Explore every episode of the podcast J. Brown Yoga Talks
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| Cassie McKamey - "Being Guided to Practice and Faith" | 17 Nov 2025 | 01:36:45 | |
Cassie McKamey is a listener of the show whose email to J led to this conversation about coming to yoga on the internet through a lens of christian faith. They discuss growing up in a church community in Kansas, youth pastors and questioning authority, following rules vs inquiring within, learning yoga on YouTube, personal relationship to God, being responsible for what you teach, following Jesus, guided meditation and divine will, forms of worship, and being humble enough to believe in something greater than yourself.
To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM. Say thank you - buy J a coffee. Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.
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| Sarah Powers - "An Inner Lens of Listening to Heart-Mind" | 10 Nov 2025 | 01:30:20 | |
Sarah Powers, co-founder of the Insight Yoga Institute, talks with J about integrating Yoga, Tao, and Mindfulness. They discuss the progression of yoga into a physical orientation to wellness instead of deeper inquiries, cliche of yoga profession, earlier days at Yogaworks, Paul Griley, different camps within Yin Yoga, differentiating Iyengar method, energy bodies, negotiating terms to honor all parts of ourselves, discipline and empathic support, and learning how to ungrasp and explore changing views to access joyful wisdom.
To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM. Say thank you - buy J a coffee. Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.
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| Josh Thomas and Geoffrey Dugue - "Unburdened Love of Jesus" | 08 Sep 2025 | 01:49:51 | |
Josh Thomas and Geoffrey Dugue, hosts of the Love for the Unseen God Podcast, talk with J about opening to transformational grace and a personal relationship with Jesus. They discuss observed experience as a basis for truth, nonduality and a creator, discerning man-made religion, comparing unitarian and trinitarian views, emptiness and being born again, worldviews of connection, Genesis I and III, surrender and salvation, God's will, Yamas and Niyamas, Shanti and Shalom, and knowing the unmatchable peace of choosing to follow Jesus.
To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM. Say thank you - buy J a coffee. Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.
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| Katie Hemphill - "Biomedical Engineering to Animistic Wonder" | 18 Dec 2023 | 00:47:46 | |
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.
Katie Hemphill, author of We Are The Forest, talks with J about expanding the scope of our understanding through embodied living and collective healing. They discuss why Katie decided to study biomedical engineering, discovering yoga and marathon running, programming a cell, a problem/solution perspective, corporate jobs, grey areas in risk analysis of medical devices, meaning making in scientific process, nutrition science, optimizing connection, balanced containers, and questioning the stories that shape our reality.
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| Radha Metro-Midkiff - "Gurus, Disciples, and Institutions" | 11 Dec 2023 | 00:50:31 | |
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.
Radha Metro-Midkiff, Executive Director for the Integral Yoga Institute New York, talks with J about Swami Satchidananda, Integral Yoga, and the major shifts in the industry and culture that have taken place over the last few years. They discuss her childhood growing up at Yogaville, her relationship to Swami Satchidananda, choosing faith or fear, teachings and the growth of institutions, the difference between the guru and the human being, authentic transmission of yoga, and making sense of life's complexity through transparent dialogue.
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| Brett Larkin - "Youtube, Kundalini, and Yoga Industry" | 04 Dec 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Brett Larkin, founder of an award-winning YouTube channel and Uplifted Online Yoga Teacher Training, talks with J about building her platform and the state of yoga online. They discuss graduating from NYU, exploring different styles of practice, creating fitness and dance video games, starting to post on YouTube and gaining subscribers, leveraging social media, legitimizing online training, the influence of kundalini yoga and asking hard questions, working with Ayurveda, energy bodies, and learning from the past so we can proceed with integrity.
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| Diana May - "Having a Regulated Nervous System" | 27 Nov 2023 | 00:45:35 | |
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.
Diana May talks with J about yoga for the nervous system and somatic experiencing. They discuss moving to a big city before leaving and being closer to nature, dissociation from our bodies, being with the full range of human emotion, somatic experiencing based on the work of Dr Peter Levine, resonance fields, lowering levels of activation, honoring the value of anxiety and becoming less defensive of our responses, making a nervous system supported class, tolerance for different views, and maximizing capacity for connection.
