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.   Michelle Ryan returns to the show to talk with J about the problems with teacher training and the deeper issues corrupting yoga. They discuss what happened to her yoga center since they last spoke and the collective model she attempted to forge, her opposition to the Yoga Alliance 200-hour standards, cultural appropriation of indigenous knowledge, the detriment of neoliberal politics and late stage capitalism, and holding ourselves and others to account for what we claim to know or be. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Eve Grzybowski, author of Teach Yourself Yoga talks with J about being an early yoga adopter and a radical vision for communal retirement. They discuss yoga in the 70's and 80's, the yoga schools she founded, starting a blog back when that was a thing, moving to Mitchells Island NSW and creating a small community of friends to live out their latter years together, trials and joys of adult shared housing, the teachings that come when facing end stages of life, and the power to heal, grow, and share through relationships.  

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.   Sally Kempton, author of Meditation for the Love of It and Awakening Shakti, talks with J about different paths in yoga and opening the subtle body. They discuss the 70's yoga scene, Swami Muktananda and her "30 years in obedience," why she left the ashram life and became a householder, asceticism and tantra, personal enlightenment vs collective good, spontaneous kundalini experiences and goddesses, "the magical level," and the mystical elements of yoga that people are usually reticent to talk about. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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 Cooper, PhD, co-founder and director of Yoga Professionals (aka Yoga Alliance Professionals,) talks with J about raising the standards and quality of yoga teaching. They discuss Brian's background in practice, the impetus behind starting an association, why hours-based curricula are inherently flawed, necessary elements in fostering yoga education, the mainstream fantasy narrative of yoga, if mystical realms exist, and fostering yoga that is personal, transformative and maintains integrity. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Frank Jude Boccio returns to the show for an in-depth discussion about his writings Religious But Not Spiritual, The Secret, Neo-Liberal Buddhism, and McMindfulness: The New Capitalist Spirituality. They discuss the etymology of the word religion, what it means to be spiritual, supernatural pseudo-spirituality, science, reductionism, materialism, belief in a soul or lack thereof, the problem with teaching mcmindfulness, the role of intuition and purpose of ceremony, and the honest exchange of ideas and opinions that lead to a discerned truth.  

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.   Brendan McCall. movement artist and educator, talks with J about parallels between contemporary dance and yoga. Brendan and J went to college and made collaborative performance art together. They discuss the experimental performance training they received, conditions that enable creatives to discover and grow, experiential anatomy and Allan Wayne work, Jean Hamilton Floor Barre and Mary Overlie’s Six Viewpoints, and the spirit of somatic inquiry and purpose that inspired wonder in them both. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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 Smerdon, founder of Shri Yoga, talks with J about the golden times for the yoga profession and the challenges it now faces. They discuss Julie's early formative health challenges, her transition from fitness to yoga, becoming a teacher and moving from the US to Australia, opening a center and building a community, having to close during the pandemic, pros and cons of doing teacher trainings, online vs in-person teaching, and finding out if it’s possible to make a living teaching without a center? This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Kristine Kaoverii Weber, founder of Subtle® Yoga, talks with J about the subtle nuances of embracing a practice and life of yoga. They discuss Kristine's early years on "walkabout," yoga becoming a profession and going against the vinyasa flow grain, neuroscience as a lens, implicate order and the crisis of misperception, moving to New Zealand and back, mystical realms, listening for divine messages, and bridging the seeming chasms that keep us bound and resistant to the birthright that is love. Listeners can take a free class with Kristine.  

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.   Dave and Stacy Dockins, creators of the Yoga Project™ studios, talk with J about closing their yoga centers and living in a van. They discuss what happened when the pandemic hit and letting go of owning and operating three yoga studios after fifteen years, deciding to buy and renovate a van, the benefits of online teaching and training, day-to-day of being on the road including showers and finding places to sleep, and the profound philosophical impact of breaking from conventional life. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Divya Kohli, author of Finding Peace in Difficult Times: grounding techniques for inner calm, talks with J about taking a stance and simple ways to pull us through. They discuss Divya's time as a journalist, counter-narratives and bridging divides, navigating difficult conversations, surrender as a practice, insecurity vs uncertainty, grounding in the moment, insomnia, chasing cures and experiential awareness, self-soothing through touch and other practices, and how we can stay sane and steady in an increasingly fast, complex and stimulated 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.   Kate Herrera Jenkins, owner or Kiva Hot Yoga in Birmingham, AL, founder of Native Strength Revolution and Stripper Soul, talks with J about building bridges and connecting to spirit. They discuss her time as a dancer in NY and discovering her purpose, her faith in Jesus, Cochiti Pueblo heritage, her Grandma Julie, hot yoga and kivas, christianity and native american connection to the spirit world, and healing indigenous communities through relationship and personal empowerment. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Jennifer Kurdyla, coauthor of Root and Nourish with Abbey Rodriguez, talks with J about developing a reverent and nurturing relationship with food. They discuss the many hats that Jennifer has worn including her work as an editor, her experience of coming to yoga and greater awareness around food, Ayurveda and western herbalism, seasonal eating, kitchari, gut-brain connection, the rule of threes and lying with your left side down, why "you are what you digest," Ojas, and learning to engage food respectfully as a sacred act of existence.  

