J. Brown Yoga Talks

Grace Gessel, once founder of the Trauma-Conscious Yoga Method now offering faith-centered counseling at Through Faith Therapy, talks with J about leaving yoga and becoming a follower of Christ. They discuss religious trauma, being a public voice, questioning narratives around social justice and anti-racism, identity politics, church hypocrisy and exploitation, getting to the end of yourself, breath and prayer, somatics, waking up to Jesus, the Holy Trinity, spiritual warfare, and moving from a self-led to a Holy Spirit-led life. 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.

David Singleton is a long-time listener and friend of the show and he joins J to talk about relationship to our environment and ourselves. They discuss finding yoga during his wife's illness and passing, discovering the podcast and following along with J's journey, deep love of the outdoors, motorcycles, becoming a fire ranger, operating vineyards, big agriculture, healthy soil, regenerative farming, organic labeling, permaculture, living in harmony with ants, defining success, personal spirituality of going outside, and truly caring for land and people. 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.

J takes a moment to check in with listeners and reflect on the closing of his yoga center, the state of his professional career, and his plans for the future. He discusses the factors that led to letting go of his commercial space and moving his weekly classes into his living room, sober assessments and hard truths regarding personal brands and business marketing, contradictions between career pursuits and paternal responsibilities, expanding ones perspective to be open to new possibilities, faith in God, and remaining rooted in the wonder of being. 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.

Christopher Wallis, author of Tantra Illuminated and creator of Tantra Illuminated Online and the Tantra 112 app, returns to talk with J about the defining characteristics and sources for authentic tantra, They discuss origin narratives, lineage and initiation, institutionalized gatekeeping, divine revelation, practice joined to a coherent view, renunciation and integration, Vedanta, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini, supreme being or consciousness, devotion, morality, psychology and spirit, grace, surrender. and the embodiment of one's true nature. 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.

Lizzie Lasater returns to the show to talk with J about using AI technology and creating social media campaigns. They discuss the rumor that her mom is retiring, showing up consistently, being declarative vs provocative, doing Savasana wrong, a legacy of patriarchal rules, collaborating with language models, popularity and outrage, longer holds and her controversial yin yoga post, AI anatomy chat bots, setting boundaries around technology, and a holistic vision of the future based on healthy choices and shared intention. 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.

Rachel Morarjee, former journalist and friend of the show, talks with J about the arc of gen-xer perspectives on yoga and the world. They discuss receiving shaktiput, the early yoga scene in china, external gurus and choosing teachers, expressions of authority, developing a personal practice, transcending ego, chanting, death of retail, spirituality and faith, battle for souls, meeting challenges of modern society, devotion to God, fall of the yoga masters, life stages, and facing darkness by anchoring yourself to a source of grace. 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.

Joanne Spence, author of Trauma-Informed Yoga: A Toolbox for Therapists and founder of Yoga in Schools, talks with J about the origins of trauma-informed care and the relationship between yoga and faith. They discuss coming to yoga through life challenges, exploring different approaches, breath focus, early paths into yoga therapy, working at a psychiatric hospital, trusting in lived experience, scientific explanations, attending seminary, being part of a church, secular approaches, and keeping communications straightforward and kind. 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.

David Procyshyn, founder of doyogawithme.com and author of a Freedom from Anxiety newsletter, talks with J about the current state of the online yoga space and different ways to think about marketing. They discuss the ebb and flow of online sales, loyalty and word of mouth, knowing your audience, saturation and competition, paying for advertising, affiliates, Facebook, discounts and promotions, customer segmentation, maximizing user experience, websites, retreats, and questioning assumptions that inhibit playfulness. 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.

Sharon Molloy is a close personal friend of J and she joins the show to talk about their shared journey through yoga into faith. They discuss coming together around non-achievement, getting off on esoterica, discovering mystical realms, discerning materialism, making sense of lies and injustice, transhumanism, proof of the soul, evil, biblical prophecy, believing vs following, holy alignment and baptism, brokenness and the nature of self, hearing the voice of God, and experiencing the pinnacle of love through saving grace. 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.

Once again, J offers his annual year end reflection on where things stand going into the new year. He discusses the grief of learning that a family member has terminal cancer and the mixture of love and sadness that the holiday season entailed, the difficult realization that he will likely need to close his yoga center, contributing factors and underlying economics, online algorithms, trade organizations, the dissolution of identity and career paths, realms of man vs realms of divinity, and finding an honest and straightforward way of proceeding through life. 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.

Donna Farhi returns to talk with J about conscious pedagogic models that foster independence and moving towards grounded sensitivity. They discuss homesteading and the contrast between natural and digital worlds, recovering from a fractured pelvis, meaning of pedagogy, baking bread, horizontal communication, checks and balances, contraction in the industry, being relevant to the times, ground rules and agreements, sticking with the word yoga, fitness and perfected bodies, post-pandemic landscapes, and evolving into the future. 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.

Neil Taylor joins the show to follow up with J on the ongoing conversation about mindfulness education. They discuss Neil's entrance into practice, the importance of solitude, quality of presence, Thich Nhat Hang, the Satipattana Sutta, the end of suffering, inner bliss and demons, ignorance and true nature, cessation, self and no-self, levels of awareness, distinguishing between mindfulness and meditation, mysticism and the secular, neurological patterning, energy bodies, letting the mystery be, and embodying compassion. 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.

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.