James Matthew Brown talks with J about the boom years for yoga in the early aughts and the legacy of his teacher, Maty Ezraty. They discuss his gigs teaching the Gore family during the 2000 election and touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, becoming a student of Maty, Yoga Works teacher training, alignment vs flow, venture capitalists and scaling, leaving yoga only to learn its where you truly belong, and aspects of teaching that stay true over time.

Mike De Masi, student of Srivatsa Ramaswami, bassist for Ali Omar El-Farouk, and founder of the Worldwide Krishnamacharya Yoga Community Facebook Group, talks with J about honoring the many different traditions of yoga. They discuss Mike's inquiry into the teaching of T. Krishnamacharya, learning from Ramaswami, Vinyasa Krama, the nuance of the breath, and finding vehicles for dialogue so that we can learn and grow.

Acharya Shunya, founder of The Awakened Self Foundation and author of three bestselling books including Roar Like a Goddess, talks with J about the source of yogic wisdom. They discuss her grandfather's return to ancient vedic roots, Sanskrit grammar and translations, embracing shadows, deep inner soul propensity, the role of a guru, three frames of mind as a seeker, universal spirit, and staying connected to a Great Omniscient Dimension.

Monica Gauci, co-founder of 8 Limbs and Chintamani Yoga, talks with J about learning how to heal ourselves. They discuss her early studies with Shandor Remete, pursuing a degree in chiropractic, studying with Patabhi Jois, overemphasis on asana, the myth of sequencing, hyper-mobility, re-educating the deep spinal stabilizing muscles, active vs passive therapies, being divinity, and cultivating an integrated understanding of your body.

Colin Dunsmuir, founder of True Yoga and author of How to Find Stillness Within, talks with J about the teachings of TKV Desikachar and the nature of yoga transmission. They discuss Colin's decision to forgo authorization in Ashtanga and become a yoga therapist, the training process, distinguishing characteristics of an individualized approach, Desikachar's unique example, and understanding the stages to deeper spiritual truths and awareness.

Hamish Hendry, owner of Astanga Yoga London and publisher of Pushpam Magazine, talks with J about tirelessly teaching a daily Mysore program in London for over 25 years. They discuss the purpose of chanting, avoiding dogma, finding Ashtanga Vinyasa in the late eighties, becoming authorized and how it has changed, evolving as a teacher and staying in line with your beliefs, and the humbly remaining true to a commitment to service.

Lisa Petersen, somatics innovator and yoga teacher, talks with J about the cross pollination of somatic movement modalities and traditional yoga. They discuss her training at Vivekenanda Kendra, defining a felt inner sense experience, Body Mind Centering and Hanna Somatics, pandiculation instead of stretching, deliberately simplified spaces, form and finding newness, radiating fluidic pathways, and discovering divinity.

John Stirk, author of Deeper Still, talks with J about the non-material aspects of yoga and the importance of noticing. They discuss the influences of R.D.Laing, J. Krishnamurti, and Vanda Scaravelli, sensation and awareness, the value of not knowing, the field of shared energy, that which lays beyond fear and expresses our capacity for love, understanding nothing in particular, unconditioned wisdom, and trusting in our own experience.

J takes a moment to break from his usual format to reflect on the challenges of the last year and share some of his biggest takeaways. He talks about his daughters mental health struggles and the medical care she has received, conclusions on the results of his MRI and persistent hip pain, scientific lenses in the alternative health sphere, knowing when to part ways from existing protocols, and embracing the role of spirit in yoga and healing.

Richard Rosen, author of Yoga by the Numbers: The Sacred and Symbolic in Yoga Philosophy and Practice, talks with J about keeping yoga vibrant despite life's challenges. They discuss Richard's friendship with Rodney Yee, the Piedmont Yoga Center, Iyengar method in the early days, the appropriate use of pranayama, Yogi Ramacharaka, living with Parkinson's Disease, children's poetry for adults, and the intuitive process of a rewarding life.

Elisa Malinverni, author of Yoga for Recovering Addicts: Stories of Hope and Ways of Self-Healing, returns to talk about overcoming addictions. They discuss the ways media and society distort information about addiction, the open drug scene in Berne in the eighties, opposing positions on what addiction is, when yoga becomes addictive, psychedelics and states of consciousness, and the role of prayer and spirit in overcoming challenges.

Adam Bucko, author of Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation, talks with J about prayer and divine grace. They discuss Adam’s childhood in Poland during the totalitarian regime, a life-defining experience in India, working with homeless youth, occupy wall street and social change, monasticism, falling apart that leads to a calling, being in a state of receptivity, and transforming into more loving people.

Bernie Clark, author of the Your Body, Your Yoga Trilogy, talks with J about the completion of the third and final volume on the upper body and the larger picture of biomechanics and yoga. They discuss functional vs ascetic approaches to the body, stressing tissues, what air line pilot cockpits tell us, anti-fragility and stability, asymmetries and proportions, nocebo, the value of x-rays or MRI, and understanding that each person is unique.

Rick Olderman, author and creator of the Fixing You® Method at Home Course and for Health Professionals, talks with J about his systems thinking approach to addressing pain. They discuss the limitations of traditional physical therapy education, incorporating Anatomy Trains and Hanna Somatics, biomechanics and common patterns of dysfunction, J's body and right anterior femoral glide syndrome, and creating bridges to function.

Esther Gokhale, founder of the Gokhale Method, talks with J about alleviating pain through anthropologically informed postural work. They discuss the imprints of her childhood in India, her studies in biochemistry, the Aplomb Institute in Paris, the crippling back pain that led to her lifelong crusade, indigenous cultures and J-shaped spines, the use of wearable technology, butt muscles and gait, and learning to turn knowledge into postural habits.

Jonni Pollard, cofounder of 1 Giant Mind and author of The Golden Sequence, talks with J about Vedic Meditation and the universal nature of our existence. They discuss Bija mantras, creating a movement around social coherence, scaling group meditation, a meeting with the Dalai Lama that changed everything, the split within science, guru function, prying open subtle dimensions, and the instinct to nurture a sense of belonging.

Tanis Fishman, founder of the School of Sankulpa, talks with J about experiencing unity consciousness. They discuss surrender and awakening moments including a bad car accident Tanis was in at age 19, her travels and time at the Bihar School of Yoga, feeling beyond our mental impression storehouse, touching pure frequencies, prayer as communion with higher consciousness, and being witnessed upon the humble path.

James Swanwick, co-founder of Swanwick Sleep, talks with J about wearing blue light blockers and eliminating alcohol consumption for better health. They discuss the positive effects James observed when he stopped drinking, how it lead to producing glasses with orange lenses, the evolution from natural to artificial lighting, the ill effects of blue light on melatonin release, and creating habits that help optimize performance and well being.

Sam Wilde, founder of The Sacred Order of the Great Mother and host of the Fertile Feminist Podcast, talks with J about a connection they made years ago and nurturing a felt sense of The Great Mother. They discuss a formative conversation they happened into together two decades back, Sam's experience of not fitting into the yoga world, her work as a minister, feminist liberation theology, and being a midwife to the spirit of mothering.

Laurel Beversdorf, creator of Yoga with Resistance Bands Teacher Training and host of the Movement Logic Podcast, talks with J about the integration of resistance bands and other implements into the deeper aspects of yoga. They discuss the way persistent pain shapes practice, conditioning and the value of strength training, the demonization of yoga poses, the fallacy of certifications, definition of training, and subtle elements of discovery.