Tara Stiles, founder of Strala Yoga, helps J get over some of his personal baggage regarding the Industrial Yoga Complex by giving him insight into her trajectory and teaching. Tara shares the story of her humble beginnings in a small town, the happenstance that led to a modeling career, the process of coming into yoga as a profession, and the trials and tribulations of having a high profile career. They also explore baggage about money.

Peter Blackaby, author of Intelligent Yoga, talks with J about the newly revised second edition of his book and the implications it has on our ideas about yoga and ways in which we teach it. They discuss the fundamental premise that no living thing exists in isolation, how addressing pain is more about life than muscles, and the importance of developing attentive discernment and fashioning a healthy context for practice.

Schuyler Grant, founder of Kula Yoga Project and co-creator of Wanderlust Festival, communes with J on their shared past in the early NY scene and on all that has happened since. Schuyler tells the story of her unusual trajectory into becoming a teacher, the circumstances and motivations behind becoming a center owner, and the inspiration that led to creating a yoga festival that completely changed the game.

Ana Forrest, creatrix of Forrest Yoga, and her partner Jose Calarco, join J for a discussion on their current work and some of the roads that brought them there. Jose fills J in on his role and the current incarnation of the ceremonies they are producing. Ana talks about her early jump into death and back into life, and the progression of her renowned practice through yoga's transition to mainstream, the present day, and tracking right into the mystery.

Gernot Huber, founder of Yoga Mind Yoga Body, happened to take a few of J’s live stream classes via a mutual friend and had some constructive feedback and criticism. In this talk, they discuss Gernot’s background in silicon valley, his studies in ecology and evolutionary biology, and his ideas on learning to disrupt the stress response. Ultimately, they engage in a spirited and friendly debate on engaging your edge with mindfulness..

Danny Paradise, renowned teacher and writer/co-producer of Love Will Rescue You, joins J to talk about how things have evolved from his first experiences in 1976 until the present day. They discuss the influences that have informed his teaching and how his practices are designed to show the interrelatedness of different cultures and disciplines. They also touch on the commodification of yoga, celebrity clients, and the Pattabhi Jois scandal.

Theo Wildcroft was kind enough to let J stay with her during a recent trip to England. On their last day together, they sat down to have this conversation about different yoga cultures. They discuss how yoga happens in alternative spaces, distinctions in philosophy that shape a persons teaching, and the challenges we face when trying to forge uncharted paths. They also discuss the thesis she is working on regarding ‘Post-Lineage Yoga.'.

Andrew Tanner, chief ambassador for Yoga Alliance, joins J to discuss the Standards Review Project and the recently released survey. The conversation gets a bit heated as J grapples with his YA status and what he sees as fundamental flaws with both the survey and the organization. Andrew does his best to reassure J that the process YA has embarked on will be open and transparent. In the end, the spirit of friendship holds. 

Jonathan Sattin, founder of triyoga, sits down with J at the head offices in London to talk about how he went from holding yoga classes in his living room to creating one of the premier destinations for yoga in the UK. They discuss what it takes to build an operational structure that can survive and grow for eighteen years, amassing five locations, 200+ teachers, and the inherent challenges that come when you get that big.

Roseanne Harvey, founder of its all yoga, baby and co-editor of 21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics and Practice, is an old friend of J’s from the blogosphere days who has been away from the yoga world for a time but has recently emerged once again. In this conversation, they talk about the heyday of the internet, that time Roseanne slept in J’s bed, and what is behind her sort-of departure and semi-return to yogaland. They also tackle debt and money.

Richard Freeman was the person J most wanted to speak with when starting the podcast and his dream is finally realized in this conversation celebrating the 100th episode. They discuss what yoga was like in the late 60’s, how Richard came to study with BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, universal threads that run through contemplative traditions, trends that have emerged, and the importance of remaining curious about the nature of reality.

Amina Naru, board member and project manager at the Yoga Service Council, owner of Posh Yoga, talks with J about her work bringing yoga into juvenile detention centers and prisons, and the new Best Practices for Yoga in the Criminal Justice System. They discuss her spiritual name, some of the trials and tribulations that have shaped her journey into yoga, creating community, and the profound gift of shared acceptance and purpose. 

Tiffany Cruikshank, founder of Yoga Medicine, joins J for a discussion about her early challenges and roots into yoga and holistic healing modalities, and the process of developing her work. Their conversation includes a consideration of changing paradigms, how she incorporates or separates her yoga with her work in sports medicine and orthopedics, her experience of navigating the yoga industry, and fusing eastern and western medicine.

J met Maria Kirsten, founder of Yoga for Grown Ups, through mutual contacts in Japan and they kind of hit it off after discovering they share many common experiences and viewpoints in yoga. In this conversation, they compare notes on teaching and discuss a range of topics including the importance of self-directed mentorship, fostering gradual progressions and relationships over time, and asking the big questions on where it’s all going.

Rexx Anthony, founder of Rogue Ashtanga, wrote a blog post entitled "A Cautionary Tale on Operating Yoga Studios" that caught J’s attention and spurred this conversation. They talk about Rexx’s early adoption of Ashtanga Yoga and how the system has changed over the years. They also discuss the trends and tribulations of managing a yoga center and the personal and professional factors that make up a life in the grassroots yoga world.

Seane Corn, creator of 'Off the Mat, Into the World', joins J for a lively and wide-ranging discussion on coming into adulthood as teachers alongside yoga going mainstream. Seane talks about the early days of NY Yoga, her migration west, “yoga celebrity,” and political activism. The conversation also examines sexual misconduct in the yoga world, and the light, shadows and people that have shaped her inspirational teaching.

Or Shahar, from freedomyoga.info, is a podcast listener with a booker who got a bit lucky and caught J in a moment that led to this candid and unexpected conversation about family, cultural divides, and the universality of yoga. Or shares her process of healing depression and trauma, making a life for herself in Berlin, and the challenge of meeting people where they are while still holding true to principles that explore the depth of practice.

Barbara Benagh, legendary indy yoga teacher, joins J to trace the history and evolution of yoga from the 70’s until the present day. They discuss her early adoption of Iyengar yoga, her progression into a more somatic approach, the teachers and influences that have inspired her along the way, her relationship to and feeling about the ascendance of yoga as business and the celebrity of teachers, and how she ended up charting her own course.

Justine Mastin, creator of YogaQuest, talks with J about bringing yoga to the geek community. They discuss what it means to be a geek, the process of embracing her inner nerd through yoga, and how she came to create a narrative-based practice that gives permission for people to be who they are even when it doesn't fit what other people think is normal. Justine provides an example of bringing yoga with whimsy to unconventional spaces.

Anneke Lucas, founder of Liberation Prison Yoga, returns to talk with J about her thoughts on the resurgence of the #metoo movement, the politics of power addiction, and the larger implications for the yoga world. They discuss the public reckoning that men are being confronted with, the prevalence of pedophilia and conspiracies that cover it up, enabling in the ashtanga tradition, the criminal justice system, and what it means to be liberated.