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| John Stirk - "Awakening to the Unknown" | 20 Nov 2023 | 00:53:44 | |
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.
John Stirk, author of Deeper Still, talks with J about formation, transformation, and the feeling of existence. They discuss changing expectations for careers in yoga, digging deeper to change your perspective, the condition of understanding, getting in touch with insightfulness, healing fragmentation by highlighting that which is indivisible, transformation instead of information, authentic intelligence, mental indigestion, becoming more sensitive, knowing through direct perception, and relating to the unknown in an intelligent way.
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| Philip Deslippe - "The Truth About Yogi Bhajan and 3HO" | 13 Nov 2023 | 00:51:52 | |
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.
Philip Deslippe, author of From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric, talks with J about his research into the real story behind Yogi Bhajan and the yoga empire he created. They discuss Philip's time as a Kundalini teacher, 3HO, the role of students in editing and elevating teachers to master status, legitimizing something by deferring to a false antiquity, value calculations within corrupted traditions, the life and significance of William Atkinson, the paradox of benefiting from hucksters, and possibilities for what yoga teaching might look like in the future.
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| Ruth White - "Iyengar's UK Roots and the Essence of Yoga" | 06 Nov 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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 the earliest days of BKS Iyengar coming to the UK and developing a practice that endures. They discuss practicing in a living room with BKS Iyengar, the difference between classes in Pune compared to the UK, standardization and growth, whether or not Iyengar was an abusive teacher, starting a yoga prop company, why Iyengar focused primarily on postures, going inward, and the dropping away of ego identifications so we can see each other as one and the same.
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| Cristina & Diego - "Experiencing the World in Barefoot Shoes" | 30 Oct 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Cristina & Diego, founders of Origo Shoes, talk with J about the philosophy behind barefoot shoes and our relationship to the natural world. They discuss the developmental issues their daughter faced and how that led to barefoot shoes, the detriment of conventional ideas about footwear, specifications that make a shoe barefoot, educating people about the benefits and making the appearance more accessible, doing business according to your values, embracing simple as better, and the benefits of slower living and a return to basic principles.
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| Joe Simek - "Goals and Trajectories for Yoga Centers" | 23 Oct 2023 | 00:50:35 | |
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 Simek, co-owner of Dragonfly Yoga and co-founder of The Fiaria Project, talks with J about coming back from the pandemic and moving forward with purpose. They discuss the reopening of his brick and mortar space, leases and sustainability, competition among centers, re-envisioning memberships and community, shifting from information to transformation, economics of surrender, issues of certification and accreditation, marketing with soul, and the changing dynamics by which we set roots and measure success.
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| Mark Walsh - "Trauma, Embodiment, and Facebook Bombs" | 16 Oct 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Mark Walsh, host of the The Embodiment Podcast and author of Embodiment: Working with the Body in Training and Coaching, talks with J about facilitating life skills and navigating the world around us. They discuss the emergence of coaching in the yoga world, embodiment as a practice and a principle, creating the largest online embodiment conference ever, trauma work and fads, early days of trolling online, political trends, decadence and the luxury of despair, overcoming grief, and the importance of finding ways to make sense and meaning.
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| Kevin Flynn - "A Fruitful Wrestling in Christian Faith" | 01 Sep 2025 | 01:33:41 | |
Kevin Flynn, one of the founders of Christians Practicing Yoga, talks with J about the intersection between Yoga and Christ. They discuss the history of the show and how it has led to this topic, benedictine monks, living faith in an embodied fashion, christian ashrams, Patanjali, communion vs union, liberating Christ from Christianity, ways to follow Jesus, demons and the battle for souls, being saved, divine collaboration, finding a magnetic true north, the need for fellowship, and the profound benefit of a personal relationship with God.
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| Jason Shaw and Emily Brown - "Quality Yoga, Quality Furniture" | 09 Oct 2023 | 00:52:49 | |
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.
