J. Brown Yoga Talks

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 brings Theo Wildcroft on the show after a lovely shout-out online that also included a playful jab about the lack of guests from outside North America. They discuss her research inquiring into the democratization of physical practice, the convergence of yoga and activism, and the radical impact of “pagans doing yoga in fields.” Theo was also around for the Anusara meltdown, teaches yoga to children with special needs, and has something to say on how you don’t have to be a commercial success in order to be a yoga teacher.  

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.   Serendipity brings Douglas Rushkoff, author of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus and Aleister & Adolf, and host of Team Human podcast, to J’s basement for a conversation on the digital age and the economic effects of information technology on human well-being. They discuss Rushkoff’s writing trajectory, chronicling the evolution of the internet from its early open source origins to its corporate controlled iteration of today. They talk about the current state of affairs and, much to J’s amazement, some shared past and friendship between them.  

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 has the honor of talking to Brenda Feuerstein, wife of the late Georg Feuerstein. Georg’s writings have been a huge influence on J and this was a special opportunity to learn about a man he considers a teacher but never met in person. They discuss Brenda’s relationship to Georg, on both personal and professional levels, and the work of continuing his legacy. They share in mutual appreciation for yoga philosophy as a means of transformation, the gifts they received from Georg, and examining the deeper aspects of practice.  

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 hangs out with Susanna Harwood Rubin, author of Yoga 365, in her Manhattan apartment for an intimate conversation about the early years of the NY scene and how things have gone since then. Susanna shares some early shaping experiences transitioning from art world to yoga world, her perspective on the rise and fall of Anusara, and her love of studying yoga philosophy. They also talk about how she relates to Hindu deities, her feelings about the issue of cultural appropriation, and the process of writing her new book.  

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.   Brian Leaf, author of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi and Misadventures of a Parenting Yogi, is a mutual friend of J’s producer. They knew of each other for years but this is the first time they actually met. They discuss Brian’s work helping students manage ADD and overcome standardized-tests, how he overcame ulcerative colitis through yoga and Ayurveda, his devotion to Swami Kripalu, and what it means to come from a place of knowing. They also touch on the role of intuition in Brian’s most recent book, The Teacher Appears.  

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.   Life comes full circle for J in this conversation with Katchie Ananda, his first ever and beloved teacher. They talk about early times when the NY yoga scene was just burgeoning, Katchie’s move away from NY to Colorado to study with Richard Freeman, her time in Anusara and relationship to John friend, and the dharma path that she is following today. They touch base on how things have changed in their practice and teaching over the years, and the need for "all hands on deck" given the challenges of our current political environment.  

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.   On the occasion of her seventh birthday, J shares some conversations with his eldest daughter, Roslyn Brown. He promised her that they were recording a “real” podcast and, after a recent incident where he maybe wasn’t there for her as a father, he felt compelled to make good on his promise. They talk about animals, her baby sister, her mom, and whether they should stay in Brooklyn or move somewhere else. Please note: This one is for fans of J’s personal narrative. Otherwise, its probably best to enjoy the archives.  

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 sits down with Ryan Cunningham and Kate Robinson, hosts of Unrolled Podcast, for a lively conversation in Ryan’s kitchen just after a workshop at his center, Bow St. Yoga in Sommerville MA. They talk about how Ryan went from being the former-manager of a center acquired by Yogaworks to being a yoga center owner himself in the span of a year, showers at yoga studios, the awesomeness that is Unrolled Podcast, why J does Sanskrit chanting and if the name of his podcast is lame, and forging new models for yoga going forward.  

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 talks with Shelly Prosko, founder of Physio Yoga, about her mission to integrate yoga into the healthcare system. Shelly shares some of her personal story of how a random injury catapulted her work incorporating medical therapeutic yoga and traditional physical therapy. They discuss earlier days before yoga was considered an alternative healing modality, the difference between bringing medicine into yoga and yoga into medicine, the limitations of allopathic models, yoga therapy, and the need for clarity of scope.  

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 talks to one of the greats, Erich Schiffmann. This is the first time they have ever spoken to each other and Erich takes J through some history and a bevy of tales that speak to the coming of yoga into the west and mainstream. They discuss what it’s like to have lunch with J Krishnamurti and get slapped by BKS Iyengar, the origins of the traveling yoga career, free-form yoga, and learning how to learn from your own practice. Erich also shares why he is stepping away from teaching and sings praise for the Feathered Pipe Ranch.  

