Temple Fiergola - "Underpaid and Undervalued" - Experienced Yoga Teacher, Writer, podcast listener

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Temple Fiergola is a yoga teacher and podcast listener who sent J a blog post she wrote about negotiating her pay rates with yoga center owners that warranted a longer conversation, so J brings her on to talk it out. In the course of the discussion, Temple shares some intimate details of her life that strike a cord in J and set a tone for further inquiries into balancing family life and maintaining a teaching practice, overcoming grief, the diminishing pay scales available to yoga professionals, and the need for more open dialogue.

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J. Brown

J. Brown is a yoga teacher, writer, and founder of Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, New York. A teacher for 15 years, he is known for his pragmatic approach to teaching personal, breath-centered therapeutic yoga that adapt to individual needs. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, Elephant Journal and Yogadork.

Justine Wiltshire Cohen - "Down Under School of Yoga" - Yoga Teacher, owner of Down Under School of Yoga

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Justine Wiltshire Cohen - "Down Under School of Yoga" - Yoga Teacher, owner of Down Under School of Yoga

After a snarky post from J referencing an article in Yoga Journal about Down Under School of Yoga in Boston making yoga teachers employees vs independent contractors, the owner, Justine Wiltshire Cohen, joins in this conversation to clarify and make her positions clear on the issues. They discuss the origins of the center, the reasons for non-compete clauses, pay scales, and presenting black and white solutions to nuanced challenges.

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Adriene Mishler - "Yoga with Adriene" - Actor, Yoga Teacher, co-founder of famed Youtube channel

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Adriene Mishler - "Yoga with Adriene" - Actor, Yoga Teacher, co-founder of famed Youtube channel

Adriene Mishler, from the Yoga with Adriene Youtube Channel, talks with J about what its like to have over two million people subscribing to your Youtube videos, how such a thing comes about, and the work that goes into making something like that fly. In this unexpected and engaged conversation, J discovers that Adriene is way more than just a “Youtube star” as they discuss the yoga hustle and what it means to make real connection.

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Amy Matthews - “Ordinary Magic” - Embodied Asana Teacher, co-founder Babies Project, purveyor of possibility

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Amy Matthews - “Ordinary Magic” - Embodied Asana Teacher, co-founder Babies Project, purveyor of possibility

Amy Matthews, co-founder of Babies Project, sits down with J to talk about the ideas we hold around the human body and our ability to change. After studying with Amy for almost a year, J takes this opportunity to delve deeper into questions of injuries, bio-mechanics, somatic experience, embryology, the proportionality of growth, and the disconnect between what our physiology is actually saying and what we think is the case.

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Alexandria Crow - "Evolution of a Teacher" - Yoga Teacher, Teacher Trainer, founder of Yoga Physics

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Alexandria Crow - "Evolution of a Teacher" - Yoga Teacher, Teacher Trainer, founder of Yoga Physics

Alexandria Crow, founder of Yoga Physics, joins J for a conversation about her evolution as a yoga teacher, from early high profile appearances to whistleblower and rabble-rouser.  They hook up after one of J’s podcast blew up on her FB timeline. In this candid conversation, they discuss some of Alex’s history, reconciling the documentation of your past online, and problems with the industry “standards” for yoga teachers.

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Accessible Yoga NYC 2017 - "Ageism and Ableism" - Steffany Moonez, Prakash Capen, Mirabai Hubbel, and Char Grossman

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Accessible Yoga NYC 2017 - "Ageism and Ableism" - Steffany Moonez, Prakash Capen, Mirabai Hubbel, and Char Grossman

J moderates this panel discussion at the Accessible Yoga Conference NYC with Steffany Moonez, founder of Yoga for Arthritis, Prakash Capen, Integral Yoga Teacher and Minister, Mirabai Hubbell, chair of the Older Adults Department at City College, and Char Grossman, founder of YogaReach. The topic was “Ageism and Ableism: Creating Welcoming Yoga Spaces” and they share their views and take questions from the audience.

