Keen on Yoga Podcast

Taylor Hunt is a devoted practitioner and teacher of Ashtanga Yoga. He makes yearly trips to Mysore, India to study under the guidance of his teacher, R. Sharath Jois. In 2013, Taylor was granted Level 2 Authorization to teach and has had the honor of assisting Sharath on several occasions. Taylor is dedicated to sharing the healing practice with others and providing a community where practitioners can find support in their practice and daily lives. Seeking to preserve the traditional method, Taylor teaches daily Mysore classes at Ashtanga Yoga Columbus and offers workshops around the world. He is also the author of A Way From Darkness and director of the Trini Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the life-changing practice of Ashtanga with those suffering from addiction. He continues to inspire others through his story of personal transformation and accessible approach to the practice. To learn more about Taylor’s story and life’s work, please visit www.awayfromdarkness.com and www.trinifoundation.org. PHILOSOPHY Taylors believes Ashtanga yoga is for everyone. Although Ashtanga is a set series of poses, it can be tailored to fit each individual’s needs. He encourages others to find a practice they can commit to and make it a part of their daily routine. Yoga is for transformation; it’s not just about the physical postures. It’s about acceptance and learning how to focus the mind. With dedication, change begins to occur ‐ physically, mentally, and spiritually. It’s important to find a teacher, someone you can listen to that inspires you to work to your full potential. Each day he shows up and leave it all on the mat; he doesn’t hold anything back. After years of practice, he is amazed at how it continues to teach him so much about life. He feels empowered each day when he finishes his practice and has come to realize that nothing is impossible. He feels that as his body became less rigid, so did his mind. He learned to stay present, not take himself so seriously, and to just enjoy life. He has found that happiness comes from within and is a choice that he makes every day.

Welcome to the Keen on Yoga Podcast with Max Strom. A 3x TEDx speaker, author, and global breathing teacher, known for teaching breathing patterns for personal transformation worldwide. Max developed a groundbreaking system of breathing techniques designed to alleviate crippling anxiety, depression, PTS and sleep problems. His field-tested method focuses on the causes rather than the symptoms and is known to produce rapid results. Max has had a career as a lead singer in his own band, and then a screenwriter. He was 38 when I took the first step on his path as a yoga teacher. Pushed into it by friends he was still very insecure as he taught his first few classes. He's come a long way since then as a speaker and teacher and he credits this to the inner work he has done. Through breathing techniques, meditation, inspiring spiritual teachers and writing, Max has reconnected with his inner child and learned how to give him the love and understanding that he so desperately needed. Max has now found his voice. From feeling like an odd and insignificant loner, he has found the teacher, leader, and the storyteller in himself. Sharing his personal stories with people from different cultures, religions and backgrounds creates understanding and connection. Ultimately, we’re not that different from each other. Max believes that when we learn to understand one another, we learn to understand ourselves. We are all teachers in our own way, and we all matter. We hope you enjoy the Keen on Yoga Podcast with Max Strom. You can find out more about him on his website.

Grischa was a hard-working young software architect in the exciting early days of the world wide web and raved through Berlin’s legendary techno scene on the weekends.  He was almost 30 when he dropped into a Shivananda Yoga class and confused his physiological fitness and flexibility with yogic qualities. Blessed be his ignorance! His hunger for more drove him to the only Aṣṭāṅga class in Berlin which left him sore for a week and completely hooked. He soon stopped partying and drinking and started teaching ashtanga to friends. He eventually gave up his IT career and opened Berlin’s first Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Shala. For the first years his excited ego kept rushing him “up” the ladder of the Aṣṭāṅga Yoga series’. However, he started to wonder if it was taking the right path. As he questioned the real meaning of yoga he began to question teachers’ techniques of strong adjustments etc.  He felt the unhealthy power structures did not meet traces of yogic ideals. Ready to give up on Aṣṭāṅga, Grischa met Richard Freeman whose unique teaching approach opened his eyes for the mind-blowing world of the ancient scriptures. In addition he saw how egotistical motivations taint our actions, even Yoga practice. Paradoxically he also realized the Aṣṭāṅga method needed to appeal to my ego to keep him engaged on the path towards self-inquiry. All this fundamentally changed the way he lived his life, practiced, and taught Yoga. Grischa loves the Aṣṭāṅga Vinyāsa Yoga method. Mysore Style could easily make it the safest traditional Hatha Yoga practice system. However, he feels this yogic toolbox has not always been used wisely. Injuries are the most obvious symptoms of an ego-driven practice and teaching approach. Just like learning to play an instrument well for music we must practice posture, breath, philosophy etc. with good technique. Yet, both music and Yoga can only arise from effortless concentration and introspection, not from blindly following rituals and rules. Yoga Sutras & The Environment Above all, two factors have initiated the most fundamental and most challenging transformation of all. Grischa started using Yoga Sūtra’s Sadhana chapter as the reference of all Yoga practice and teaching principles. Even more importantly the birth of his two children broadened his perspective on literally everything. He realized that an infinite number of beings will have to live with the effects of our collective war against the planet. Karma is unfailing. Yoga means looking at all our actions without filters, without ignoring or justifying any of it. He realized he had been fueling global warming with tank loads of kerosene for an obscene yogic self-improvement trip for decades. Grischa decided to completely stop air travel and started to fight against our collective irresponsibility. His dream is that all Yogis on the planet wake up and become models for a sustainable and selfless lifestyle. Preserving the planet for our children is more important than all yoga poses that have ever been practiced together. We hope you enjoy this yoga podcast with Grischa Steffin. You can find more about his on his website.  

