Kat Rosenfield - "Politics in the Yoga Space"

Kat Rosenfield - "Politics in the Yoga Space"

Kat Rosenfield, author of No One Will Miss Her and co-host of the Feminine Chaos Podcast, talks with J about her recent article on politics in the yoga space. They discuss Kat's evolution as a freelance pop culture and political writer, her separate life in yoga practice and teaching, the merging of those worlds in her article regarding infighting in online yoga communities, and reserving the right to let yoga remain a neutral ground in the culture wars.

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Sophie Strand - "Overwhelming Suffering with Beauty"

Sophie Strand - "Overwhelming Suffering with Beauty"

Sophie Strand, author of The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine and facilitator of the online course, Myth & Mycelium: Rerooting & Rewilding the Gospels, talks with J about summoning enchantment and healing beyond hope. They discuss Sophie's health journey and the medical industrial complex, epiphanies around fungi organisms, cultural stories vs lived experience, "the animate everything," and alchemical storytelling.

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Nischala Devi - "Devoted Practice to Higher Consciousness"

Nischala Devi - "Devoted Practice to Higher Consciousness"

Nischala Joy Devi, author of The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras, returns to talk with J about her revised interpretation of Patanjali's last two padas. They discuss what led to doing a revision on Yoga Sutras, the criticism she has received, why so little consideration is given to the third and fourth padas, going beyond mind, intuitive wisdom, and relinquishing efforts to effortlessly reside in our heart.

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Leslie Kaminoff - "Roundabout Methods, Causeless Causes"

Leslie Kaminoff - "Roundabout Methods, Causeless Causes"

Leslie Kaminoff, founder of The Breathing Project and coauthor of Yoga Anatomy, returns to talk with J about the changing professional landscape and deeper inquiries into the nature of healing. They discuss Leslie's bout with long covid, the third edition of Yoga Anatomy, TKV Desikachar and teachings on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Leslie's coming show, having faith, surrendering to dharma, intuition, and forever continuing to learn.

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Shamini Jain - "Holistic Elements that Activate Life-Force"

Shamini Jain - "Holistic Elements that Activate Life-Force"

Dr. Shamini Jain, Founder and Director of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative and author of Healing Ourselves: Biofield Science and the Future of Health, talks with J about how there need be no divide between science and spirituality. They discuss healing as the absence of disease (pathogenesis) vs a reflection of harmony (salutagenisous,) what placebo research tells us, Jainism, and how the biggest aura (nature) always wins.

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Amy Matthews - "Ecosystems and Educational Models"

Amy Matthews - "Ecosystems and Educational Models"

Amy Matthews, co-founder of Babies Project and Program Director for the Somatic Movement Educator (SME) at Sonder Movement Project, returns to talk with J about redefining what it is to be human and reimagining educational models. They discuss the jarring stop to being a traveling teacher, the third edition of Yoga Anatomy, yoga and somatics, embodiment, ourselves as more than individuals, and pedagogy based in curiosity.

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Lorin Roche - "Instinctive Meditation, Spontaneous Delight"

Lorin Roche - "Instinctive Meditation, Spontaneous Delight"

Lorin Roche, author of the Radiance Sutras and creator of the Radiance Sutras School of Meditation, talks with J about instinctive meditation and the Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra. They discuss the natural unfolding of meditative experience, formalities and spiritual cosplay, distrust and ethics in meditation teachings, unpacking sanskrit texts and the language of spirit, and that which captures our attention and brings delight.

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Harmony Slater - "Reconciliation and God"

Harmony Slater -  "Reconciliation and God"

Harmony Slater, host of the Finding Harmony Podcast, talks with J about reconciling the past and moving forward with grace. They discuss a recent podcast episode with Eddie Stern, if there is such as thing a 'yoga community,' rigidity in form, hierarchies of power, eastern and western faiths, radical vs qualified nonduality, and keeping ones mind on God without religion through an understanding of divine consciousness.

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Indu Arora - "Yoga Nidra and the Macrocosmic Body"

Indu Arora - "Yoga Nidra and the Macrocosmic Body"

Indu Arora talks with J about the history and philosophies of yoga. They discuss the traditions she grew up with, being curious about the origins of yoga and respectful of its culture, sun salutations and utilizing sanskrit words to understand root ideas, distinguishing between yoga nidra and meditation, going from 'external thrill to internal still,' duality and oneness, making nature your guru, and the co-creation of knowledge to empower.

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Frey Faust - "Freedom, Pedagogy and The Axis Syllabus"

Frey Faust - "Freedom, Pedagogy and The Axis Syllabus"

Frey Faust, creator of The Axis Syllabus and author of 101 USELESS EXERCISES...and what to do instead, talks with J about increasing awareness through an exploration of physiological or biological principles. They discuss his departure from the NY dance scene, standardization and funding, compiling information about the body that ended up contradicting conventional notions, form, fractals, and checking our own perceptions.

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Daniel Simpson - "How Traditional is Your Yoga?"

