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.   Barbara Verrochi, co-owner and director of The Shala yoga studios in Manhattan and Brooklyn, talks with J about surviving all these years and so far in the pandemic. They discuss their parallel paths through the early NY scene of the nineties, the evolution of practice over the years and the sustainability of small independent centers, what has contributed to her longevity and fortitude, managing the uncertainty of the shutdown orders, and the hope and faith that fuels a life-long passion for yoga. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Amy Wheeler, Ph.D., former President of the Board of Directors at the International Association of Yoga Therapists, founder of Optimal State, talks with J about the current landscape of the “Industrial Yoga Complex” and embodying the principles of yoga. They discuss Amy’s work as a sports psychologist, her training with TKV Desikachar and differences between the way he taught compared to what yoga looks like today, outcomes vs protocols, yoga therapy definitions, grim professional prospects for yoga teachers, and the satvic purpose of yoga.  

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.   Leana Marie Marshall, founder of Elle Em Consulting and blackyogateachers365, talks with J about her time at Corepower Yoga and the need for better training around diversity and inclusion in the yoga industry. They discuss the reasons why POC don’t feel welcomed in yoga spaces, working her way through the Corepower system, her attempts to reform inequities and unfair policies, the harsh actions taken during the pandemic, and working to help everyone feel valued and respected. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Dylan Galos, epidemiologist and evaluator, friend of the show, talks with J about the current health crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement. They discuss the role of epidemiology, his background and areas of study, the science behind pandemics, data sets and policy recommendations, effectiveness of masks, impacts of social distance on mental health, the intersection of the shutdown and the BLM protests, a queer black man’s perspective on the movement for justice, and aspects of yoga that help people get through the uncertainty of this life. Resources: Dr. Michael Osterholm’s podcast on masks Video about herd immunity Video about why COVID-19 is so contagious Visualization about why COVID-19 is so contagious Article on models of COVID-19 contagion The End of Policing by Alex Vitale Article on white supremacist organizational cultur

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.   Todd Norian, author of Tantra Yoga: Journey to Unbreakable Wholeness, talks with J about his time in community and his path to Tantra. They discuss, his thirteen years at Kripalu, his relationship to Amrit Desai, what to make of fallen gurus, endurance training, desire for partnership and eating meat, coming to know that we are enough, and the Tantric teachings that support us in a process by which we shine the light of consciousness into the shadows of the unknown to gain self-knowledge. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Neal Pollack, aka “The Greatest Living American Writer” and author of Pothead: My Life as a Marijuana Addict in the Age of Legal Weed, talks with J about cannabis and addressing addiction issues. They discuss shared history from an earlier time in the yoga world, struggles Neal explores in his book and how marijuana may not always be as safe as advertised, underlying issues at play in addiction, what it took to make the necessary changes and find a better direction, and the honesty and fortitude essential to simply being a good person.  

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.   Mugs McConnell, author of Letters from the Yoga Masters, talks with J about the correspondence and lessons she received from Dr. Hari Dickman. Mugs shares the history of her relationship to yoga, how she ended up having access to over 700 letters from yoga figures such as Paramhansa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi and Swami Sivananda, what to make of so many gurus falling from grace, whether we can separate teachings from teachers, and the earnest inquiry at the heart of yogic understanding. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Charles Eisenstein is an author whose recent essays, The Coronation and The Conspiracy Myth, caused some controversy in the yoga world and J happened into a chance to speak with him in response to the critiques. They discuss separation vs interbeing, whether or not he is a “trojan horse for the anti-vaxx movement,” reasonable questions regarding the pandemic and science, conspiracy as a theory and myth, narrative warfare, orthodoxy and the pursuit of justice, and envisioning a new and ancient story of integration and peace.  

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.   Timothy McCall, MD, author of three books, Examining Your Doctor: A Patient's Guide to Avoiding Harmful Medical Care; Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing, and his latest; Saving My Neck: A Doctor's East/West Journey Through Cancer, talks with J about reductionist science and the power of intuition. They discuss Timothy’s decision to stop practicing medicine and dedicate himself to yoga, changing how we study holistic healing, medical discernment, cancer treatments, and how direct experience trumps everything else.  

