Stillpoints: A Podcast with Scott Johnson

Tara Mitra: How the Yoga Tradition Helps Us Study the Mind Tara Mitra has been studying the human mind since 1989. She began through management, self-help, and every healing modality she could find. Then yoga found her and eventually led her deep into the Yoga Sutras, Sankhya philosophy, and Vedic chanting. Now a yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist in the Krishnamacharya lineage, she brings rare clarity to what this path is actually for. Scott and Tara had wanted to record this conversation for a long time. She joined from a noisy Karnataka, India, at the start of monsoon season. Sign up here to receive Scott's weekly Sunday Inspiration Newsletter and receive original philosophy, poems, podcasts and films, photography, plus music to inspire your day. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:28 Growing up between Catholic school and a Hindu father - the Mahabharata on weekends, Mass on weekdays. 03:35 Walking into a temple at eighteen and falling into full prostration, something she didn't plan and couldn't explain. 09:46 Ten years trying to understand the mind through management books and self-help. 13:01 Reiki, shamanism, sound healing, somatic work - searching through every modality she could find. 15:27 Finding the Yoga Sutras and Sankhya philosophy: a map for the mind that finally made sense. 18:07 How the contemplative space can become a place to hide rather than to grow. 22:06 Leaving management barefoot in California: "take the suit off". 25:05 Her father: "I spent my entire life to get you out of India". 27:20 The colonisation of yoga - watching the roots disappear in real time. 35:10 Not fully belonging to Canada or India: "maybe that's my role". 42:58 Sankhya philosophy and the Yoga Sutras as a technology of the mind, not a religion. 49:49 Why chanting works, even if you find it strange. 59:46 What yoga can offer people with serious mental health conditions, and where its limits are. 65:56 What thirty-seven years of practice has actually taught her. 68:13 Chanting the Narayan Upanishad in her father's living room and seeing his jaw drop. 69:18 "There is always hope"... About Tara Mitra Tara Mitra has been practising yoga for twenty-two years and studying the human mind since 1989. With East Indian and Canadian heritage, she carries a rare dual fluency — she understands both the roots of the tradition and the world her Western students are coming from, and she refuses to water one down for the other. She trained in Ashtanga Yoga under Tim Miller, R. Sharath, and R. Saraswathi Jois, and spent four years assisting at a busy shala in Mysore, India. For almost a decade she has been a student of Dr. Vigneshwar Bhat, studying the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras, and Vedic Chanting in depth. She is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IYAT, Krishnamacharya lineage), specialising in trauma, stress, and anxiety. Her teaching is traditional and rigorous — and, by all accounts, quietly joyful. Instagram: @taramitrayoga Scott's thoughts Tara is one of those people who makes the tradition feel alive and urgent. She carries the lineage with real care, and asks questions that made me look at my own practice more honestly. I'm grateful this conversation finally happened. Scott Johnson, Stillpoints

In this wide ranging conversation Scott Johnson talks to Wade Oakley, yoga teacher, strength coach and long-time Ashtanga practitioner, about what it means to sustain a practice across a whole life. Among many honest, personal and thoughtful exchanges, Wade shares how strength training, injury and repeated trips to Mysore have shaped not just his body but his understanding of what devotion to practice really means. Sign up here to receive Scott's weekly Sunday Inspiration Newsletter and receive original philosophy, poems, podcasts and films, photography, plus music to inspire your day. 00:00 Introduction  01:03 When did you know yoga would be part of your life? 03:29 The fish and the hook — on being slowly caught by practice 05:41 What came before yoga — golf, back injury and the gym 09:14 Did yoga heal the shoulder?  10:23 The early years at UVA — yoga, boxing gloves and John Bultman 13:09 Going to India for the first time 15:17 The spiritual side — temples, scepticism and what study does over time 16:26 Practicing with Saraswati — a supercharged window 20:07 How Mysore shifts your sense of what life can look like 22:00 The corporate years — management consulting, biotech and eight trips to Mysore 24:07 Finding your own way through the dogmatic wormhole 26:08 Thinking about longevity — why people stop and how to stay in 29:11 What curiosity in Mysore planted — watching practitioners who could float 31:00 The skiing accident, the knee surgery and what it unlocked 36:03 Learning to feel the body in a new way 38:38 How rehabilitation brought strength work back in 42:48 Building a stronger body and what it changed in backbending 46:18 Safety, surrender and what strength makes possible in practice 48:34 Is the practice still a sadhana? 52:49 Yoga, strength culture and keeping the yoga as the yoga 55:13 The sledgehammer — finding the right tool for the right nail 57:34 When practice becomes less physical and more spacious 01:03:56 What Wade would leave people with — turn towards the friction About Wade Oakley Wade Oakley began practicing Ashtanga Yoga in 2012 at the University of Virginia under Certified teacher John Bultman. He went on to study directly with R. Sharath Jois in Mysore, India across many extended trips, receiving Level 2 Authorization in 2018 and learning Advanced B before Sharath's passing. In honour of his late teacher, Wade strives to practice and teach in the spirit and tradition Sharath conveyed in Mysore and around the world. As a teacher, Wade seeks to instil curiosity and a sense of personal ownership in each student's yoga journey. His own path has led him into deep exploration beyond the mat, across strength training, injury prevention, nutrition and recovery, areas he sees not as departures from practice but as ways of expanding what practice can hold. He believes an Ashtanga yoga practice can be a boundlessly enriching part of anyone's life. "Wade is someone who I really connected to when we met last year after recording the Sharath podcasts. We really connected and I loved his approach to longevity in yoga. What I appreciate most is his honesty. He's not selling a system. He's sharing what he's actually found, in his body, over years of real practice and work. If longevity in practice matters to you, I think this conversation will resonate." Scott Johnson, 2025  

