers, learning from India, deeper aspects of practice, changing terms for commercial leases, navigating pandemic policies, balancing work and family, physical demands of teaching, worrying about money, and recognizing what is important.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Norman Blair, author of Brightening Our Inner Skies: Yin and Yoga, talks with J about the appropriateness of teachers advocating for causes and campaigns. They discuss the state of the yoga industry since they last spoke, recognizing privilege and counting blessings, whether politics should be in yoga classes, Egalitarian yoga, war and genocide, having an impact on society, antisemitism and Zionism, critical thinking, propaganda, capitalism and mindfulness, and avoiding the distractions that keep us from what is most needed to be well.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Jenny Gladding, author of Self-Leadership Vs Self-Mastery: The Key to Leading with Clarity, Courage, and Heart, talks with J about healthy internal families and unburdening ourselves. They discuss the pitfall of mastery, feeling vs thinking through, free-spirited yoga, the usefulness of mirrors, Zen and the art of archery, who is in control, maps and territory, anthropomorphizing divinity, the parts of us that feel stuck and wounded, finding language and containers to communicate what we do, and developing a process for multi-dimensional healing.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

She Coombes, a long-time teacher and practitioner, talks with J about living your yoga and what happens when lives get changed. They discuss seeking an alternative lifestyle in 1970's London, when yoga clothes were underwear, meditation with Maharaja, The Friends of Yoga, being blown away by the simple approach of TKV Desikachar, adaptation and modifications, stages of life, yoga becoming business oriented, sources of wisdom and transformation, and remaining resilient by consistently showing up with intention and heart.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Nrithya Jagannathan, director of Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) Institute of Yoga Studies, talks with J about the legacy of T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar. They discuss Nrithya's early role as an editor and copywriter at the KYM, the historical context and significance of T Krishnamacharya,  asana and Swedish calisthenics, tradition and adaptation, the contribution of TKV Desikachar, distinguishing between yoga and yoga therapy, meditation, reclaiming humanity, and bringing about transformation for spiritual growth.     J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… NEW GROUP STARTS ONLINE in OCT - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.  

Brian Dana Akers, author of The Yoga Manifesto, talks with J about the intrinsically free and historically egalitarian nature of yoga. They discuss the appeal of little orange books, the yoga scene in Kalamazoo, his Great-Great-Great-Grandfather's infamous speech to Abraham Lincoln, his fathers ministry and activism, studying and translating Sanskrit, training with Swami Vishnudevananda, grassroots word of mouth phenomena, science and religion, money, possible scenarios for the future, and why yoga matters now more than ever.     J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… NEW GROUP STARTS ONLINE in OCT - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.  

Bobbi Misiti, founder of BeFit Body & Mind, talks with J about the course that yoga profession and industry has taken over the years. They discuss committing to ashtanga vinyasa practice with Beryl Bender Birch, 600 person classes, seeing the good and bad of the yoga scene, Nancy Gilgoff and Manju Jois, forward bending with a rounded spine, learning 2nd series, hard adjustments, Patabhi Jois and losing faith, Mysore-style, shelf life of centers, the internal aspects, and the beauty of unique people coming together to create a community.   J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… NEW GROUP STARTS ONLINE in OCT - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.  

Nischala Joy Devi and Kamala Rose, cohosts of the podcast and forthcoming book: A Woman’s Gita: A Contemporary Version of the Bhagavad Gita by and for Western Women, talk with J about translating ancient wisdom texts from a woman's perspective. They discuss Kamala's punk rock background and choosing a monastic life, how they came together around the Gita, perspectives on historical depictions, ethics of war, divine revelation, prejudice against woman, and coming from your heart to bring forth the elegance and truth of Yoga.   J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… NEW GROUP STARTS ONLINE in OCT - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.  

Manu Molina, founder of Yoga Biz Mentor, talks with J about marketing yoga classes and retreats. They discuss creating platforms before the pandemic, impacts of everything going online, working for yoga centers, transitioning roles and mentoring others, monetization and content, the fine line between sleazy techniques and fair trade, overpromising and scarcity mindset, the ickiness of selling yourself, effectively communicating the value of what you offer, how to come up with pricing, organizing retreats, and having soul in the game.   J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… NEW GROUP STARTS ONLINE in OCT - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.

