J. Brown Yoga Talks

Mary Jennings is opening Fresh Coast Yoga in Houghton, Michigan with an alternative studio model she heard discussed on the show so J brought her on to talk about what she is doing. They discuss what it’s like to be a millennial MBA mother with a one-year old who wants to bring yoga to her community in rural America, the crowdfunding campaign that is helping fund it, advantages to sub-leasing instead of profit-sharing, and the heart required for a venture truly based in yoga.

Gina Price, partner in the Sociocracy Consulting Group, talks with J about creating order out of chaos through the principles of Sociocracy. They discuss governance based on a decentralization of authority where all elements in the system are made equal, finding common purpose through collaborative decision making, creating domains of autonomous responsibility and a hierarchy of function instead of power, and if yoga professionals are up to the task.

David Dodd and J have corresponded for years but a recent email exchange about the Yoga Alliance prompted this discussion on the inherent problem of creating organizations around yoga. They discuss David’s background in coaching and working with large bureaucratic entities, the difference between coaching and teaching yoga, the tension between an unbounded context for yoga and attempts at regulating it, and the practical wisdom of knowing when to do something and when to leave it alone.

Rama Jyoti Vernon, one of the first yoga teachers in the United States, talks with J about her pivotal role in bringing yoga to the west. They discuss the LA yoga scene in the 1940’s and 1950’s, meeting BKS Iyengar and hosting him in America, founding both Unity in Yoga and the California Yoga Teachers Association which led to the creation of the Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal Magazine, her reasons for avoiding the commercial aspects, and her laments and hopes for the direction of yoga.

Norman Blair wrote an article about yoga teacher pay that caught J’s attention and led to this wide-ranging conversation about the monetary policies of yoga centers and the underlying economics that are fueling them. They discuss the emergence of a yoga teaching profession, hard numbers on the stagnant or declining rates of income yoga teachers are receiving, actionable steps to potentially counter unhealthy trends, and the revolutionary power of yoga to help shape society.

Scott Johnson, Greg Nardi, Emma Rowse and Jock Orton talk with J about the creation of Amayu Yoga and a reimagining of the ashtanga tradition. They take time out of a retreat together to discuss the state of the global Ashtanga community, reasons for creating an organization, their orientation and purpose in doing so, the principles of ashtanga yoga, and their efforts to bring more accountability and safety to yoga by establishing clearer standards and a more horizontal collective.

Frank Jude Bocci, author of Mindfulness Yoga, talks with J about his integrated approach to yoga and buddhist mindfulness. An early adopter, Frank was ahead of his time and had an impact on J without ever having met him. In this conversation, they discuss the yoga scene before it was a scene, studying with Thich Nhat Hanh, pitfalls in spiritual communities and the freedom to challenge dogma, dilemmas in the marketing of yoga, and cultivating a truly self-empowered practice.

Bernie Clark, author of Your Spine, Your Yoga, returns to the show to talk with J about his new book and the important perspective it provides. They discuss the notion of “neutral spine,” the myth of flexibility in yoga, understanding stability and strength, the concepts of stress and load, variation and adaptation in our systems and structures, the “anti-fragility curve,” functional movement, what “optimal” means, and how important it is for each person to develop their own sense of awareness.

Seth Powell, founder of Yogic Studies, extended J an invitation to take his course and it led to this wide-ranging conversation about cutting edge research and his scholarship in yoga history and philosophy. They discuss Seth’s background and motivations for pursuing more rigorous academic study, issues and discoveries regarding the translation of ancient texts, commonly held misconceptions about the origins of yogic practices, and the benefits of expanding our perspectives and understandings.

Rachel Brathen, creator of @yoga_girl, talks with J about how a bohemian lifestyle on the beaches of Costa Rica converged with the invent of Instagram and led to two million followers and a yoga career. They discuss the process of going from obscurity to recognized social media influencer, the evolution of her choices and professional pursuits, pitfalls and misinformation in the social media sphere, DIY business models, and operating by principles that will better serve the people behind the hashtags.

Annie Carpenter, veteran yoga teacher trainer from Yogaworks and creator of SmartFLOW Yoga, talks with J about the history of YTT’s, current industry trends, and transitioning from growth models to in-depth inquiry. They discuss Annie’s background in yoga, the professional situations she has had to navigate, her opinions on conducting trainings and mentoring teachers, how things have changed over the years for good and bad, and the indications of a grassroots upswell calling for a return to core princip

Kerry Maiorca, founder of Bloom Yoga Studio and Chair of the Board of Directors for Yoga Alliance, talks with J about the inner workings of the Yoga Alliance and the Standards Review Project. Kerry and J are old friends and participated in the same yoga teacher training over twenty years ago, after some reminiscing over their shared history they talk about why and how she became involved at the Yoga Alliance, the evolution of the organization, and the status of the review process that is underway.

Tao Porchon-Lynch, named Oldest Yoga Teacher by Guinness World Record and author of Dancing Light, sits down with J a few months after her 100th birthday to talk about her life and the spirit of yoga. They discuss the morning class that J took with her, universal qualities of facilitating yoga, some of her childhood experiences, how she greets each day with the expectation that it will be the best yet and believes anything is possible, and the inspiration that Tao and her life instills.

Neil Boyd, Board Vice-President of the Feathered Pipe Foundation, talks with J about his life as a farmer, his yoga, and how the two have informed each other. They discuss the connection between his work and the turn of the seasons, how he ended up getting into yoga, the teachers that helped him, farm practices and what they can tell us about yoga practices, Krishnamurti, the magic of the Feathered Pipe Ranch, and the simple wisdom of embodying kindness in your attitude and actions.

J moderates a panel discussion at the Hauora Yoga Conference with Katie Lane, Donna Farhi, Jac Wilson, Leanne Davis, and Felicity Molloy on the accreditation of yoga and yoga therapy in New Zealand. They discuss the current standards for Yoga Australia and Yoga New Zealand, the difference between yoga and yoga therapy, standardization and pedagogy, reasons for a yoga therapy classification, obstacles in getting funding, and the possibility of creating something uniquely Aotearoa.