Jason Shaw and Emily Brown, owners of Our Country Hearts and Binghamton Yoga, talk with J about scale, sustainability, and local community. They discuss slow flow circa 2014, grass roots politics and making change by focusing on shared intentions, post-pandemic realities, dedicated yoga spaces, co-creative aspect of in person classes, working inward rather than outward and feeling vs doing, soft sells and attraction over promotion, coming together in grounded states of mind, and opening doorways in a seemingly walled future.
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| Bobbi Paidel - "Guru Relationships and Timeless Wisdom" | 02 Oct 2023 | 00:44:52 | |
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.
Bobbi Paidel, founder of Tribe of Lambs and host of A Curious Yogi Podcast, talks with J about having a guru and what it means to live the principles of yoga. They discuss how a cattle ranchers daughter ends up becoming part of a spiritual community in India rooted in Vedic knowledge, keeping ourselves safe and surviving in this world, the role of asana, feeling free, unchanged awareness of an infinite self, moments of recognition, staying open and curious, truth and a deeper sense of connection, and expanding our frame of reference for existing.
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| Rod Stryker - "Knowledge, Power and Devotion" | 25 Sep 2023 | 00:55:29 | |
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.
Rod Stryker, founder of ParaYoga, talks with J about the formative events that shaped yoga becoming part of popular culture and the spiritual underpinnings that call it into question. They discuss Yoga Works and the 80's LA Scene, Manny and Alan Finger, westernizing the message, seeking vs career choices, branding and creating empires, defining Tantra, teacher/student relationship, guard rails in the pursuit of truth, nonduality and divinity, science of energy management, mapping out the nature of mind, and a singular vision of the heart.
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| Divya Kohli - "A Midlife Crisis of Yoga" | 18 Sep 2023 | 00:53:29 | |
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.
Divya Kohli, author of Finding Peace in Difficult Times: grounding techniques for inner calm, returns to talk with J about the post-pandemic crossroads that many yoga teachers are facing. They discuss the halcyon days of wholly committed teachers, maturation in parallel with the evolution of modern yoga, organic communities, sweet spots and scalability, wanting in person vs actually showing up, class issues in marketing, inverting the pyramid of priorities, and countering a dystopian future with the power of shared ritual and intention.
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| David McGrath - "Yamas, Niyamas, and Accordance with Life" | 11 Sep 2023 | 00:49:54 | |
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 McGrath, author of The Yogi's Way: Living in Accord with the Yamas & Niyamas, talks with J about Kriya Yoga and embodying philosophical principles. They discuss his teacher Roy Eugene Davis and Paramahansa Yogananda, Self-Realization Fellowship and The Center for Spiritual Awareness, the Camino de Santiago, Lacanian psychoanalysis, moving beyond speculative conversations into the actualization of concepts, Yamas and Niyamas, life and oneness consciousness, and the importance of bringing it back to the miracle of right now.
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| Gary Kraftsow - "Nonsectarian But Not Secular" | 04 Sep 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
Gary Kraftsow, founder of the American Viniyoga Institute, talks with J about the historical, philosophical, and religious context in which yoga appeared. They discuss the origins and substance of teachings given by TKV Desikachar at Colgate University in 1976, Patanjali's interest in the phenomenon of faith rather than the metaphysical nature of the godhead, qualified non-dualism, escaping the materialism of asana, from alternative to complimentary medicine, and transformation that addresses the fragmentation of our times.
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.
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| Ryan Cunningham - "Return of Brick-and-Mortar Yoga?" | 28 Aug 2023 | 00:55:32 | |
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.
Ryan Cunningham, co-founder of Boston Yoga Collective, returns to the show to continue an ongoing conversation with J about the evolution and future of yoga centers. They discuss meeting each other at the tail end of the traveling circuit heyday, economics of operating an independent center, changes in the market and studio culture, landlords and leases, importance of physical spaces post-pandemic, influence of the person at the top, pedagogical models and meditation, and the possibility of still making it work against all odds.