Sheela and Ravi Shankar, co-founders of Yoga Nidhi, talk with J about TKV Desikachar and the transformative power of yoga. They discuss the history of their relationship and how Ravi discovered TKV Desikachar, Sheela's religious upbringing, how she got to meet Desikachar and the different contexts she observed his teaching, chanting as meditation or prayer, whether God is fundamental to yoga, defining Ishvara Pranidana, OM, Satva dominance in the mind, characteristics of a yogi, and the greater purpose behind practice.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

John Heers, founder of First Things Foundation and host of Heavy Things Lightly, talks with J about fundamental principles of Orthodox Christianity and operating from faith. They discuss the wing and prayer that brought them together, John's religious background, lessons learned from Islam, baptism, distinguishing denominations, eastern mystical Christianity, the presence of Jesus, communion, salvation, cosmic struggle, reincarnation, doing a thing in the world, Georgian dinner rituals, and participating in a why that leads to beauty.   J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… EARLY BIRD PRICING 40% OFF - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Geoffrey Dugue, MD, talks with J about actual Christianity and being humble in seeking for truth. They discuss the mutual friendship that brought them together, disagreement and debate, being trained as a medical doctor at esteemed institutions and the lack of meta narrative, indoctrination into the great laws, miracles, having a personal relationship with God, choosing to believe, the hypocrisy of the church, giving Satan too much credit, being in the character of Jesus, the Holy Trinity, sin, and the love that gets you to heaven.   J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… EARLY BIRD PRICING 40% OFF - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Todd Norian, author of Tantra Yoga: Journey to Unbreakable Wholeness, returns to talk with J about happiness, freedom, and opening to a bigger energy. They discuss what it means to be a yoga teacher in 2024, transmission online and in person, distinguishing between happiness and joy, Svatantrya, randomness and entanglement, auspiciousness of your heart and Gods will, creating healthy self boundaries, how to make a decision, being supported by spirit, going within, and setting the sails to catch the winds of grace.   J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… EARLY BIRD PRICING 40% OFF - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Stephen Cope, author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self and The Dharma in Difficult Times, talks with J about the crossovers and divergences in eastern and western spirituality. They discuss psychotherapy and contemplative pursuits, crazy wisdom teachers, theology and practice, divinity school, discovering Kripalu, shaktiput from Amrit Desai, revelations of abuse and reinvention from ashram to retreat center, prayer and meditation, dharma, being called to act, and slowly refining your capacity to know that still small voice within.   J. Brown Yoga Teacher Training… NEW GROUP STARTS ONLINE in OCT - REGISTER NOW!.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Nadine Watton, part of the Hillside Yoga Collective, talks with J about riding the wave and surviving the crash of yoga into the mainstream in both practice and profession. They discuss mutual friends and synchronicity, practicing in the late 90’s, teacher training certification becoming a thing, Dave Charlton and the British Wheel of Yoga, choosing yoga as a full time profession and having a family, integrated breath in asana, yoga teacher collectives, and letting go of trying to fit into tired molds so we can stay true to what feels most important.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Katie Armstrong, founder of Inspired Living, talks with J about moving through different life stages and the healing power of building muscle. They discuss starting a yoga-related business in the early aughts, e-commerce, the festival circuit and the unseen backstage realities of presenters, hormone replacement therapy, muscle as medicine, feeling empowered to engage a diversity of embodiment practices, crisis of sedentary lifestyles, capacity for stress, progress over perfection, and finding resiliency in the face of entropy.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Susi Amendola, author of The Centered Heart, talks with J about the intersection of medicine and holistic health. They discuss suffering from debilitating anxiety, being saved by yoga and joining an ashram, reconciling fallen gurus, becoming part of the Dean Ornish Lifestyle Medicine Program, internal vs external locus of control, four lifestyle medicine protocols, impacts of chronic stress, coexistence with allopathy, effectiveness of imagery, nervous system resilience, and addressing the core process underlying our choice making.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Contribute to J's fundraiser to open a center.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.  

Brad Wetzler, author of Into the Soul of the World, talks with J about overcoming addiction, spiritual interventions, and laying ourselves bare in order to heal. They discuss the pandemic period they met in, getting misdiagnosed as bipolar and becoming addicted to medication, mental health care diagnosis and treatment, community yoga, saints and gurus, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, undoing learned narcissism, receiving shaktipat, swimming in the waters of materialism, devotion, being softened by love, and finding real humanity.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Live from the Berkshire Yoga Festival 2024, J talks with Johanna Epps, Louise LeGouis, and Leslie Kaminoff about motivation, purpose, and the zeitgeist of the times. They discuss making sense of the scandals, new challenges, marketing and patience, hurting our bodies and student safety, what sells and presenting to the public, bubbles bursting and the traveling teacher circuit, reasons to attend and benefits of presenting at a festival, eternal topics and breaking new ground, and not taking for granted the joy of being in person.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Contribute to J's fundraiser to open a center.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.