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.   Jay B. Marcus and Christopher S. Clark, coauthors with Robert Keith Wallace of The Coherence Effect, talk with J about the healing effect of making the mind and body function in a more orderly or coherent way. They discuss entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, homeostasis systems, Transcendental Meditation and brain wave function, Ayurveda, western medicine, science behind sacred sounds, and changing society by enhancing and spreading inner coherence. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Alison West, founder of Yoga Union and one of J's primary teachers, joins the show for the first time to talk about their shared past and the what they see going forward. They discuss Alison's former career as an art historian, her transition to yoga, when they met in the early nineties and her first teacher training, when grassroots organizing stopped NY state from regulating teacher training, back care and scoliosis, using dowels and rope walls, and the tenderness and inspiration shared through yoga inquiry. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Kari Hohne, author of Decoding the Night Sky: Ancient Babylonian Astrology and The Mythology of Sleep: The Waking Power of Dreams, talks with J about oracles and the field of interconnectivity underlying reality. They discuss Kari's early interest in dreams, studying physics and ancient systems to make sense of her experiences, interpreting the symbols of the mind and creating a dream dictionary, Tao te Ching and I Ching, convergence and synchronicity, and the expansiveness of trusting life is benign. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Norman Blair returns to the show to assess the current state of the yoga teaching profession and encourage creative ways of moving forward. They discuss the impact of the pandemic on yoga teachers and centers, online teaching and getting back together in person, pay equity for yoga teachers and the formation of a yoga teacher union in the UK, the benefits of keeping things small and cooperative, poetry and regulation of the nervous system, and daring to think creatively about our future. This episode is sponsored by Moonclerk.  

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.   Kelly Kamm was recommended to J by a listener and it lead to this talk about the NY yoga scene, mythology, and the current state of play. They discuss the atmosphere of learning in earlier times, opening and closing a yoga center, misgivings of vinyasa yoga, seeking deeper connection to the invisible forces of magic and spirit, hindu mythology and fringe dwelling goddesses, leaning into the uncomfortable void, coming to grips with incorrect assumptions, and fusing the sacred and the everyday. 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.   Jessie Nieusma (he/him/his) answered J's call to join him for a discussion to dispel misinformation and humanize trans people. They discuss the realities of trans kids, the importance of ensuring that trans people receive the care they need, myths about sports and bathrooms, scare tactics used to discriminate, statistics behind what the trans community endures, spectrum’s along both gender and sex, different ways that people work to move the needle towards equality, and getting to know each other across our differences. Resources: Regarding the words transexual versus transgender. Dr Rachel Mckinnon (aka Veronica Ivy) on trans people in sports. Chair in Transgender Studies through the University of Victoria in Canada. History of Transgender people. Podcasts: Queer America Making Gay History Nancy Queery LGBTQ&A The Laverne Cox Sho

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.   Kathryn Anne Flynn, author of Teach Kind, Clear Yoga, talks with J about yoga methodology and pedagogy. They discuss the influence of yoga in Kathryn's childhood, some of the roots behind teaching yoga for the general population, magic, Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society, the "ceptions" and exploratory practice, pigeon pose, mobility and stability vs strength and flexibility, strategies for making practice fit needs, forever student mindset, and daring to be simple. 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.   PLEASE NOTE: This episodes contains opinions that some find harmful to the trans community. For an opposing view, please listen to EP 265 - Jessie Nieusma - "Trans, Gender and Sex Education"   Katchie Ananda, J's first yoga teacher, returns to the show to talk about gender spectrum and biological sex. They discuss how Katchie ended up becoming active and writing about the issue, the cancel campaign waged against her in response, what it means to change a persons sex with puberty blockers or surgical interventions, whether intersex people prove that sex is assigned rather than observed, woman’s liberation and individual expression, Big Pharma in trans medicine, and every persons right to be whoever they want to be,