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| Check In with J - "The Economics of a Yoga Center in 2023" | 21 Aug 2023 | 00:47:51 | |
J decides to depart from his usual protocol and takes a moment to talk about the economics of opening a yoga center in 2023. He lays out the evolution of common models used for operating yoga centers from 2007 until 2019, pay scales and competing incentives, the pivotal shift that destroyed sustainability, moving from spaces to audiences, downsides of creating online platforms and reach, real estate markets and signing leases, cooperatives, and reasons why it might be worth it to open something despite all the obstacles.
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Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.
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| Michael Hutchinson - "Your Breath Wants to Help You" | 14 Aug 2023 | 00:53:29 | |
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.
Michael Hutchinson, author of Breath for Health, talks with J about the teachings of TKV Desikachar and developing understanding through experience. They discuss Michael's dual life working in both the physics of explosion mechanics and yoga, Desikachar and Iyengar, overcoming challenges with pranayama, hard science and ancient wisdom, Bhavana and accessing subtle internal experiences, building inner organizational capacity, respecting aspects of yoga that can't be measured, and valuing little things that lead to big changes of heart.
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| Andrew Eppler - "BNS Iyengar and Mysore Yoga Traditions" | 07 Aug 2023 | 00:45:54 | |
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 Eppler, director of Ashtanga Yoga Studio and visionary behind the Mysore Yoga Traditions Film and Conference, talks with J about BNS Iyengar and the Mysore Yoga Traditions. They discuss how Andrew discovered BNS Iyengar, stepping with the right or left foot, influence of western teachers, distinguishing vinyasas, origins of Patabi Jois sequences, Nathamuni Sampradaya, illusion or reality, God and Self-realization, learning from elders, Krishnamachrya leaving Mysore, and a love of yoga that transcends culture and social class.
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| Britta Van Dun - "Acupuncture and Subtle Realms" | 25 Aug 2025 | 01:36:51 | |
Britta Van Dun, founder of Intuitive Health & Healing, is an old friend of J's and they talk about attuning to the subtle and healing with soul through acupuncture. They discuss exploring healing modalities in the early aughts, intersection of chinese medicine and yoga, consciousness, links between physical and energy bodies, actuality of needles, vehicles of intention, movement of meridians, resting in stillness, learning what your gifts are, authentic caring, and being servant to something much greater than ourselves.
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| Anoop Kumar - "Insufficiency of the Biopsychosocial Model" | 31 Jul 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Anoop Kumar, MD, founder of Health Revolution, talks with J about the primacy of consciousness and its implications on allopathic medicine. They discuss Anoop's early exposure to nondual philosophy, becoming an emergency physician, definitions of consciousness, the "recognition" problem, multidirectional healing, measuring outcomes, inverting primary and complimentary care, Atman and Brahman, the three minds of experience, and creating bridges of understanding with insights into the fundamental nature of the cosmos.
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| David Procyshyn - "Going Online with DoYogaWithMe" | 24 Jul 2023 | 00:48:24 | |
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 Procyshyn, founder of doyogawithme.com, talks with J about the evolution of online yoga and maintaining values in the digital landscape. They discuss the origins of the doyogawithme platform, giving everything away for free and switching from donations to subscriptions, being values-oriented and the stirha/sukha of business, understanding the user experience, advantages and disadvantages of social media, growing your reach and making money, trending online, conscious consumerism, and being human in a technological realm.
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| Frank Jude Boccio - "Sacred Depths of Religious Naturalism" | 17 Jul 2023 | 00:50:01 | |
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.
Frank Jude Boccio, host of Pobsa's Dharma Lounge Podcast, returns to continue a conversation with J about materialism, naturalism, and the great mysteries of life. They discuss definitions of religious and spiritual, rejection of anything supernatural in favor of awe, the relationship between God and religion, Frank's spiritual background, forms of grace and worship, the magic of matter, evil actions and moral codes, and coming together around universal principles and common humanity to honor diversity of religious life.
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| Ranju Roy and Dave Charlton - "Religiousness and Yoga" | 10 Jul 2023 | 00:52:38 | |
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.