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Amber Karnes - "The New Grind" - Ruckus Maker, Yoga Teacher, creator of Body Positive Yoga

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Amber Karnes - "The New Grind" - Ruckus Maker, Yoga Teacher, creator of Body Positive Yoga

Amber Karnes, creator of Body Positive Yoga, joins J for a talk about making the ends meet as teachers in the new landscape. They are both in the midst of moving and navigating the ways they can make a living and, after canceling a number of times, they jump into a conversation despite not feeling all that up to it. Fortunately, coming together on the challenges they are facing is a welcome release and serves to reaffirm their resolve.

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Sadia Bruce - "Yoga Industrial Complex" - Yoga Teacher, Alchemist, grassroots voice for diversity and inclusivity

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Sadia Bruce - "Yoga Industrial Complex" - Yoga Teacher, Alchemist, grassroots voice for diversity and inclusivity

Sadia Bruce, a friend and fellow teacher, posted something about one of J’s podcasts that ruffled his feathers some so he decided to bring her on the show to talk about it. But the conversation ended up going in unexpected directions as J learns that Sadia has come to a crossroads in her career and is considering leaving the profession. They talk about racism, prejudice, and the difficult grind of making a livelihood as a yoga teacher.

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Joe Sandor - "Numbers Side of the Yoga Biz" - grants officer at the State Department, newby Yoga Instructor

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Joe Sandor - "Numbers Side of the Yoga Biz" - grants officer at the State Department, newby Yoga Instructor

Joe Sandor, a budding yoga instructor who recently discovered the podcast, sent J an intriguing email and he thought it would be fun to bring him on to talk about it. They discuss Joe’s 9-5 job at the State Department, the role that showers played in his entrance into yoga, the inner workings of Core Power, and his experience of teacher training. They go on to consider some of the current economic models for teachers and what else might be possible.

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India Supera - "Feathered Pipe" - Holistic Life Foundation, founder of the Feathered Pipe Ranch

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India Supera - "Feathered Pipe" - Holistic Life Foundation, founder of the Feathered Pipe Ranch

India Supera, founder of the Feathered Pipe Foundation and Ranch, graces J with a conversation on a most auspicious day. They discuss the turns of history and politics that shaped her journey to the east, the happenstance that brought her back and birthed the Feathered Pipe, and the many incredible people who make pilgrimage there. They also celebrate the magic that brings them together and the joy of J’s inaugural visit to the ranch.

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Andrew Tanner @ YJ Live 2017 - "Future of Yoga" - Spokesperson for Yoga Alliance, news at YA and industry trends

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Andrew Tanner @ YJ Live 2017 - "Future of Yoga" - Spokesperson for Yoga Alliance, news at YA and industry trends

Andrew Tanner, official spokesperson for the Yoga Alliance, invites J to the Yoga Journal Conference NYC 2017 to discuss recent developments at YA and the future of the yoga industry. Recorded in front of a live audience, Andrew fills J in on the hiring of YA's new CEO, the election of a new head to the board, and the idea for change that the organization is embarking upon. They also field questions from the audience and discuss trends.

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Jivana Heyman - "Accessible Yoga" - owner of Santa Barbara Yoga Center, founder of Accessible Yoga

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Jivana Heyman - "Accessible Yoga" - owner of Santa Barbara Yoga Center, founder of Accessible Yoga

After Jivana Heyman, founder of Accessible Yoga, invited J to moderate a panel discussion at the Accessible Yoga Conference NYC, they have a chance to speak about the origins of Jivana’s work and the mission of the conference. Jivana shares how he transformed the horror of the AIDS crisis in 1990’s San Francisco into the gift of making Yoga accessible to everyone. The discussion also touches on the power of love and community. to heal.

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Sam Rudra Swartz - "Ashram NYC" - Devotee of Swami Satchidananda, Interfaith Minister, Accessible Yoga Teacher

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Sam Rudra Swartz - "Ashram NYC" - Devotee of Swami Satchidananda, Interfaith Minister, Accessible Yoga Teacher

Sam Rudra Swartz stops by the center in Brooklyn to talk with J about the Accessible Yoga Conference and his long-time relationship with Integral Yoga. They discuss his formative years becoming a resident of both the Yogaville Ashram in Virginia and the Integral Center in NYC, the onset of his physical ailments and the process of overcoming them, and his work in making yoga more accessible to everyone.