Actions speak louder than words, and Adam Husler (E-500RYT) uses both to understand universal balance in the practice of yoga. Adam draws experience from a variety of lives lived off the mat, from law school, the boxing ring, the ultramarathon path and the non-profit sector. He brings a unique perspective to those who seek more from yoga than making pretty shapes. He offers creative, effective and clearly-sequenced teachings that focus on balancing flexibility and strength; physically and mentally. Inspired by a fascination with anatomy, Adam specialises in Alignment-Based Vinyasa Yoga, informed by years of study and with Jason Crandell, and assisting him on a number of advanced teacher trainings. Being further influenced by; the spiritual wisdom of renowned meditation teacher Michael Stone, the dynamic teachings of Cameron Shayne and the anatomical knowledge of Tom Myers, Adam consistently refines his teaching method both as instructor and student. Adam specialises in a signature style of Alignment-Based Vinyasa— fuelled by a fascination with anatomy and a desire to ask ‘why?’. Classes are less focused on dramatic postures as an end in themselves, but on becoming more engaged, attentive, integrated and focused in asanas, as we explore our breath, mind and body at our individual threshold. Each month, Adam’s public classes have a different theme and each week a difference sequence, all featuring; long holds, controlled yet dynamic movements, intelligent alignment, anatomical precision, non-absolutism and a focus on integrity, over depth, in postures. They’re also dogma free!  Adam seeks to remind all that an asana practice is a very subjective experience, and whether you are a yoga teacher or new to the practice, there’ll be plenty of options to challenge all in their journey of self enquiry. Early Roots Raised in Birmingham, Adam found his way north to the chilly hills of Durham to continue a path to a lucrative legal career. However, legal books soon got put aside and Adam began to work with underprivileged teens,  young offenders institutions; occasionally in other countries too, like Nepal and Hounduras. Managing 2 brand new youth-hubs and event spaces in Central London. Including theatre, recording studios, commercial catering business, event space, gym, dance studios and more. Specialising in Youth Leadership and Life Coaching for 13-25 year olds with Changemakers. Clients including Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Agreed to run 5 marathons and an 100km ultramarathon in 3 months. Has a black belt in Shotokan karate. Physically ‘peaked’ as a 110kg weight lifting boxer with mutton chops. Doesn’t often read books twice, unless they’re by Albert Camus. Was briefly the face of Samsung Portugal. We hope you enjoy the Keen on Yoga Podcast with Adam Husler. You can find more about him on his website.  