Ranju Roy and Dave Charlton, coauthors of Embodying the Yoga Sutra: Support, Direction, Space, return to talk with J about the role yoga plays in fulfilling our innate religious impulse. They discuss their childhood exposures to religion, the third and forth chapters of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, Ishavara Pranidhana, the evolution of TKV Desikachar's teaching on devotion, prayer and the question of a creator, challenging post-enlightenment viewpoints, chanting and emotions, and coming to humble terms with our place in an unknowable universe.
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| Ron Baker - "A Souls Journey into Awakening" | 03 Jul 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Ron Baker, author of Bright Lights, Big Empty: A Journey of Profound Awakening, talks with J about soul awakenings and the journey to Self. They discuss a mutual connection and convergences, signposts in Ron's early childhood, meeting his friend Robert and the experience of receiving communication from the Arch Angel Gabriel, questions of biblical prophecy, pathways of initiation, receiving guidance and cultivating intention, bioenergetic healing and nine nurturing needs, and learning to love and value life.
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| Beth Shaw - "Into the Mainstream with YogaFit" | 26 Jun 2023 | 00:40:30 | |
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.
Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit and author of Healing Trauma With Yoga & Mind-Body Techniques, talks with J about the role she played in bringing yoga into the mainstream. They discuss the genesis of YogaFit and starting a multi-million dollar business out of her trunk, developing a style of practice that was appealing to gym culture, getting flak from the yoga world, spiritual interventions and inclusive language, credentialing and yoga therapy, social media, and having the courage of your convictions to offer something transformational.
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| Concetta Troskie - "Healing Arts, Trauma, Surrender to Spirit" | 19 Jun 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Concetta Troskie, creator of Mindfully Embodied, is an old friend of J's and they reunite to talk about their respective journeys of healing and spirit. They discuss the thriving art and yoga scene in Brooklyn in the early aughts, being supported as young teachers, searching for answers and almost becoming a nun before choosing to live in the world, getting sick with a brain tumor and losing everything that defined her, EMDR and Ketamine assisted therapy, recovering souls, and cultivating a differential reverence rooted in love and humility.
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| Annabelle Brown - "Overcoming OCD and Anxiety" | 12 Jun 2023 | 01:00:35 | |
Annabelle Brown, J's youngest daughter, returns to talk about how she has been managing her mental health and the process of healing our traumas. They discuss what it felt like when she started to have OCD, being unable to communicate because of compulsions, the moment that it seemingly turned for her and what motivated it, her therapist and how being able to talk about what is happening helps, the evolution of her relationship with her sister, a brief cameo from Mom, and appreciating the innocence and wisdom of a sensitive child.
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Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.
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| Ron Brent - "Yogi Bhajan, Muktananda, Kundalini Awakening" | 05 Jun 2023 | 00:46:25 | |
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.
Ron Brent talks with J about time spent with Yogi Bhajan and Muktananda. They discuss his awakening experience, a brief stint in Scientology, stumbling upon Yogi Bhajan on Melrose Ave, actual sources of Kundalini Yoga, spontaneous kriyas vs a technology of practice, discovering Muktananda, seeing Yogi Bhajan admonished by his guru Virsa Singh, questioning ethics and morals, guru and disciple traditions, transmission and shaktipat initiation, and understanding how formlessness expresses itself through the forms of our culture.
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| J. with Daniel Simpson - "Podcasts, Controversy, and J's Dad" | 29 May 2023 | 00:45:22 | |
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.
Daniel Simpson, from the Ancient Futures Podcast, guest hosts to ask J about the evolution of J. Brown Yoga Talks and the entwinement of his personal growth with the creative process of producing a weekly show. They discuss the original motivations behind starting the podcast, the process by which episodes are generated, how J's family feels about his "radical transparency," stoking controversy and learning better of it, cultural appropriation, coming to God, and the spirit of friendship and inquiry that fuels J's passion for facilitating conversation.
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| Chara Caruthers - "Holding Space for Psychedelic Healing" | 18 Aug 2025 | 01:35:14 | |
Chara Caruthers returns to talks with J about the therapeutic value of psychedelics and the questions their use raises. They discuss ineffable experiences, connections between meditation and psychedelics, transpersonal psychology, abuses in plant medicine, preparation, bad trips, ontological shock, effects of intention, intervention vs practice, machine elves, research and legalization, personal/professional ethics, relating to mystery from a grounded field, discerning truth, integration, and the capacity to make meaning of our lives.