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Anna Guest-Jelley - "Curvy Yoga" - Writer, Teacher, champion of body affirming practice, founder of Curvy Yoga

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Anna Guest-Jelley - "Curvy Yoga" - Writer, Teacher, champion of body affirming practice, founder of Curvy Yoga

Anna Guest-Jelley, founder of Curvy Yoga, knows J from way back when in the early yoga blogosphere days. After getting a PR workup on her new book and feeling a bit jealous, J gets over himself and talks with Anna about her road to greater body acceptance, the influences that have presented challenges, the practice she discovered, the teaching she developed, and the culmination of her new book.

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Zack Kurland - "Yogaland Departed" - Creative Director, Musician, Writer, Illustrator, former yoga professional

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Zack Kurland - "Yogaland Departed" - Creative Director, Musician, Writer, Illustrator, former yoga professional

J sits down with his old friend, Zack Kurland. They started out in the yoga word on parallel tracks but Zack ended up taking a different turn ten years ago. They finally get a chance to talk about the way things went and how they are now. Zack discusses his studies in Yoga and Ayurveda, the early NYC days, his experience in yoga-related businesses, starting the Breathing Project with Leslie Kaminoff, and his decision to depart the yoga profession.

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Dylan Galos - "Clydesdale Yogi" - Epidemiologist, Yoga Teacher, PhD Candidate, Big Dude, podcast listener

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Dylan Galos - "Clydesdale Yogi" - Epidemiologist, Yoga Teacher, PhD Candidate, Big Dude, podcast listener

J talks to Dylan Galos, a podcast listener who sent an email that hit home and ended up challenging preconceived notions. They discuss Dylan’s bi-racial roots, his relationship to fitness, the PHD he is almost done with on intergenerational child abuse, and the realities of navigating yoga studio culture as an independent teacher who doesn’t fit the conventional molds. The conversation also touches on ways we can overcome our divides.

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Beth Donnelly Cabán - "Circles of Support" - Prenatal Yoga Teacher, Registered Nurse, Childbirth Educator, Doula

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Beth Donnelly Cabán - "Circles of Support" - Prenatal Yoga Teacher, Registered Nurse, Childbirth Educator, Doula

Beth Donnelly Cabán, long time friend of J and co-producer of The Essential Prenatal Yoga Video with Beth Donnelly Cabán, talks with J about their connection through his center in Brooklyn, the early NY yoga world that brought them together, Beth’s relationship with Integral Yoga, and the release of their new video. J and Beth’s producer, Josh Sitron, also jumps on to share the process and purpose behind facilitating their work.

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Donna Farhi - "The Way Forward" - Internationally Renowned Yoga Teacher, Best Selling Author

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Donna Farhi - "The Way Forward" - Internationally Renowned Yoga Teacher, Best Selling Author

Donna Farhi talks with J about her experience going from dance to Iyengar Yoga to “the refinement of natural and universal movement principles that underlie safe and sustainable Yoga practice.” They commune on a range of pressing topics that are affecting the yoga world today, including the lack of foundational understanding about Yoga, ethical behavior, pedogogy, and the kinds of questions that best encourage a healthy way forward.

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Mike Huggins - "Prison Yoga" - Transformation Yoga Project, Liberation Prison Yoga, author of Going OM

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Mike Huggins - "Prison Yoga" - Transformation Yoga Project, Liberation Prison Yoga, author of Going OM

Mike Huggins, founder of Transformation Yoga Project and author of Going OM: A CEO's Journey from a Prison Facility to Spiritual Tranquility, talks with J about the turn of events that took him from the top of a corporate ladder to federal prison. They discuss his work in applying yoga practices for addiction recovery and trauma-related issues, the personal realities of incarceration, and serving on a board together at Liberation Prison Yoga.

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Peter Blackaby - "Beyond Anatomy" - Asana Yoga Teacher, Osteopath, Anatomist, author of Intelligent Yoga

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Peter Blackaby - "Beyond Anatomy" - Asana Yoga Teacher, Osteopath, Anatomist, author of Intelligent Yoga

Peter Blackaby, author of Intelligent Yoga, talks with J about how he went from Iyengar yoga and an anatomical approach to a view that encompasses the complex relationship between things. They discuss some of his influences, including Vanda Scaravelli, Serge Krakovetsky, and Stanley Kellerman, the idea of functionality, and letting go of yoga practice as a form of physical exercise.

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