Daniel Simpson - "How Traditional is Your Yoga?"

Daniel Simpson, author of The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga’s History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices, talks with J about the origins of physical practice and what connects modern yoga to its ancient roots. They discuss the tendency of historical figures to invent things, influences that led to a modern postural approach, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, tantra, Nivritti and Pravritti, and questioning the how and why more than the what.

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Kathryn Bruni-Young - "Adaptability, Strength and Resilience"

Kathryn Bruni-Young - "Adaptability, Strength and Resilience"

Kathryn Bruni-Young, creator of Mindful Strength, talks with J about her mother's legacy and the adaptability of human bodies. They discuss turning grief into a handstand club, when Kathryn's mom, Diane Bruni, came to J's class, the alarm her mom sounded and the infamous Facebook page, feeling uncomfortable about social media outpourings, and understanding biopsychosocial purpose behind strength training for resilience.

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Steve James - "Fields of Inquiry with Guru Viking"

Steve James - "Fields of Inquiry with Guru Viking"

Steve James, creator of the Movement Koan Method® and founder of the Guru Viking Podcast, joins J for a comparative inquiry into spiritual traditions and philosophical viewpoints. They discuss living on a boat, the value of survival training, some of Steve's influences, working with Michaela Boehm and The Non-Linear Movement Method®, the purpose of long-sitting meditation, and appreciation for a multiplicity of contemplative disciplines.

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Alejandro Chaoul - "Channels and Winds of Tibetan Yoga"

Alejandro Chaoul - "Channels and Winds of Tibetan Yoga"

Alejandro Chaoul. author of Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition, Tibetan Yoga for Health and Wellbeing, and Tibetan Yoga: Magical Movements of Body, Breath & Mind, talks with J about the philosophy and practice in Tibetan Buddhism. They discuss his cultural Jewish upbringing and the moment of realization where Buddhism became his path, meeting UG Krishnamurti, tsa lung trulkhor, and the many paths that lead to deeper awareness.

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Angela Farmer and Victor van Kooten - "Process of Evolving"

Angela Farmer and Victor van Kooten - "Process of Evolving"

Angela Farmer and Victor van Kooten talk with J about exploring our inner worlds and the power of formlessness. They discuss their early experiences with BKS Iyengar, how things changed over time and deciding to go a different way, fear-based teaching vs permission to make your own determinations, playfulness rather than striving, tapping into our "animal insides," receiving natures wisdom, and honoring our elemental selves.

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Doug Keller - "Vedas, Tantra, Hatha Yoga, and Rebirth"

Doug Keller - "Vedas, Tantra, Hatha Yoga, and Rebirth"

Doug Keller talks with J about the history and philosophies of yoga. They discuss why Doug left academia to spend 14 years in Siddha Yoga Ashrams, the process of adaptation that defines yoga's evolution, vedic tradition, capital T tantra, Hatha Pradipika and the democratization of practice, meditation and samadhi, attempting to escape vs embracing the cycle of rebirth, and manifestations and expressions of expanded consciousness.

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Melissa McKay - "Vipassana and Metta Meditation"

Melissa McKay - "Vipassana and Metta Meditation"

Melissa McKay, meditation teacher and old friend of J, talks about the practice and purpose of vipassana and metta meditation. They discuss the center Melissa had in Brooklyn and her son, her teachers from Burma, entry points and deeper teachings, meditation as an intentional habituation of the mind, easing stress and suffering, enlightened beings and heavenly realms, and the enduring power of loving kindness and compassion.

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Cara Suttie - "Assumptions, Attitudes, and Accessibility"

Cara Suttie - "Assumptions, Attitudes, and Accessibility"

Cara Suttie joins the show to talk with J about the impact of the pandemic on the work of making yoga more accessible. They discuss Cara's experience of coming to yoga before the power craze, healing trauma somatically, pros and cons of online classes for people who don't fit preconceived molds, studio culture before the lockdowns, possibilities for change, being present for the journey, and feeling comfortable in your worth as a person.

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Swami Saradananda - "The Goal of Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā"

Swami Saradananda - "The Goal of Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā"

Swami Saradananda, author of Sitting Comfortably: Preparing the Mind and Body for Peaceful Meditation, talks with J about the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā. They discuss Swami Saradananda's departure from the Sivananda organization, getting a masters degree in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation, origins of the sun salutation, the difference between full-body mudra and asana, meditation vs relaxation, and the experience of samadhi.

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Lucas Rockwood - "Are Yoga Centers Coming Back?"

Lucas Rockwood - "Are Yoga Centers Coming Back?"

Lucas Rockwood, founder of YOGABODY and host of The Lucas Rockwood Show, returns to talk with J about what is happening in the yoga industry in a post-pandemic world. They discuss the arc of the yoga center model and the impact of lockdowns, closing three centers and making the bankruptcy call quickly, advantages to teaching online, manufacturing yoga-toe separators, saying "no" to polarization, and surviving this period of change.

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