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| Joshua Schrei - "Temporal Reality and a Harmonic Universe" | 22 May 2023 | 00:54:22 | |
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.
Joshua Schrei, host of The Emerald Podcast, returns to talk with J about our place in this alive world. They discuss the context in which yoga arises, implications of an animistic worldview in modern times, dictates of the western scientific tradition, fuzzy boundaries and the animacy of inanimate objects, entertwinement of subjective and objective reality, dualistic nonduality, an expanded vision of personhood, existence as a continuum, evil entities and a creator spirit, musical interelationality, and ceding agency to the theater of stone and time.
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| R. Sriram - "Rationality, Religiousness, and the Divine" | 15 May 2023 | 00:48:41 | |
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.
R. Sriram, coauthor of Natya Yoga: Peace Passion Pain Mapping Emotions, reunites with J to talk about the deeper questions of purpose and meaning in yoga. They discuss his understanding of T Krishnamacharya's and TKV Desikachar's view on God, the effects of connecting to source, humility and faith, Vedic chanting with J Krishnamurti, academic bonafides and diverging from Vyasa's commentary on Patañjali's Yogasūtras, limitations of science and potential of human spirit, and respecting the personal artistic nature of the divine.
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| Gill Lloyd - "TKV Desikachar and the Art of Living Peacefully". | 08 May 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Gill Lloyd, former teacher trainer for the British Wheel of Yoga and former chair of both Viniyoga Britain and KHYF-UK, talks with J about her life in yoga and the influence of TKV Desikachar. They discuss her first class in the mid eighties, Vinyasa Krama in principle and practice, stories of watching Desikachar teach, the importance of chanting and heart-to-heart connection, watching "Sir's" health decline and the scandal with his son, religiosity, personal practice and educating teachers, and learning the art of living peacefully in this world.
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| Hari-kirtana das - "Individual Souls and a Supreme Being" | 01 May 2023 | 00:48:48 | |
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.
Hari-kirtana das returns to revisit questions of nonduality and the relationship between an individual sole and a supreme being. They discuss reimagining our definitions of God and religion, divine and ecological person-hood, simultaneous immanence and transcendence, conforming to highest truths vs shaping truth to our desires, the difference between speaking personal truths and the voice of God coming through, freedom within the prison of material life, evil, and the benefit of relying on something greater than yourself.
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| Jessamyn Stanley - "Fat Positivity and Narrative Disruption" | 24 Apr 2023 | 00:47:28 | |
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.
Jessamyn Stanley, co-founder of The Underbelly and author of Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance, talks with J about body acceptance and challenging preconceived notions. They discuss her entry into yoga and why she started posting her practice on Instagram, how she landed a Gatorade commercial, The Yoga Journal cover controversy, the difference between fat and body positivity, navigating "tokenism," naked yoga on only fans, Shibari (Japanese Rope Bondage), and the value of starting uncomfortable conversations that foster growth.
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| Andrew Tanner - "Cults, Industry, and Future Prospects" | 17 Apr 2023 | 00:59:24 | |
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 returns unbound to talk with J about his experience of escaping a yoga cult and shaping the yoga industry. They discuss the life changing moment with his father that led to his commitment to Dahn Yoga, the history and philosophies of Korean Taoist traditions, what went wrong and why he left, scaling the business side, working for Kripalu and Yoga Alliance, what happened with the standards review project, problems with the status quo, and meeting the challenge of our times by keeping soul in the game.
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| Bashira Muhammad - "Mycological Wonders" | 10 Apr 2023 | 00:49:28 | |
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.
Bashira Muhammad, owner of Zoom Out Mycology, is an old friend of J's and they talk about her work in mycology. They discuss the fact that Bashira was the youngest person to do J's teacher training over a decade ago, the qualities in her that lent to yogic inquiry at a young age and led to her interest in mycology, her time farming through a fire season, some of the ins and outs of fungi and applications for mushrooms, science and spirit of mycelium, the recent farm bill, and the benefits of learning about the interrelationship of all beings and ecosystems.
