Joanne Spence - "Trauma-Informed Care, Straightforward Faith"

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.    

Leslie Howard and Richard Rosen, co-authors of SAVASANA - Between Breath and Death, talk with J about the importance of practicing final relaxation. They discuss the shortening of savasana over the years, death doulas and cafe's, the dissolution of self, the moment of death, guided meditation, asana and pranayama, reincarnation, falling asleep, alignment, using props and minimizing distraction, breath focus, rolling  to the side, being the witness, fitness orientation, embracing things as they are, and recognizing the precious nature of 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 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.    

Jim Bennitt, co-founder of Tejas Yoga and founder of Yoga for Grapplers, talks with J about the trajectory and evolution of Gen-x yoga careers. They discuss the yoga wave that started in the early nineties, old-school classroom dynamics, finding community, appeal of Jiu-Jitsu, cult aspects across different modalities, discernment of alignment, opening a center in the golden years, functional movement, accessibility, male friendships, post pandemic numbers, people leaving yoga, and the inspirational sparks that keep us motivated.   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.    

Adam Rumack, co-founder of Open Circle, talks with J about subtle changes to the inner life of yoga communities and beyond. They discuss third series Ashtanga, taking over a Mysore room, nature-based rights of passage work, high demand communities, authorization, purity myths, underlying reality of natural order, hero journeys, perennial wisdom and power vacuums, vulnerability and responsibility, creating spiritual connection, attachment and strategic planning, and caring about each other enough to get beyond simple explanations.   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.        

Danny Mintz is a listener of the show who reached out to J about the origins of yoga postures and it lead to this conversation about depictions of practice and the inner workings of being a teacher. They discuss whether modern yoga is 5000 years old or 500 years old, finding good teachers, Alison West, different stages of life, studio closures, finding your edge, Anusara, Jivamukti, personal practice, using music, yoga competitions, inversions, injuries, speaking out against abuse, and the testament for practice being the person it produces.   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.    

Kim Hopkins, executive director of the Shanthi Project, talks with J about the not-for-profit work of providing yoga and mindfulness education to children and adults. They discuss different phases of the organization and where things were when Kim took over in 2023, working at Sony Music, revenue structures and fund development plans, substituting the term yoga for mindfulness, importance of data collection and research, having an in person space, bases of support, and the long game of creating meaningful change.   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.