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.

Temple Fiergola is a yoga teacher and podcast listener who sent J a blog post she wrote about negotiating her pay rates with yoga center owners that warranted a longer conversation, so J brings her on to talk it out. In the course of the discussion, Temple shares some intimate details of her life that strike a cord in J and set a tone for further inquiries into balancing family life and maintaining a teaching practice, overcoming grief, the diminishing pay scales available to yoga professionals, and the need for more open dialogue.

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.

After a snarky post from J referencing an article in Yoga Journal about Down Under School of Yoga in Boston making yoga teachers employees vs independent contractors, the owner, Justine Wiltshire Cohen, joins in this conversation to clarify and make her positions clear on the issues. They discuss the origins of the center, its growth, the reasons for non-compete clauses, intellectual property rights, pay scales, and the problem with attempting to present black and white solutions to nuanced and varied challenges.

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.

Adriene Mishler, from the Yoga with Adriene Youtube Channel, talks with J about what its like to have over two million people subscribing to your Youtube videos, how such a thing comes about, and the work that goes into making something like that fly. In this unexpected and engaged conversation, J discovers that Adriene is way more than just a "Youtube star" as they discuss the yoga hustle and what it means to make real connections with people both in person and through the asynchronous universe of the internet.

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 Matthews, co-founder of Babies Project, sits down with J to talk about the ideas we hold around the human body and our ability to change. After studying with Amy for almost a year, J takes this opportunity to delve deeper into questions of injuries, bio-mechanics, somatic experience, embryology, the proportionality of growth, and the disconnect between what our physiology is actually saying and what we think is the case. More than anything, they invite a full range of possibility by embracing the mystery 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.

Alexandria Crow, founder of Yoga Physics, joins J for a conversation about her evolution as a yoga teacher, from early high profile appearances to whistle-blower and rabble-rouser. They have been in contact for some time but only hook up after Alex posted one of J's podcast about Yoga Alliance on her FB timeline and a comment thread blew up. In this candid conversation, they discuss some of Alex's history, reconciling the documentation of your past online, and problems with the industry "standards" for yoga teachers.

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 moderates this panel discussion at the Accessible Yoga Conference NYC with Steffany Moonez, founder of Yoga for Arthritis, Prakash Capen, Integral Yoga Teacher and Minister, Mirabai Hubbell, chair of the Older Adults Department at City College, and Char Grossman, founder of YogaReach. The topic was "Ageism and Ableism: Creating Welcoming Yoga Spaces" and after some time getting to know the panelists, they share their views and take questions from the audience on issues of inclusion in yoga classes.

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.

Amber Karnes, creator of Body Positive Yoga, joins J for a talk about making the ends meet as teachers in the new landscape. They are both in the midst of moving and navigating the ways they can make a living and, after canceling a number of times, they jump into a conversation despite not feeling all that up to it. Fortunately, coming together on the challenges they are facing is a welcome release and serves to reaffirm their resolve. They also discuss the origins of Body Positive Yoga and the Yoga for All Training she does with Dianne Bondy.

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.

Sadia Bruce, a friend and fellow teacher, posted something about one of J's podcasts that ruffled his feathers some so he decided to bring her on the show to talk about it. But, while they do discuss the post and why it bothered J, the conversation ended up going in unexpected directions as J learns that Sadia has come to a crossroads in her career and is considering leaving the profession. They talk about racism, prejudice, the co-option of the diversity and inclusion conversation, and the difficult grind of making a livelihood as 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.

Joe Sandor, a budding yoga instructor who recently discovered the podcast, sent J an intriguing email and he thought it would be fun to bring him on to talk about it. They discuss Joe's 9-5 job at the State Department, the role that showers played in his entrance into yoga, the inner workings of Core Power, and his experience of teacher training. They go on to consider some of the current economic models for where teachers fit into the business of yoga, the pitfalls therein, and some potential ideas on what else might be possible.

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.

India Supera, founder of the Feathered Pipe Foundation and Ranch, graces J with a conversation on a most auspicious day. They discuss the turns of history and politics that shaped her journey to the east, the happenstance that brought her back and birthed the Feathered Pipe, and the many incredible people who make pilgrimage there. They also discuss changes in the yoga world and remaining true to purpose, celebrate the magic that brings them together, and share in the joy and excitement of J's inaugural visit to the ranch.