Eddie Stern is a Yoga teacher, author, and lecturer from New York City. He has been practicing Yoga since 1987, and ran his school in SoHo from 1993-2019. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the school became a focal point for Ashtanga Yoga in New York with an eclectic mix of downtown artists and spiritual seekers practicing and meditating next to well-known personalities such as Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mike D, and Lou Reed, in what was also Manhattan’s first consecrated Ganesh Temple. Eddie has a passion for seeking out diversity in all aspects of his work and uses a multidisciplinary approach of combining technology, scientific research, and collaboration to help further understanding, education, and access to yoga. He continues to study philosophy, Sanskrit, ritual, science, and religion, as well as maintain a passion for the daily practice Yoga. Eddie learned Ashtanga yoga under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath Jois, of Mysore, India. Undertakings: Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, Eddie is a newly appointed advisory board member to the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance. Author of One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life, a bestselling book that examines from both a Western scientific perspective and an Eastern philosophical perspective the underlying mechanisms that make yoga an amazingly effective practice for health, wellbeing, and spiritual development. The Breathing App, a free app which guides the user in a paced breathing exercise that balances the nervous system, helping to improve sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety. Created with his wife, Jocelyne Stern, and app programmer and collaborator Sergey Varichev. International Yoga and Science Conferences, an ongoing forum for presenting rigorous scientific evidence on yoga and meditation which is accessible, inspiring, and actionable; created with Dr. Marshall Hagins. Namarupa, Categories of Indian Thought, a Hindu philosophy and art journal, and a boutique book publishing house, with partner Robert Moses. Engineering Health, a free, online yoga and physiology program with the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, created with Alexandra Seidenstein and Dr. Erich Anderer. Urban Yogis, a yoga and meditation program for community transformation led by Juquille Johnston, Jaytaun MacMillan, Raheem Lewis, and Pastor NaRon Tillman, in South Jamaica, Queens. LIFE Camp is a gun violence reduction program in South Jamaica, Queens, started and run by Erica Ford. The program uses a multi-modality intervention model to interrupt violence before it can occur. It is a city-funded program and the instigator of the NYC Crisis Management System which has reduced shootings by 40% in NYC. Eddie is the current co-Chairperson of LIFE Camp. Set/Reset (previously Breathe, Move, Rest) Eddie was the co-founder of this health and wellness educational non-profit that has trained school teachers in 120 schools in the US in health and wellness practices based on yoga and meditation (reaching approximately 70,000 school kids, K-12.) He was a founding board member of Bent On Learning, nonprofit organization committed to teaching yoga to New York City public school children. As well, he led curriculum writing teams for Pure Edge, and other yoga/health and wellness in schools non-profits. Inner Peace Network, a new platform devoted to supporting the teachers and teachings of the great wisdom traditions, and the cultures that they have emerged from. Along with Jocelyne, Eddie founded The Broome Street Temple (2001-2015) Manhattan’s first Vedically consecrated Ganesh Temple.

Welcome to the Keen on Yoga Podcast with Annie Pace. With over 40 years of experience, Annie is one of the most adept practitioners of traditional Ashtanga Yoga. Guruji taught her the first four Ashtanga sequences completely and introduced her to the fifth (Advanced C Section). In 1995, he presented her with a rare “Advanced B” certification to teach. Annie has a very clear and compassionate teaching style. All levels of practitioners benefit from her ability to distill her decades of experience. Her skill in working therapeutically with students of compromised health, physicality or other adverse situations is one of her most profound gifts. Annie considers it a blessing and and honor to have been entrusted with carrying on this lineage. It is her primary intention to do so in authenticity.  Annie expresses her heartfelt gratitude to all of her teachers, in particular Guruji (the late Sri K Pattabhi Jois),  Aunti-ji (the late Smt Tapti Sinha), and Acharya (Dr KLS Jois). These human lights have exemplified unconditional love and devotion, and have generously provided clear and accessible guidance to so many. Sattvic Living Annie's immersion in yogic sciences also expands into Ayurveda, yogic cooking, and Hindustani music. Shakti Sharanam Yoga Shala is located in the mountain community of Crestone, Colorado, a place known for its many spiritual centers as well as its stunning natural setting at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Shakti Sharanam is a Sanskrit phrase meaning 'a refuge for sacred energy'.  The center is dedicated to upholding the purity of yogic tradition and exemplifying it as a life practice. Shakti Sharanam embodies a rare synthesis of ancient yogic principles and contemporary environmental sustainability. The project was intentionally designed from the ground up to host students for custom courses of study. Unplugged from the electrical grid, Shakti Sharanam’s straw-bale structures are sustainably powered and heated by solar energy. The natural building materials provide an exceptionally pure environment conducive to study and practice. Shakti Sharanam has been a long-time feature of the Crestone Energy Fair home tour, as well as part of the Camino de Crestone pilgrimage tour. 

Welcome to the Keen on Yoga Podcast with Alexandria Crow.  Alexandria is an internationally respected teachers’ teacher who leads teacher trainings and workshops around the world. Through her Yoga Physics methodology she aims to clearly explain the what, why’s and how’s of asana, meditation and yogic philosophy making the practice approachable for everyone, of every level and of every walk of life. She shares this knowledge with her students and other teachers so they can practice and teach wisely, sustainably and mindfully. Her in-person continuing education workshops and online DeConstruct to ReConstruct Course, as well as her 300 hour teacher intensive train teachers to be better informed on yogic philosophy and history, the physical mechanics of the body and how to apply that knowledge to asana, as well as how to ethically lead group classes that are accessible and sensitive to all. Her Yoga Physics mentorship program is helping teachers build on their strengths, while discovering their own unique voices. As a former competitive gymnast, the physical challenges of a rigorous and highly technical yoga practice initially provided Alex with a natural familiarity, but it was yoga’s philosophical concepts and their application to one’s life that were and still remain her driving interest beyond the physical technique of asana. Through a series of significant and unforeseen injuries her practice and teaching has dramatically evolved towards sustainability and accessibility. Alex has spent years researching the reasons that yoga classes and poses are often unsustainable and carry risks for the population who can perform them while also being inaccessible to a large portion of the population.  Moving Forward Years of research, scientific inquiry, self inquiry/scrutiny, development and integration have gone into Alex’s work. The result is an evolved set of techniques and approaches that eliminate the problematic components of physical asana practices and group classes while providing an in-depth understanding of how individual teachers situate themselves within these dynamics. In order to move forwards from the current Western paradigm, Alex’s courses add techniques that retain the qualities students love about yoga classes but allow students to engage in personal inquiry with agency at a much greater depth. The class formats and teaching tools that Alex offers are sustainable and accessible for anyone that wants to take class regardless of circumstance and that teach yoga’s philosophy in real time in an experiential way. Alex’s emphasis on paying attention and her insistence on each individual respecting their own uniqueness encourages them to love and celebrate who they are. It’s this love of their own unique perfection that creates true change in her students so they can connect with more grace to themselves, to others and to the world.

