J. Brown Yoga Talks

Michael de Manincor, founder and Director of The Yoga Institute, is a student of TKV Desikachar that J met earlier this year and reconnected with for this conversation about the study and transmission of yoga, and the kind of science that supports it. They discuss Michaels trajectory and perspective on the evolution of yoga industry and profession, the PhD research he is doing, Patanjali, competencies for yoga teaching and yoga therapy, and the possibility of moving our understanding of yoga forward.

Anne Jablonski, president of the Feathered Pipe Foundation, shares with J her love of Freedom Style Yoga and the magic that is the Feathered Pipe Ranch. They discuss Anne’s relationship to the teachings of Erich Schiffmann, what makes the ranch so special, teaching people to develop their own intuitive knowing vs telling them what to do, mindfully unplugging, and the importance of connection and friendship in fostering the spirit of healing and good will. This episode is brought to you by Karmasoft.

Karen Rain talks with J about the lack of consent culture in yoga, and ways that people can change what they are doing in their own spheres to create a safer and more just society. They discuss the abuse and deception that Pattabhi Jois committed on her and others, deflection and denial from the community, calling out rape culture, and educating ourselves about power imbalances. Karen also holds J to account for his own culpability in the past. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net

Genny Wilkinson Priest joins J for this probing conversation about the impact of Pattabhi Jois’ sexual assaults on the ashtanga community and yoga world at large. They discuss Genny’s previous life as a journalist, her discovery and love of the ashtanga system, her process of learning and evolving in light of the revelations about Pattabhi Jois, efforts being made to shift the culture, hard adjustments, and the possibility of reformation and a new paradigm. This episode is brought to you by Karmasoft.

Gregor Maehle, founder of 8 Limbs Ashtanga Yoga, discusses the history of Patabhi Jois’ sexual assaults and the need for the Ashtanga tradition to evolve. He talks about the studies that led to his adoption of Ashtanga Yoga, direct experience of observing the abuse and attempting to raise concerns, the injuries that led to his separation, complicity, philosophical and evolutionary factors in the creation of stratified power, and how to sublimate and grow. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net.

Pedro Luna, creator of the Instagram account @Yogimemes, started taking J’s live stream classes and it led to this conversation about Pedro’s infamy on Instagram and their shared experiences trying to make a life as yoga teachers. They discuss the challenges of balancing a yoga career and being a dad, generational divides when it comes to social media, how Pedro got 100,000 followers, and discerning the line between promoting your work and maintaining integrity. This episode is brought to you by Karmaso

Karin Carlson, founder of Return Yoga, has been bringing yoga out of the studio model into underserved communities for years and, after reading a recent post she wrote about the Yoga Alliance, J reached out to work through some ideas together. They discuss the early blogosphere days, shifts in industry that made it harder to make a living, questions of regulation, Yoga Alliance’s role, and filling the gaps between ancient wisdom and modern day relevance. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net.

Nadiya Nottingham and J know each other from the early NY yoga scene and have been friends for years but this is the first time they have a full length conversation about ideas that are important to both of them. They discuss Nadiya’s evolution from yoga to QiGong and Celtic Tree Medicine, the relationship between QiGong and Tai Chi, similarities between QiGong and Yoga, power animals, and the mystery and magic of each persons own individual medicine. This episode is brought to you by Karmasoft.

Shelly Prosko returns to talk with J about some difficult questions he has been grappling with. They discuss the concept of right alignment, the difference between yoga therapy and yoga, changing understandings around pain, compassion science, and moving from a postural-structural bio-mechanical model to a biopsychosocial-spiritual model. They also consider the fine line between science and mysticism, and keeping yoga from falling into foreseeable pitfalls. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net.

Carrie Owerko and J talk about her unconventional approach to teaching Iyengar Yoga and some of the pressing issues facing the community. They discuss her formative theater influences, questions about one right alignment and interoception, her relationship to the Iyengar method and how her choices have shaped her teaching, the accounts of sexual assault by a senior teacher, and the fundamental problems inherent in hierarchical traditions. This episode is brought to you by YogaLifestyle.com and Karmasoft.

Dr Loren Fishman, pioneer of integrative medicine and founder of yip.guru, talks with J about his relationship to BKS Iyengar and his published research on the treatment of many disorders, including piriformis syndrome, scoliosis, osteoporosis and rotator cuff tear. They also discuss ideas about postural alignment and how it relates to injury prevention, creating protocols without losing the mystery, PGC1alfa, and bringing evidence-based yoga into medicine. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net.

Jessie Barr and Tom O’Brien, creators of OM City, are launching a campaign to fund a second season of their show which is J’s favorite ever depiction of the yoga teacher lifestyle. J gushes over how much he loved the first series, finds out why it has taken so long to make more episodes, communes with them on the challenges of independently producing your own stuff, and discuss portrayals of yoga as cliches or nuanced reality. This episode is brought to you by YogaLifestyle.com and Karmasoft.

Patti Safian and J used to run in the same circles back in the early days of the NY Yoga scene and a recent reunion at the TKV Desikachar celebration led to this conversation about her mom, her yoga, and her takeaways from years of study. They discuss her article in Glamour about her mom leaving to become a disciple of Rajneesh, yoga in the nineties, different traditions and common threads, cults and cult-like behavior, and never giving over your power. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net.

Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda and The Life of Yogananda, talks with J about the long arc of yogic spirituality migrating into western culture, and some of the important figures that have shaped its progression. They discuss the roots of yoga’s export to America and the impetuous for writing American Veda, his new book on Yoganandya and why it was the perfect follow up, the importance of tradition and democratization of yoga. This episode is brought to you by YogaBooksWholesale.com and Karmasoft

Larry Payne, founder of Prime of Life Yoga and Yoga Therapy Rx, gives J a dose of expertise and humor in this conversation about his life and career. They discuss his journey to India and the many teachers he encountered, the influence of TKV Desikachar, bridging yoga and western medicine and challenges therein, differences between yoga and yoga therapy, and the grand picture of yoga spreading around the world with the power of its transformative qualities. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net.