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.   Derek Beres, columnist for Big Think and host of the EarthRise Podcast, talks with J about the intersection of conspiracy theories, the wellness industry, and healthy skepticism. They discuss Derek’s history as a journalist and movement enthusiast, the article he wrote debunking the plandemic video, fake vs real conspiracies, media manipulation and the politics of healthcare, Derek’s upcoming book on psychedelics, and the sort of dialogue necessary to make informed and smart choices. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Mel Russo, native New Yorker and old friend, reminisces with J about the early days and shares an inside take on the closing of Yoga Works and the future of the studio model. They discuss moving west, living in the east-village back when the rents were low, managing and owning a center, having to close shop and take a gig at Yoga Works, why it all fell apart there and what was happening when the pandemic hit, the current set of choices teachers face, and reaffirming the tiny beautiful moments that make yoga feel meaningful and worthwhile.  

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.   Nyk Danu, Therapeutic Yoga Teacher and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer, has been corresponding with J for years and they finally connect to touch base on what’s happening at the grassroots. They discuss Nyk’s history and appetite for learning, hosting your own classes vs teaching at centers, offering classes in a series vs drop ins, the hardcore nature of simple practice, how different centers are handling the stay-at-home orders, digital teacher training, and keeping it together when the world is falling apart, This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Derek Sivers, musician, producer, circus performer, entrepreneur, TED speaker, and best known as the founder of CD Baby, talks with J about shifting viewpoints, solving problems, and self expansion. They discuss means for utilizing inspiration, thinking smart instead of strategically, improving our business “top line,” taking control and choosing how we engage digital technology, creative process as problem solving, expanding ourselves because it's fun, and reaffirming the intrinsic fascination and wonder that makes for a life worth living.  

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.   Joe Simek and Alexis Ridge-Simek, co-owners of Dragonfly Yoga and co-founders of The Fiaria Project, talk with J about their community coming together to get through the shut down. Originally intended to be recorded at a live event to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of their yoga center which had to be postponed indefinitely, they discuss how things were going before the pandemic hit, what steps they took to get ahead of the stay-at-home orders, and the heart and soul that is holding it all together. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Justine Wiltshire Cohen and Michael Ponte, owner and manager at Down Under Yoga School of Yoga in Boston, talk with J about what how things have been going since Justine was last on the show three years ago and what they are doing to meat the challenge of the pandemic crisis. They discuss Down Under’s transition to making their teachers employees, responding to the needs of teachers and staff, important keys to their success, efforts they are making to survive the shut down, and the core principles that are guiding their choices.  

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.   Ryan Cunningham, co-host of Unrolled Podcast, returns to touch base on what has happened since their last visit and schools J on gender and identity. They discuss what happened after Ryan went from being a yoga center manager to owner, why they let go of running a studio and got licensed as a massage therapist, the decision to be more public about expressing their non-binary viewpoint, and why choosing pronouns has deeper implications for justice and the expansion of human consciousness. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Cecily Milne, founder of Yoga Detour, talks with J about the changing paradigm of yoga practice in the west and the ways in which she has grown and evolved alongside the changing conversation. They discuss her departure from Ashtanga Yoga and exploration of other movement modalities, the influences that have shaped her perspective, yoga classifications and meeting expectations, and challenging ourselves to move through the discomfort of breaking patterns that no longer serve and trust in our own powers of perception.  

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 Paylor, author of Yin Yoga: Essential Poses and Sequences for Balanced Energy, participated in J’s Weekly Teachers Class last year and they re-connect in this intimate conversation about struggles and strengths. They discuss Diane’s mom’s struggle with cancer, her former life as a writer for Sassy magazine and the trauma of having a dream come true turn into a nightmare, finding yourself through yoga, focusing on strengths instead of struggles, and delving into truth with courage. This episode os sponsored by Karmasoft.  

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.   Rob Walker, author of the The New Yoga: From Cults and Dogma to Science and Sanity, talks with J about taking a hard look at critical questions and proposing common-sense yoga for the future. They discuss how yoga classes have recently changed, the movement to make yoga classes safer and more inclusive by debunking myths and telling a more accurate history, drawing upon movement science, and six principles that add clarity and encourage further inquiry into the benefits of yoga. 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.   Michael Hayes, founder of Buddha Body Yoga and an early pioneer in bringing yoga to larger bodies, talks with J about his early NY roots and the evolving conversation around how to make yoga more inclusive. They discuss Michael’s early studies in Gurdjieff and massage therapy, the process of discovering yoga that worked for him, choosing to go against the grain, some of the tools he prefers, and the perseverance and passion that fuels and sustains a lifelong inquiry into the nature of yoga. This episode is sponsored by Karmasoft.