Yoga And Mysticism East And west perspective

J. Brown
j@jbrownyoga.com
917-446-8871
Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT500)
Continuing Education Professional (YACEP)
Registered Yoga School (RYS200/RYS300)
1995-2007 Independent Yoga Teacher in NYC
2007-2017 Owner of Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, NY
2017-2020 International Yoga Teacher Trainer and Podcaster
2020-2024 J Brown Yoga Online Platform
2024-Present Owner of The Birdhouse Yoga Center in Easton, PA
Bio (short):
J. Brown is a yoga teacher, writer, and podcaster. He is at the forefront of a quiet yoga
revolution, based in healing, that seeks to change the dialogue and direction of yoga practice
in the west. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of
Yoga Therapy, and across the yoga blogosphere. His podcast is internationally renowned for
raising the level of conversation. Visit his website at jbrownyoga.com
Bio (long):
For more than twenty years, J. Brown has been developing techniques to teach people how to
practice yoga in a deeper and more fulfilling way. He is also a well known writer and podcaster,
having been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and
across the yoga blogosphere. His podcast has become the premier resource for yoga teachers
and center owners.
J. Brown came to yoga by way of his mother’s death. Reconciling that loss, and wanting to be
free from the crippling grief and disillusionment that came with it, fueled his passion for
learning to make himself well.
First, he gravitated towards an Ashtanga, power vinyasa style. The intensity suited his
struggling temperament. After sustaining several injuries, he explored an Iyengar
based approach to learn better alignment. But he soon discovered that better alignment alone
was not the answer. Despite having achieved proficiency in both the Ashtanga and Iyengar
styles, studying with renowned teachers such as Alison West and Richard Freeman, J admits: ‘I
still had chronic pain and was horribly disillusioned and unhappy.’ The next phase of his search
would be in India.
In Rishikesh, J. found a rare and special teacher in Swami P. Saraswati. He taught J that yoga
practice was not a linear progression towards some unknown thing, but rather a process of
learning how to take care of yourself. Back in NY, J. stopped going to regular group classes
and devoted himself to a self-practice, ultimately meeting one his most influential teachers
Mark Whitwell and finding his way to an entirely therapeutic orientation inspired by the TKV
Desikachar/Krishnamacharya tradition.
In 2007, after more than a decade as a popular teacher at various schools in Manhattan and
Brooklyn, J. founded Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, NY to provide a home for yoga
practice that adapts to individual needs. In 2017, J closed the center to travel, write, and talk
about the important issues and focus on his work changing the dialogue and direction of yoga
practice in the west.