Marque, a US Marine Veteran, long time rock climber and overall outdoor enthusiast, discovered Ashtanga Yoga while seeking different ways to alleviate his lower back pain. After noticing an almost immediate physical change, Marque then slowly began to see other positive changes happening in his life as well. With no Ashtanga teachers in the area, he found himself with no choice but to get up early and practice on his own before work everyday. During this time Marque also attended a 200 teacher training and several Ashtanga workshops and intensives to deepen his understanding of this beautiful system. In the fall of 2014 Marque decided to follow in the footsteps of the teachers that he most respected and applied for study at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI). Marque was accepted and spent the first 2 months of 2015 in Mysore, India learning under the guidance of R. Sharath Jois. Marque has practiced with Sharath during multipe US tours and has also returned to India each year since and has practiced with both Sharath and Saraswathi. Marque received the blessing (Level 2 Authorization) from Sharath on December 12th, 2017 during his morning practice. Marque is the owner of Great Lakes Ashtanga Yoga, where he runs a full Mysore program, teaches private lessons and hosts workshops. He, his wife and their adopted Indian street dog travel as often as possible to climb or to share yoga with others.

In this Keen on Yoga Podcast with Mary Taylor Freeman Adam discusses food and diet to support a yoga practice. Mary began studying yoga in 1971, soon after she came home from France with a grande diplôme from Julia Child’s cooking school, L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes. She found yoga at first a means of finding equanimity during the stress of University, and it was that thread of balance that got her hooked. It was not until 1988 and finding her primary teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and the Ashtanga Vinyasa system that she experienced the profound and transformative impact that a dedicated and daily practice can have on all aspects of life. She continues to study and practice yoga and Buddhist teachings with great enthusiasm and inquisitiveness, with an eye on how the residue that is produced on the mat (and cushion) through these teachings informs and supports all aspects of everyday life. Mary travels and teaches with Richard and also within the caregiver and hospital setting as part of the core faculty of the Being with Dying program (Upaya Zen Center) and the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Trainings. I In 1988 she co-founded with Richard the Yoga Workshop. Mary is also the author of three cookbooks and the co-author of What Are You Hungry For? Women Food and Spirituality (St. Martins Press) and The Art of Vinyasa (Shambhala Publications).

Dena Kingsberg has been studying and practicing traditional Ashtanga yoga for over 30 years.  She is a devoted long-term student of the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and is among the most respected and senior practitioners and teachers in the world. Dena has a disciplined, yet lyrical style of teaching. Her holistic approach looks beyond external form to inspire a passion for self-discovery and reflection.  She lives with her husband Jack, in the forest in the hinterland, beyond Byron Bay Australia in a stone and recycled timber home that they built with their own hands, over a few decades. Her ashtanga journey began at the age of 21 while she was spending from three to six months of each year in Mysore.  Transformation through the practice was her primary focus. Dena went from primary to intermediate, then all of advanced A with Guruji adding asanas one by one of advanced B until it was completed.  By this time she was the age of 33. Her practice took about 4 ½ hours. After 15 years practice she was blessed with the birth of her first child, Zoli and three years later followed by her brother Izac. Dena believes that the quality of breath relates to quality of life and that to breathe in leads to inspiration, creativity, illumination and awakening.  And that the development of breath capacity and control not only enhances respiratory function but sits at the heart of emotional well being and spiritual connectivity. Chanting is another important element to Dena, one which she has cultivated as a means to connect with divinity beyond and within as a spiritual practice unto itself.  Dena remains committed, deeply inspired and continuously amazed by the vast healing potential of Ashtanga as a life changing practice. She feels that yoga does not promise a life without hardship, sorrow, or pain, but it gives us tools to keep the mind steady through success and failure.