Lucy Crisfield , founder of Original Wisdom , talks with J about bringing forth the essence of love through sound. They discuss being inspired by the Arabic call to prayer, Rishikesh, spending time at Auroville, Vedic chanting at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandirum, learning at SOAS, Kaustaub Desikachar and parting from KYM, evolution from hard physical practice to simple attunement to Satva, Peter Harrison and questions about Svara, another dimension of being, elemental articulation, and hearing ...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 457
Anoop Kumar, MD , founder of Numocore and creator of The Science of Consciousness , talks with J about the movement towards wellness as an emerging new health system. They discuss the limitations of western medicine, perceptions of what a human being is, solving the mind-body "problem," systemic transformation, Numocore (Nutrition-Movement-Connection-Rest,) accessing mind through movement, mechanisms behind religion and science, rest as a form of creativity, and the deepest of all expressions of...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 456
Rick Olderman , author of Pain Patterns: Why You Are in Pain and How to Stop It , returns to talk with J about integrating movement, fascia, and neurological reflex patterns to address pain. They discuss three patterns that account for most spinal issues, functional links between past injuries and current pain, a macro view of fascial lines, cytokines and myofibroblasts, psychology becoming manifest in the body, nutrition and viscerogenic related pain, simple tests for assessment, and changing h...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 455
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 ma...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 454
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...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 453
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 k...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 452
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, a...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 451
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...
Oct 21, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 450
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 tra...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 449
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...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 448
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 uniq...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 447
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 ...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 446
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, organizi...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 445
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...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 444
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 pa...
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 443
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, ...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 442
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 ...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 441
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 cap...
Aug 12, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 440
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 tir...
Aug 05, 2024•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 439
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 ...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 438
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 cor...
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 437
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 soft...
Jul 15, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 436
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 . 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 ...
Jul 08, 2024•49 min•Ep. 435
J departs from his usual format to reflect on how he lost hope in the viability of small intimate yoga centers and why he has decided to open one now. He discusses the dark night of the soul that many yoga teachers are facing, the events that have led to the crossroads he faces, a random opportunity or perhaps divine intervention that has changed everything, and the hard reality that has caused him to admit that he can’t do it alone. If you want to help, you can contribute here ....
Jul 01, 2024•58 min•Ep. 434
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 . Godfrey Devereux , author of The Little Book of the Bandhas , returns to talk with J about releasing somatic intelligence from learned habits and the story that bandhas tell us. They discuss varied ideas about bandhas, connection between Mulabandha and exhalation, pulsating opposition of spinal curves, spontaneous muscle ...
Jun 24, 2024•45 min•Ep. 433
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 . David and Iana Lifar , founders of the Indra Devi Foundation in Argentina and creators of I ndra Devi International Virtual Yoga School , talk with J about the legacy of Indra Devi with translation by Mariana Campos . They discuss being inspired to meet Indra after seeing her on a tv show and the immediate connection they...
Jun 17, 2024•46 min•Ep. 432
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 . Michelle Thielen , founder of Yoga Faith , talks with J about utilizing yoga practice to strengthen a belief in Jesus Christ. They discuss yogis being OK with God but not Jesus, Christians thinking yoga is demonic and everything being part of creation, personal faith separate from institutionalized churches, historical ro...
Jun 10, 2024•50 min•Ep. 431
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 . Hari-kirtana das , author of Journey into the Bhagavad Gita: A Guide to Exploring Timeless Principles of Transcendental Knowledge and Integrating Them Into Your Life , talks with J about universal principles that lead to religious experience. They discuss origins and larger context of the Bhagavad Gita , mindset of the re...
Jun 03, 2024•51 min•Ep. 430
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 . Tessa Hillman , author of Yoga Stories from Guru Guptananda and Memoir of a Skeptical Seeker , talks with J about opening up to spiritual realms and receiving guidance. They discus coming to yoga in the 70's and 80's, teacher training and yearning for a deeper understanding, when skepticism fails, coming into communicatio...
May 27, 2024•48 min•Ep. 429
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 . Sage Rountree , author of The Athletes Guide to Recovery and The Art of Yoga Sequencing , talks with J about yoga for athletes and endurance science for yoga teachers. They discuss the origins of Sages name, starting out in yoga and becoming an endurance coach, being ready for connection, specificity in goals and reasons ...
May 20, 2024•44 min•Ep. 428
