J returns to his annual ritual of doing a solo talk during the week of Christmas. He gives an update on the new center including the hard numbers, reflects on the administration and operation of the business, shares his process of managing anxiety and relying upon a relationship with God, his daughters and hope for the youth, his wife, and the deeper reasons he continues to stay committed to being a yoga teacher.

Gregor Maehle, author of Bhakti The Yoga of Love, returns to talk with J about transforming human love into divine love. They discuss why Bhakti is important, the Hatha Tatva Kaumudi, reclaiming God, divine revelation, absolute vs relative evil, homeostasis and collective effort, practicalities of prayer and meditation, being of service to a higher agenda, reaching across chasms of division, and aligning with infinite love, wisdom and beauty.

Lucy Crisfield, founder of Original Wisdom, talks with J about bringing forth the essence of love through sound. They discuss being inspired by the Arabic call to prayer, Rishikesh, spending time at Auroville, Vedic chanting at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandirum, learning at SOAS, Kaustaub Desikachar and parting from KYM, evolution towards simple attunement to Satva, Peter Harrison and Svara, and hearing the resonance of your heart.

Anoop Kumar, MD, founder of Numocore and creator of The Science of Consciousness, talks with J about the movement towards wellness as an emerging new health system. They discuss the limitations of western medicine, solving the mind-body "problem," accessing mind through movement, mechanisms behind religion and science, rest as a form of creativity, and the deepest of all expressions of health and soul.

Rick Olderman, author of Pain Patterns: Why You Are in Pain and How to Stop It, returns to talk with J about integrating movement, fascia, and neurological reflex patterns to address pain. They discuss three patterns that account for most spinal issues, functional links between past injuries and current pain, fascial lines, cytokines and myofibroblasts, nutrition, simple assessment, and changing habits by feeling the truth more than thinking the truth.

Susi Hately, founder of Functional Synergy, talks with J about the unfolding process of helping people. They discuss how Susi got to yoga therapy, distinguishing yoga therapy from western medicine, yoga anatomy books in 2004, persistent pain, alignment vs movement function, pain and tissue damage, compensatory patterns, gait analysis, biomechanics, exploring where states of knowing come from, and the soul of a yoga profession.

Melissa Scagliarini, founder of Satya Yoga Studio, talks with J about teaching, having a center, and a local call to the divine. They discuss experiencing in person classes in remote New Hampshire, reasons for teacher training, health food stores, teaching opportunities and boom times, learning from India, changing terms for commercial leases, navigating pandemic policies, worrying about money, and recognizing what is important.

Norman Blair, author of Brightening Our Inner Skies: Yin and Yoga, talks with J about the appropriateness of teachers advocating for causes and campaigns. They discuss the state of the yoga industry since they last spoke, whether politics should be in yoga classes, Egalitarian yoga, war and genocide, antisemitism and Zionism, propaganda, and avoiding the distractions that keep us from what is needed to be well.

Jenny Gladding, author of Self-Leadership Vs Self-Mastery: The Key to Leading with Clarity, Courage, and Heart, talks with J about healthy internal families and unburdening ourselves. They discuss the pitfall of mastery, free-spirited yoga, the usefulness of mirrors, Zen and the art of archery, who is in control, anthropomorphizing divinity, the parts of us that feel stuck and wounded, finding language, and developing a process for multi-dimensional healing.

She Coombes, a long-time teacher and practitioner, talks with J about living your yoga and what happens when lives get changed. They discuss seeking an alternative lifestyle in 1970's London, when yoga clothes were underwear, meditation with Maharaja, The Friends of Yoga, the simple approach of TKV Desikachar, stages of life, yoga becoming business oriented, sources of wisdom, and remaining resilient with heart.

Nrithya Jagannathan, director of Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) Institute of Yoga Studies, talks with J about the legacy of T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar. They discuss Nrithya's early role as a copywriter at the KYM, historical context, asana and Swedish calisthenics, the contribution of TKV Desikachar, distinguishing between yoga and yoga therapy, reclaiming humanity, and bringing about transformation for spiritual growth.

Brian Dana Akers, author of The Yoga Manifesto, talks with J about the intrinsically free and historically egalitarian nature of yoga. They discuss the appeal of little orange books, the yoga scene in Kalamazoo, his Great-Great-Great-Grandfather's infamous speech to Abraham Lincoln, his fathers ministry, studying and translating Sanskrit, Swami Vishnudevananda, science and religion, money, scenarios for the future, and why yoga matters.

Bobbi Misiti, founder of BeFit Body & Mind, talks with J about the course that yoga profession and industry has taken over the years. They discuss committing to ashtanga vinyasa with Beryl Bender Birch, 600 person classes, the good and bad of the yoga scene, Nancy Gilgoff and Manju Jois, forward bending with a rounded spine, hard adjustments, Patabhi Jois, Mysore-style, the internal aspects, and the beauty of unique people coming together.

Nischala Joy Devi and Kamala Rose, cohosts of the podcast and forthcoming book: A Woman’s Gita: A Contemporary Version of the Bhagavad Gita by and for Western Women, talk with J about translating ancient wisdom texts from a woman's perspective. They discuss Kamala's punk rock background, choosing a monastic life, the Gita, ethics of war, divine revelation, prejudice against woman, and bringing forth the elegance and truth of Yoga.

Manu Molina, founder of Yoga Biz Mentor, talks with J about marketing yoga classes and retreats. They discuss creating platforms before the pandemic, impacts of everything going online, working for yoga centers, transitioning roles and mentoring others, monetization and content, the fine line between sleazy techniques and fair trade, over-promising and scarcity mindset, how to come up with pricing, organizing retreats, and having soul in the game.

Sheela and Ravi Shankar, co-founders of Yoga Nidhi, talk with J about TKV Desikachar and the transformative power of yoga. They discuss the history of their relationship and how Ravi discovered TKV Desikachar, Sheela's religious upbringing, Desikachar in different contexts, chanting as prayer or meditation, defining Ishvara Pranidana, OM, Satva dominance in the mind, characteristics of a yogi, and the greater purpose behind practice.

John Heers, founder of First Things Foundation and host of Heavy Things Lightly, talks with J about fundamental principles of Orthodox Christianity and operating from faith. They discuss the wing and prayer that brought them together, John's religious background, lessons learned from Islam, distinguishing denominations, eastern mystical Christianity, communion, Georgian dinner rituals, and participating in a why that leads to beauty.

Geoffrey Dugue, MD, talks with J about actual Christianity and being humble in seeking for truth. They discuss the mutual friendship that brought them together, being trained as a medical doctor at esteemed institutions and the lack of meta narrative, indoctrination into the great laws, miracles, having a personal relationship with God, the hypocrisy of the church, giving Satan too much credit, the Holy Trinity, sin, and the love that gets you to heaven.

Todd Norian, author of Tantra Yoga: Journey to Unbreakable Wholeness, returns to talk with J about happiness, freedom, and opening to a bigger energy. They discuss what it means to be a yoga teacher in 2024, transmission, happiness and joy, Svatantrya, randomness and entanglement, creating healthy self boundaries, how to make a decision, being supported by spirit, and setting the sails to catch the winds of grace.

Stephen Cope, author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Selfand The Dharma in Difficult Times, talks with J about the crossovers and divergences in eastern and western spirituality. They discuss psychotherapy and contemplative pursuits, crazy wisdom teachers, discovering Kripalu, shaktiput from Amrit Desai, reinvention from ashram to retreat center, and slowly refining your capacity to know that still small voice within.