Karin Carlson, founder of Return Yoga, has been bringing yoga out of the studio model into underserved communities for years and, after reading a recent post she wrote about the Yoga Alliance, J reached out to work through some ideas together. They discuss the early blogosphere days, shifts in the industry, questions of regulation and Yoga Alliance’s role, and filling the gaps between ancient wisdom and modern day relevance.

Nadiya Nottingham and J know each other from the early days of the NY yoga scene and have been friends for years but this is the first time they really have a full length conversation about ideas that are important to both of them. They discuss Nadiya’s evolution from yoga to QiGong and Celtic Tree Medicine, similarities and differences between QiGong and Yoga, power animals, and the mystery of each persons own individual medicine.

Shelly Prosko returns to talk with J about some difficult questions he has been grappling with. They discuss the concept of right or proper alignment, the difference between yoga therapy and yoga, changing understandings around pain, and moving from a postural-structural bio-mechanical model to a biopsychosocial-spiritual model. They also consider science and mysticism, and how we might keep yoga from falling into foreseeable pitfalls.

Carrie Owerko and J talk about her unconventional approach to teaching Iyengar Yoga and some of the pressing issues facing the community. They discuss her formative theater influences, questions about right alignment and the importance of interoception, her relationship to the Iyengar method, the accounts of sexual assault by a senior teacher, and the fundamental problems inherent in hierarchical traditions.

Dr Loren Fishman, pioneer of integrative medicine and founder of yip.guru, talks with J about his relationship to BKS Iyengar and his published research on the treatment of many disorders, including piriformis syndrome, scoliosis, osteoporosis and rotator cuff tear. They also discuss ideas about postural alignment and injury prevention, creating protocols without sacrificing the mystery, PGC1alfa, and evidence-based yoga in medicine.

Jessie Barr and Tom O’Brien, creators of OM City, are launching a campaign to fund a second season of their show which is J’s favorite ever depiction of the yoga teacher lifestyle. J gushes over how much he loved the first series, finds out why it has taken so long to make more, communes with them on the challenges of independently producing your own stuff, and discuss portrayals of yoga as cliches or nuanced reality.

Patti Safian and J used to run in the same circles back in the early days of the NY Yoga scene and a recent reunion at the TKV Desikachar celebration led to this conversation about her mom, her yoga, and her takeaways from years of study. They discuss her article in Glamour about her mom leaving to become a disciple of Rajneesh, yoga in the nineties, different traditions, cults and cult-like behavior, and how to never giving over your power.

Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda and The Life of Yogananda, talks with J about the long arc of yogic spiritual teachings migrating into western culture, and some of the important figures and moments that have shaped its progression. They discuss the roots of yoga’s export to America and writing American Veda, his new book on Yoganandya, the importance of tradition and the democratization of yoga.

Larry Payne, founder of Prime of Life Yoga and Yoga Therapy Rx, gives J a dose of expertise and humor in this conversation about his life and career. They discuss his journey to India, the influence of TKV Desikachar on his life and teaching, bridging yoga and western medicine, differences between yoga and yoga therapy, and the grand picture of yoga spreading around the world with the power of its transformative qualities.

Mirka Scalco Kraftsow, cofounder of the American Viniyoga Institute, brings her special brand of shakti to the podcast and talks with J about the spirit that guided her to her teachers Gary Kraftsow and TKV Desikachar, and her ongoing journey to bring the teachings of yoga to light. They discuss her childhood in Italy, her time with Rajneesh/Osho, how she met Gary and her relationship with Desikachar, and the simple sadana of ordinary life.

Gary Kraftsow, founder of the American Viniyoga Institute, author of Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation, talks with J about his precedent-setting career in yoga and yoga therapy. They discuss his relationship to TKV Desikachar, why the efforts to create a national organization were thwarted, the story behind him using the name Viniyoga, TKV's son, healthcare and yoga, definitions of yoga therapy, and the true spirit of the teachings.

Richard Miller, founder of iRest Yoga Nidra, co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT, talks with J about his many years of study and his work integrating teachings for others. They discuss nondual philosophy, his relationship to TKV Desikachar, his use of Yoga Nidra in the military, making sense of the scandals, and the core principles at work in healing through yoga.

R. Sriram comes to the Unites States of America for the first time to attend a celebration of his longtime teacher T.K.V. Desikachar and sits down with J for this conversation about the man and the legacy he left the world. They discuss Sriram’s early studies, T Krishnamacharya, his views on cultural appropriation and  the popularity of yoga, the scandal around T.K.V.’s son Kausthub, and the simple authenticity at the heart of the tradition.

Faith Hunter, creator of Spiritually Fly, talks with J about the life events that fueled her commitment to yoga, some shared roots in NYC, and the course of her high-profile career. They discuss her early work with a national HIV/AIDS organization, the transition into teaching and owning a center, the breaks that enabled her to expand, how she came up with her Spiritually Fly Sutras, and the current state of the yoga industry.

Jerome Armstrong, author of Calcutta Yoga, talks with J about his new book on the history of hot yoga. They discuss the largely untold story of Buddha Bose & the Yoga Family of Bishnu Ghosh and Yogananda, and how that led to Bikram Yoga. Jerome also speaks to both standard hot yoga and the more traditional teachings of Ghosh Yoga, and the crazy turn of events that led to the discovery of a rare document and a relationship to the family.

Benjamin Lorr, author of Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga, talks with J about Bikram Yoga, how it lead to writing his tell-all book on the subject, and the aftershocks that are still being felt today. They discuss Benjamin’s first place prize in a yoga competition, paradoxes at work in Bikram Chaudry, power dynamics, larger cultural implications, and his new book project.

Arundhati Baitmangalkar, founder and lead teacher of Aham Yoga and Bollyworks Dance, sent J a supportive email after hearing him speak about being accused of cultural appropriation, and J remembered some blogs that Arundhati had written on yoga in the west vs east, and it led to this wide-ranging conversation. They discuss Arundhati's first Power Yoga classes in India, moving to the USA, and how she made her own thing happen.

Beryl Bender Birch, author of Power Yoga and founder of The Hard and the Soft Yoga Institute, joins J for a look back at the earliest remnants of yoga in the west, its progression into the mainstream, and the role she played in shepherding it forth. They discuss what yoga was like in the 60’s and 70’s, teaching yoga for athletes and coming up with the name ‘Power Yoga’, Patabhi Jois, and her work with the Give Back Yoga Foundation.

Kristen Fewel, author of The Gift of Awakening and founder of Full Circle Yoga & Healing Arts, reached out to say that she was inspired by some of the talks on the podcast to transition her yoga center away from the conventional way of doing business to a less extractive rental model so J invited her on to have a conversation about what she is doing and how it is working out. They also discuss her newly published book about the possibility of awakening.

Erin Heisel is a podcast listener who reached out to J after hearing him talk about ‘flow states” which led to this conversation about her research into play and its relevance to yoga and beyond. First, Erin lays out a theoretical framework for play and then they discuss whether flow requires physical challenge, the elements that bring about flow or play spheres, and the relevance to how we practice yoga and engage ourselves in life.