J. Brown Yoga Talks

Giana Gambino & Bradshaw Wish, founders of C.A.Y.A Yoga School and hosts of The Funny Thing About Yoga Podcast, talk with J about the ins and outs of having a yoga career in 2025. They discuss having a collaboration, teachers as brands, resolving conflict and developing trust, admin and websites, their relationship, developing a training, starting a podcast, being authentic letting go of micromanaging, desire for connection, fairness in sharing revenue, perseverance in the face of challenge, and being innovative about the future.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Neal Shaffer, founder of First Mile Strategies, talks with J about what it's like for new teachers in today's climate. They discuss finding Rodney Yee through Comcast On-Demand, doing hybrid teacher training coming out of the pandemic, online vs in person learning, pathways for professional development, asana and meditation, Rodney and Colleen's teaching, parting from fitness orientation, connection between subtle and physical bodies, business models based on human scale, and meaningful support of caring teachers.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Jonathan Sattin, founder of triyoga and the forthcoming HOME, returns to talk with J about how we got to the current crossroads we face and the reasons for opening a new center. They discuss the elements that enabled his initial success, lockdowns and the challenges of reopening, sustainability and scale, effectiveness vs efficiency, deciding to sell and ultimately leave, the spiritual practice of Seva, schedules and pricing, front desks, going back to our roots with new insight, delivering something special, and having an impact on peoples lives.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Nick Danu, host of the Yin Yoga Podcast, returns to talk with J about navigating the yoga profession in a post-pandemic time. They discuss the importance of email lists and independent Online platforms, courses vs drop-in classes, resumes and teaching jobs, alternative spaces, communities, transitioning students to registered series, enforcing cancellation policies, administration of weekly schedule, group check-ins, normalizing human experience, customization of lesson plans, podcasting, and what makes the challenge feel worth while.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Julie Smerdon returns to talk with J about meeting the challenge of life's crossroads and the difference between trust and faith. They discuss recent health scares and forced moves, dealing with death and grieving, working through challenges in front of students, reassessing professional direction, prayer as listening, relationship to divinity, forms of personal practice, gym culture and work-out mentality, woman over fifty feeling invisible, getting back to in person teaching at smaller scale, and the sensitivity to hold space for togetherness.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Sebastian Shaw, a Clinical Social Work/Therapist and old friend of J's, joins the show to talk about the blessings and burdens of a life dedicated to helping people. They discuss how Sebastian and J met, thankless jobs and connecting with at risk youth, training as a social worker, boundary setting, dealing with horrible situations and watching people get better, social justice work in the context of institutions, agency vs private practice gigs, data driven medicine, credentials and scope of practice, and the underlying significance of rapport.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Rebecca Sebastian, founder of Sunlight Yoga and host of the Working in Yoga Podcast, talks with J about recent shifts and long standing debates within the yoga profession. They discuss the history of trade organizations and teacher trainings, nonprofit spaces and fundraising, Yoga Therapy classification, the credentialing shift at the IAYT and The Future of Yoga Facebook Group, elitism and community, marketing and business, pricing and criteria for hiring, clap ins for new teachers, and letting the weight of ones work speak for itself.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Emily Smith, founder of Yogaversity, talks with J about the former and current state of online yoga. They discuss her eight-year tenure as a producer for Yoga International and the transition from print to digital, first figuring out what a yoga class looks like online, Yogaglo and copyrighting camera angles,  portals and pay structures, subscription overload, YI being sold to Gaia, horizontal vs vertical growth, changing attention spans, set curriculum’s and self-directed learning, process of developing courses, and the beauty of remaining forever curious.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Steve Szakal, ultra runner and yoga teacher, talks with J about overcoming life's obstacles and being who we are meant to be. They discuss getting caught up in the war on drugs, the inhumanity of institutionalization and wealth disparity, starting to run marathons, going to yoga, experiencing beauty and exercising demons, differences between Bikram and Gosh Yoga, softening and stillness, being a yoga teacher, becoming inundated with an overwhelming sense of love, and being inspired to show up as the best version of yourself every day.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Rolf Gates, author of Daily Reflections on Addiction, Yoga, and Getting Well, talks with J live at the 20th Anniversary Celebration for Dragonfly Yoga about the role of yoga in recovery and what it means to be human. They discuss his military service, recognizing addiction, going into rehab, becoming trauma-informed, intensity and intimacy, organizing life around wisdom, letting go of your story, preying to God and receiving grace, before and after covid, intense administrative moments working at Kripalu, and cultivating a capacity for good will.