J. Brown Yoga Talks

Coby Kozlowski, author of One Degree Revolution, has run into J in a hallway twice over the years and they finally connect for this conversation on using whatever tools you can to hold integrity and fulfill a sense of purpose. They discuss Coby’s work as a coach as well as a yoga teacher, how she ended up developing Kripalu Vinyasa and getting on the Yoga Journal circuit, returning back to work after a hiatus, letting go of things and getting clear about how we want to move through the world.

Tatiana Mesar, founder of Zen Yoga Berlin, hosted J for a tour event and the two connected for this conversation on her Croatian roots, like-minded viewpoint, and parallel paths in the yoga world. They discuss the yoga scene in Croatia, going from Transcendental Meditation to rave parties, studying classical flute and the NY downtown music scene, the radical nature of both punk rock and yoga, the evolution of yoga industry, the Axis Syllabus, and the universal threads of yoga that cross all cultures.

Nikki Vilella, senior teacher and co-owner at NYC's Kula Yoga Project, speaks for herself after being mentioned on the show regarding touch and consent in yoga classes. They reminisce about the early days and then get into a candid discussion on teacher training, deep adjustments and the changing narrative around touch and consent, ethics and legislation, the survival of independent yoga centers, finding community. not trying to be everything, and making it work despite all odds.

J Talks About Christie Roe and Mark Whitwell

Seth Powell and Chase Bossart come together with J for an in-depth debate into the nature and substance of Patañjali’s Yogasūtras. They discuss whether the sutras and the commentary are written by the same person, differing views on what the text says yoga is, whether it involves stilling the mind to reach a liberation beyond this world or a means of finding clarity and purpose in having this existence, distinguishing between mind and consciousness, and the power of deep yogic inquiry.

David Moore, director at the School for F.M. Alexander Studies and author of Smart Yoga: Apply the Alexander Technique to Enhance Your Practice, Prevent Injury, and Increase Body Awareness, talks with J about the elusive technique created by F.M Alexander. They discuss David’s experience of what Alexander defined as “control of human reaction,” the difference between sensing and feeling, educated intuition, letting go of old patterns by engaging your whole system in doing something else.

Michael, Lear, founder of Pangea Yoga and Yoga4Drummers, sits down with J to talk about his unique mix of Trager Approach and Ashtanga Yoga. Michael was born in Easton PA, the town that J moved to a few years ago. They discuss the early yoga scene there and his relationship to Ashtanga Yoga, his work with integrative somatic therapies, how he ended up doing service work around the world, transference of healing through nervous system communication, and the pure joy of rocking out.

Jay Fields, author of Teaching People Not Poses, talks with J about their parallel journeys from the early blogosphere days and postural practice to embodiment principles and resilience. They discuss her studies in yoga and neuroscience, some pivotal events in her life that caused Jay to cherish life anew, the principles of embodiment and resilience that she has come to understand and teach, methods for inviting inquiry instead of imposing experience, and the power of doing things just for fun.

Alex Auder, director of Magu Yoga, is a long-time friend of J’s from the early NY days and they get together to talk about her newly-gained Instagram stardom and the recent conversation around consent and touch. They discuss what is behind Alex’s irreverence and trolling on social media, the NY times article, somatic dominance and implicit abuse, the precarious balance between holding people accountable and cancel culture, and the need for modern yoga to evolve beyond its history of abuse.

Catherine Salin Derrow, featured in a recent high-profile NY Times article, talks with J about her experience of becoming a flashpoint around consent and touch in yoga. They discuss what happened behind the scenes at the workshop covered by the NY Times, old-school teaching and healthy boundaries, holding people accountable and cancel culture, and the uncomfortable contradictions and difficult questions that must be reckoned with for us to find a healthy way forward.

Ethan Nichtern, author of The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path, has a candid conversation with J about the scandal in the Shambhala Buddhist community, the underlying dynamics at play, and the broader implications for modern spiritual seekers. They discuss the origins of the tradition, his childhood in the community, gurus and his relationship to Chögyam Trungpa and Sakyong Mipham, and what might be needed to foster change in both our inner lives and outer politics.

Ean Price Murphy, founder of Moxie Bookkeeping, is an old friend who reconnects with J to discuss how to overcome money shame with cash-management systems that even yoga teachers can understand. They talk about Ean’s viewpoint on numbers and business as a balance of order and chaos like jazz music, the emotional nature of money, using percentages and the Profit First system, and some actionable steps that anyone can take to empower themselves financially and fulfill a sense of purpose.

Donna Farhi returns to the show to talk with J about addressing the fundamental problem of power abuse in Iyengar Yoga and beyond. They discuss the difference between pedagogy and ‘heutagogy’ or self-determined learning, when quiet authority is given by students or authoritarianism is asserted by teachers, educating people about what is between the lines and understanding the invisible matrix so we can make change, and the inquiry and shared humanity that makes for a lifelong sustainable yoga career.

Amy Quinn Suplina, founder of Bend and Bloom Yoga in Brooklyn, NY, talks with J about how her center has managed to survive when so many others have closed. They discuss what things were like when they opened their studios, the influences that shaped Amy’s choices, what has contributed to her centers’ sustainability including how much she pays her teachers, her thoughts on social justice and unionization efforts, and the healing power of fostering relationships and developing community.

Julie Dohrman, founder of Shaktiyoga New York, connects with J on the unionization effort at Yogaworks NYC and their shared experience of the evolving yoga industry. They discuss the early days of the NY scene and Julie’s initial foray into yoga, her time in the Anusara community and the trauma of its devolution, the difference between working for a corporation and an independent center owner, survival as a professional teacher, and the effort to create a yoga teacher union as a way to change the industry