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.   Cristina Kuhn returns to talk with J about the one big thing they didn’t discuss last time they got together, her MS. After their last podcast, they went out to dinner and Cristina mentioned her condition and agreed to come back on. They finally found an opportunity to make good on it. She shares what it was liked to be diagnosed, conventional and alternative treatments, the emotional impact, and the resolve to carry on with life. They also touch base on how business is going at her center, the Yogi Underground in Falls Church, VA.  

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.   Cyndi Lee, founder of the influential OM Yoga center, was someone who set the stage for people like J. After running in the same circles for years, they finally get a chance to meet. They talk about Cyndi’s personal journey into yoga and Tibetan Buddhism, yoga coming into the mainstream, the story of how OM Yoga came into existence and why it had to close, and the way things are playing out now. Both Cyndi and J share openly about what it is to make your practice into a profession and the rapid change in the yoga industry  

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 talks with Joey Slater-Milligan, background vocalist from the band Wheatus. Joey graduated from J’s teacher training program a while back and they take some time to learn about each other outside of the practice space. Joey shares her journey from a small village in England to playing arena-sized shows with a band she started out selling t-shirts for. They also discuss why she decided to do a yoga teacher training, dealing with the loss of parents, the perils of gentrification and a hustle economy, and her new young adult sci-fi novel ‘PSY’.  

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.   Jason Crandell has always been on J’s radar as someone of his generation who managed to break through into the mainstream. They talk about early days of Yoga Journal cruises, what it takes to launch a yoga career, the invent of yoga teacher training, social media literacy, realities and issues facing current yoga business models, raising the educational bar and holding teacher trainers accountable. They also discuss drug and alcohol addiction in loved ones, sequencing yoga programs, and the ins and outs of online video.  

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 returns the favor and brings on Wendy Reese, host of The Whole Being Zone Podcast. They talk about the horrors of having crappy internet service, what the yoga scene is like in a town of five hundred people, the journey from fitness to wholeness, dealing with mental illness, learning to love yourself, the practicality of psychic power, and how to build community. They also discuss her new book Alchemy of Yoga: Living Yoga Off the Mat, which mixes ancient wisdom and science with “pragmatic woo-woo” in applicable and slightly irreverent ways.  

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.   Julie Buckner and J had been emailing back and forth for months, but only when the final word came down that she was definitely closing her yoga center did they sit down and talk about the state of affairs. They discuss the hard realities facing independent yoga centers vs standardized and scaled models, what it means to be successful but not profitable, real estate markets and sustainability, and even get into a bit of national politics. More than anything, they look to each other for support and inspiration.  

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.   Eddie Stern, esteemed Ashtanga Yoga teacher, invites J to The Brooklyn Yoga Club to talk about the old days and current incarnations of his yoga and teaching. They discuss his early practice, formative times in the NY yoga scene, the entrance of Patabhi Jois into the US, the birth of “vinyasa” as a hybrid style, bringing yoga into schools, and whether or not Ashtanga Yoga is injurious. The conversation also brings them together around a connection between punk rock, hip-hop, yoga, and being true to who you are and what you do.  

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.   Serendipity brings Sam Chase, author of Yoga and the Pursuit of Happiness, and J together in this intimate back and forth about the parallels in both their early beginnings and current life situations. They discuss the lonely aspects of being a yoga teacher, Sam’s dual yoga personality, vinyasa yoga’s identity crisis, the evolution of Kripalu Yoga, and the origins and purpose behind Yoga to the People. They also touch on the back-end of owning a studio and the challenges inherent in being true to the ethics of what you advertise.

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.   Michael Lee, founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, talks with J about the origins of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and its defining characteristics. They discuss creating safe containers for practice, identifying what’s going on in your body and in your life based on both experience and psychological principles, the thin line between yoga and yoga therapy, changes in the professional yoga landscape, and being true to who you are. They also share together in the many tribulations and incarnations that a life can present.  

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.   Hareesh (Christopher) Wallis has a B.A. in Religion and Classics from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in Sanskrit from U.C. Berkeley, an M.Phil. in Classical Indian Religions from Oxford, and a Ph.D. on the traditions of Śaiva Tantra from Berkeley. He talks with J about the art and science of translating Sanskrit, the influence of Tantra on modern yoga, qualifications on non-duality, Abhinava Gupta, and how the removal of conceptual overlays and integration of transcendence reveals inherent wonder and awe in life.