J gives himself space to air out some of the burning questions he has been pointing to of late. He discusses the in's and outs of wisdom teeth removal, complimentary alternative medicine, claims and broken promises that sold yoga to the mainstream, the slippery slope of email tracking, feeling disheartened by the current zeitgeist, leaning into yoga, being a good person, benefits of practice, letting go of identity around a professional career, and returning to the underground lifestyle choices that allow yoga to remain authentic.

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Frank Jude Boccio, host of Pobsa's Dharma Lounge Podcast, returns again to talk with J about ethical foundations in Buddhism and naturalistic explanations for the origins of evil. They discuss the evolution of their conversations over the years, language models and biology, mindfulness education, causes and conditions, relational practice, right livelihood, the Buddha's manhood, criticizing nondualism, awakening, going to refuge, and understanding the conditioned responses that keep us from being intimately present.

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Jillian Pransky, author of The Power of the Pause, talks with J about becoming present, open, and gently alert. They discuss reconciling our fathers, falling in love with practice, the gift of feeling OK, buddhist meditation, boundaries, the difference between understanding and agreement, taking wise action, receptivity, longer classes and being in service of savasana, guiding someone to relaxation, the LAR-LAR method, the vagus nerve, the psoas muscle, a little bit often equaling a lot, avoiding regret, and pausing as an act of love.

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Andrew McGonigle, author of The Physiology of Yoga, talks with J about the confluence of studying medicine, teaching anatomy, and finding identity. They discuss going to medical school at a young age, transcendental meditation, getting a job at TriYoga, moving to California, debunking misleading claims, addressing pain, shoulder surgeries and knee replacements, professional landscapes, being a teacher, down-regulation, reasons for asana, relationship to aging, engaging spiritual aspects, and developing a sense of inquiry and awe.

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Mary Wagstaff, host of Wild Sobriety, talks with J about overcoming addiction and devotion as a center for change. They discuss experimenting with substances, holistic seeds of breath awareness, seva program at Kripalu, self-observation without judgement, choosing sobriety, when behaviors cross the line, curiosity, sacred time-outs, intrinsic moral codes, embodiment tools, simplicity in truth, ecstatic dance, glorifying God, being confronted by life, grace, and moving towards a version of ourselves that honors our most cherished values.

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Brett Parris, author of Yogic Metaethics: Comparing Patañjali's Yoga, Nondual Śaivism, and Vedānta, talks with J about the links between spirituality and morality. They discuss inappropriate behavior from gurus, practical vs normative ethical theories, definition of metaethics, moral prescriptions before Patanjai, gunas, satva orientation, theism in Samkhya history, substance and action, Abhinava Gupta, theistic Vedanta, hell, free will and power, divine will, codes of conduct, and viewing the phenomenal world though a lens of grace.

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Maile Wicklander, founder of Tula Yoga in Chicago, talks with J about staying committed to a deeper model of yoga when the market often rewards otherwise. They discuss her unusual path from industrial organizational psychology to yoga center ownership, craving community, combining somatics, lease agreements and registration software, transitioning to new focus being called to teach something different, price increases, class titles and formats, networking, and finding sources of hope by putting energy into what excites us.

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Jordan Ashley, PhD, founder of Souljourn Yoga, talks with J about the ethics of running retreats and teacher trainings in the Global South. They discuss seeing through the eyes of different cultures, the darker side of voluntourism and orphanage tourism, the NY Yoga scene circa 2016, becoming disenchanted with the yoga industrial complex, teen girls, working with locals, savior-ship mentality, hands on adjustments, retreat guest dynamics, operating as a nonprofit, using AI, and raising awareness and funds for causes we can believe in.

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