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.

Jeff Bailey, author of Mobility for Life: Healthy Joints, Strong Bones, and a Peaceful Mind with AVITA YOGA®, talks with J about interrupting patterns of pain and letting love be a guide. They discuss growing up with a veterinarian father, connections between Rolfing and A Course in Miracles, labral tears and joint compression, undue fear of hyperextension, yogic alignment and body organization, practicing with your eyes closed, arthritis and hip replacement, peace as the primary goal, and allowing spirit to carry us through.

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 Harendorf, co-founder of Better Yoga, talks with J about reviving old models with new eyes. They discuss the East Village NYC scene in the early aughts, her dog Charlie, longevity of boutique studios, teaching anatomy for Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee, Kripalu going from ashram to for-profit, the moment when the world fell apart, getting the hang of zoom yoga, Ayurveda schooling, downsides to digital technology, productive rest, becoming a better listener, elusive truth, and holding it all with the preciousness life deserves.

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.

Ruth White, author of Presence: The Truth of Yoga, talks with J about egos, teaching methods, and meeting the needs of students. They discuss BKS Iyengar's penchant for "waking you up," friendships between teachers and students, masters becoming famous and making money, Vanda Sacaraveli, Dona Holloman, merits of teaching Savasana, succession of lineage, attitudes towards pain, constitutional strength, restorative classes, standardization and individual expression, tendencies towards leaping ahead, and slowing down to come together.

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.

Tim Kelleher, founder of Boston Yoga Union, talks with J about the trials and tribulations of being a yoga center owner then and now. They discuss being naive when the pandemic hit, legal action and predatory capitalism, a life threatening struggle with substance abuse and feeling safe in your body, collaboration, attendance patterns and irregularity of schedules, lack of full-time yoga teachers, faith in something bigger, cultivating contentment, and the soul encouragement of connecting with others.

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 Swenson, author of Only Dead Fish Go With The Flow, talks with J about his new memoir and the evolution of styles and systems. They discuss doing yoga from a book, leaving home at a young age and moving to California, emergence of vinyasa, beliefs about gurus, Patabhi Jois, thirst for knowledge, the Hari Krishna Movement, spiritual communities and going under cover to make money, abbreviated forms, origins of flow, retirement, ego gratification and humble service, proof being in the person, and the value of lightheartedness in practice and life.

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.

Jahnavi (Claire) Missingham talks with J about living a life and having a profession in yoga. They discuss being raised by a devout Sufi and going by different names, NY from 1997-2005, music in classes, Sean Corn, Jivamukti training at Omega Institute, Peter Rizzo, teachers being placed on pedestals, HOME Wellness opening up in London, Kundalini yoga with Guru Jagat, Yogaglo, DVD's and Yoga Journal, intellectual property and protecting integrity, utilizing technology, devotion and Hinduism, and finding our way back to who we really are inside.

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.

Andrew Tanner, founder of the Berkshire Yoga Festival and the American Yoga Council, talks with J live from the Berkshire Yoga Festival 2025 about the launch of his new project to advance the profession of yoga teaching. They discuss the long history of standards and trade organizations, core values of AYC, retirement funds, standards and a new system, proficiency-based education, incentive structures and career paths, differentiation, public benefit corporations, technology and growth, and focusing on helping yoga teachers make a 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.

Reika Shucart, host of the Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast, talks with J about what has become of studio culture and the realities of the profession in 2025. They discuss the differences between Japanese and American cultures, international development and volunteer tourism, teaching 28-30 classes/week, benefiting from online training, earning more money and ethical conflicts, mirrors, vegetarianism, less yoga specific offerings, lifestyle and identity, ashtanga active series, and getting outside the box to witness and inspire students.

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.

Paul Bramadat, Director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at University of Victoria and author of Yogalands: In Search of Practice on the Mat and in the World, talks with J about letting your body settle the score and the anthropology of yoga. They discuss transformation and academic dispassion, experience vs intellectual reasoning, religious studies and small p politics, the response from academic circles to being a yoga teacher, healing properties of practice, coping with the world better, and connection to what animates your curiosity.

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.

Reggie Hubbard, founder of Active Peace Yoga, talks with J about recovering from a stroke and praying instead of protesting. They discuss his background in politics, the impact of 9/11, realities of a broken system, working for Bernie Sanders, navigating dark nights of the soul, collective liberation, coming into community, political neutrality as a privilege, having a stroke, turning to sound for healing, listening to your intuition, addressing dis-regulation with deep spiritual resonance, and gratitude for every little miracle.