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| Dr. Lisa Miller - "The Awakened Brain" | 03 Apr 2023 | 00:45:20 | |
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.
Lisa Miller, Ph.D., author of The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life, talks with J about a belief in God and the neuroscience showing its benefits. They discuss the passing of J's mother, forms of knowing, empirical evidence for innate spirituality, post-traumatic spiritual growth, spirituality associated with cortical thickness in the regions of perception and a lessening of anxiety and depression, neural seeds of awareness, and being open to receive the intelligent and loving force that is your birthright.
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| Kamini Desai - "Lineage, Life Lessons, and Manifest Divinity" | 27 Mar 2023 | 00:46:21 | |
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.
Kamini Desai, founder of I AM Education and Yogeshwari of the Lakulish Lineage, talks with J about her journey to becoming a lineage holding and the principles of divinity her teachings encompass. They discuss the history of Kripalu Yoga, growing up at the ashram and rebelling against the family tradition, learning from the experience of scandal around her father, Yoga Nidra and energetic practices, impermanence and infinite consciousness, and the deeper layers of stillness that reveal our essential wholeness.
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| Genny Wilkinson - "Starting Anew with Mission" | 20 Mar 2023 | 00:48:21 | |
Genny Wilkinson, co-founder of Mission, talks with J about what has happened to yoga centers, lessons learned, and the new space that she is opening. They discuss why she departed from triYoga and the role she played there, the reasons why so many centers had to close, the genesis of the new center and what they are doing differently, dismantling elitism, transparency and honor around both pricing and teacher pay, online vs in person classes, and the need to orchestrate human interaction after the hangover of so many years in isolation.
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Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.
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| Lauri Nemetz - "Visual Rhetoric, Fascia, Insights Into Existence" | 11 Aug 2025 | 01:34:55 | |
Lauri Nemetz, author of The Myofascial System in Form and Movement, talks with J about interpretations of anatomy and thinking in different ways about the human body. They discuss visual rhetoric and memorization, dance movement therapy, fascial lines and/or systems, dissecting embalmed vs unembalmed tissue, benefits of gentle shearing, Body Worlds art exhibit, ethics and morality, interfacing with doctors, active learning and applying knowledge, and inquiring into the beauty and wholeness of our material frames.
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| Dona Holleman - "Theosophy, J. Krishnamurti, and BKS Iyengar" | 13 Mar 2023 | 00:51:35 | |
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.
Dona Holleman, Honorary President of The Centered Yoga Dona Holleman Association, talks with J about her storied career and the formative relationships that shaped yoga in the west. They discuss the Theosophical Society and the origins of J. Krishnamurti, world wars and being born in a prison camp. talks with Krishnamurti in Saanen and Gstaad, Iyengar as a young man, Vanda Scaravelli's influence, the emergence of teaching certification, emptying your body to fill it back up, consciousness, and the individual path of finding your true self.
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| Lolly Stirk - "Active Birth Movement and Prenatal Yoga" | 06 Mar 2023 | 00:48:35 | |
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.
Lolly Stirk, teacher at Mothertime and teacher trainer at YogaBirth, talks with J about the history of the active birth movement and prenatal yoga classes. They discuss her arrival in London during the summer of love, opening one of the first vegetarian restaurants down the street from Abbey Road, hanging out with the Beatles and making dinner for BKS Iyengar, softening practice, how Vanda Scaravelli taught, studying with Sheila Kitzinger and Michel Odent, and the power of learning to surrender to the process of life.
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| Peter Blackaby - "Does God Exist?" | 27 Feb 2023 | 00:53:16 | |
Peter Blackaby, author of Intelligent Yoga, talks with J about ways of perceiving the phenomenal world and the emergence of spirit. They discuss what is meant by the term "nonmaterial," ways of understanding how a human being takes in censorial information, intuitive resilience as the by-product of accumulated experience or divine intervention by a higher power, using words like God or spirit or soul, what materialists and mystics fear, and recognizing the unifying connection we all share as co-inhabitants of nature in all its wonder.
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Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.
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