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Vish Chatterji, author of Astrology Decoded: The Secret Science of India's Sages, talks with J about Vedic Astrology as a tool to align with divine nature and cultivate a Satvic existence. They discuss parallel paths and a love of Rishikesh, growing up in an Indian family and deciding to become a tech CEO, Western astrology not being accurate, importance of birth charts and rising signs, Solar and lunar calendars, Outer material work and inner spiritual development, and living in a western world while still be connected to ancient wisdom.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Laurie Lowe, founder of Sage Yoga Studio, talks with J about growing a community and finding a wy to sustain it. They discuss meeting each other in Manchester, coming into yoga organically, British Wheel of Yoga Teacher Training, baby and me classes, importance of having your own space, angels in the form of landlords, running programs without any email lists or social media, marketing and administration, commitment and instant gratification, the unseen work of teaching, and getting out of the way to let things happen.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Dan Alder, coauthor of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras For the New Millennium: A Translation for the Modern Mind, talks with J about his story of owning a yoga center and translating Patanjali. They discuss taking over a studio in 2010, keeping the business model simple and offline, negative impact of intro offers and memberships, becoming obsessed with yoga philosophy, meeting his co-author Shree and undertaking a translation, interpretation of the eight limbs, a case for renunciation, Ishvara, nonduality, and a passionate embrace of inquiry.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Sally Bassett, author of Spiritual Transformational Yoga via the Eight Limbs and founder of the Peace Through Yoga Foundation, talks with J about being called to volunteerism and how yoga leads to a relationship with God. They discuss Sally's path from CEO of an airlines to opening a center and leading volunteer adventure trips around the world, yoga retreats doubling as humanitarian missions, teaching at a theological seminary, the neutrality of practice, faith, and the importance of meaningful and valuable time with yourself and others.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Clive Sheridan talks with J about the early days in yoga's migration west, devotion to inner divine presence, and the intimate experience of being with yourself. They discuss adventure travel in the early sixties, American explorer Theos Bernard, Goa in the seventies, drop in classes with BKS Iyengar, receiving the grace of Goddess Durga, spiritual friendship and sangha, free will, releasing sadness, tools of transformation, being moved by messages of the heart, and living in the world passionately while always staying alert to what arises.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

J returns to his annual ritual of doing a solo talk during the week of Christmas. He gives an update on the new center including the hard numbers, reflects on the decisions he has made in the administration and operation of the business, considers the role his efforts play and the tenuous nature of his lifestyle choices, shares his process of managing anxiety and relying upon a relationship with God, his daughters and hope for the youth, his wife, and the deeper reasons he continues to stay committed to being a yoga teacher.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Gregor Maehle, author of Bhakti The Yoga of Love, returns to talk with J about transforming human love into divine love. They discuss why Bhakti has become more important, the Hatha Tatva Kaumudi, agency and an attitude of giving, reclaiming God, intrinsic and transcendent divinity, sidetracking into Gnana Yoga, divine revelation, absolute vs relative evil, homeostasis and collective effort, practicalities of prayer and meditation, being of service to a higher agenda, reaching across chasms of division, and aligning with infinite love, wisdom and beauty.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Lucy Crisfield, founder of Original Wisdom, talks with J about bringing forth the essence of love through sound. They discuss being inspired by the Arabic call to prayer, Rishikesh, spending time at Auroville, Vedic chanting at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandirum, learning at SOAS, Kaustaub Desikachar and parting from KYM, evolution from hard physical practice to simple attunement to Satva, Peter Harrison and questions about Svara, another dimension of being, elemental articulation, and hearing the resonance of your heart.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Anoop Kumar, MD, founder of Numocore and creator of The Science of Consciousness, talks with J about the movement towards wellness as an emerging new health system. They discuss the limitations of western medicine, perceptions of what a human being is, solving the mind-body "problem," systemic transformation, Numocore (Nutrition-Movement-Connection-Rest,) accessing mind through movement, mechanisms behind religion and science, rest as a form of creativity, and the deepest of all expressions of health and soul.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Rick Olderman, author of Pain Patterns: Why You Are in Pain and How to Stop It, returns to talk with J about integrating movement, fascia, and neurological reflex patterns to address pain. They discuss three patterns that account for most spinal issues, functional links between past injuries and current pain, a macro view of fascial lines, cytokines and myofibroblasts, psychology becoming manifest in the body, nutrition and viscerogenic related pain, simple tests for assessment, and changing habits by feeling the truth more than thinking the truth.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.