Episode 5: Shraddha Jois on the life of her father, Sharath. In the final episode of Memories of Sharath, we hear from someone who knew Sharath Jois more deeply than any student ever could: his daughter, Shraddha. Speaking with quiet strength and heartfelt clarity, Shraddha reflects on growing up in the Jois household, surrounded by yoga, devotion, and community. She shares the moment she chose the path of yoga for herself, and how that choice transformed her bond with her father, from a playful, loving dad to spiritual teacher and guide. With stories of long car rides, private lessons, family dinners, and his unmistakable sense of humour, Shraddha offers a rare and tender portrait of the man behind the lineage. It's an intimate conversation about love, legacy, and the quiet power of presence. As the Memories of Sharath series comes to a close, this episode offers a final glimpse, through the eyes of a daughter, into the life of a teacher who shaped a global tradition and touched countless lives, starting with his own family. If you're joining for the first time, you can listen to Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 and Episode 4 to begin the journey. Subscribe, Listen, and Remember Sharath Jois's legacy is woven through these voices in the stillness, in the laughter, and in the ways we continue to return to our practice. As we remember him, we stay connected to what matters most: love, presence, and the quiet strength of community. The Sunday Inspiration Email  Receive a gentle email every Sunday to inspire your day. Since 2017 Scott Johnson has shared the 'Stillpoint Sunday Inspiration Email' every week. He shares simple yoga philosophy, music he's listening to, short films he's watched, People of Yoga film & photography portraits and his poetry. If this is something you'd like to receive you can sign up here...

Episode 4: The Final Collective Memories - Stories from Sharath's Friends & Students In this fourth episode of Memories of Sharath, it will be the last time we bring collective voices in one place. Over the four collective episodes , the memories shared have revealed not only the depth of Sharath's connection to people, but also how the practice of Ashtanga Yoga shapes all of us us in deeply personal ways. How it binds us together through a shared thread - connection. The stories in this episode share a mix of humour, honesty, tenderness, and devotion. There are moments of being seen, challenged, and cared for. Together, these stories paint a picture of a man who could carry the weight of a lineage while still making space for laughter, mischief, and joy. Each story offers a glimpse into the profound simplicity of how he taught: by showing up fully, again and again. In this episode, you'll hear from: Peg Mulqueen, who remembers Sharath's quiet support through grief, offering steadiness and laughter when it was needed most. Tom Norrington-Davis, who recalls the playful teasing and sharp precision that left you feeling both challenged and seen. John Bultman offers a portrait of quiet sacrifice, deep listening, and patient guidance. Rocket Kaleshu reflects on the joy and simplicity with which Sharath passed on the practice. John Tattva shares the warmth of speaking with him in Kannada, the magic of the old shala, and life-changing connections. David Robson & Jelena Vesic speak to the evolution of their relationship with him, from fierce discipline to unexpected softness. David Swenson takes us back to the boy Sharath once was, someone who was full of light, laughter, and mischief. Subscribe, Listen, and Remember Sharath Jois's legacy is woven through these voices — in the stillness, in the laughter, and in the ways we continue to return to our practice. As we remember him, we stay connected to what matters most: love, presence, and the quiet strength of community. The Sunday Inspiration Email  Receive a gentle email every Sunday to inspire your day. Since 2017 Scott Johnson has shared the 'Stillpoint Sunday Inspiration Email' every week. He shares simple yoga philosophy, music he's listening to, short films he's watched, People of Yoga film & photography portraits and his poetry. If this is something you'd like to receive you can sign up here...

Episode 3: A Life Remembered, A Practice Continued -  Stories from Sharath's Friends & Students In this third episode of Memories of Sharath, we continue to explore the life and legacy of Sharath Jois through the voices of those who knew him well. This episode features deeply personal reflections from long-time students, close friends, and those whose lives were shaped by his steady presence and quiet encouragement. These stories reveal Sharath's capacity to meet each person with care - to see them, guide them, and trust them. Through humour, devotion, honesty, and sometimes heartbreak, we hear how his teachings lived far beyond the mat. In this episode, you'll hear from: Karen Cairns – A long-time student whose two-decade journey with Sharath was marked by quiet love, resilience, and grace. Joseph Armstrong & Edgar Navarro – Sharing funny and intimate memories from hosting Sharath in Miami, including filming his final Mysore class. Priya Jhawar – Offering a tender, familial view of Sharath through stories of food, mischief, and deep love. Dominic Corigliano – Bridging past and present through memories of Sharath's early years and his growth into leadership. Matt Corigliano – Reflecting on being seen and shaped by Sharath from childhood into adulthood. Alexander Medin – A powerful and honest reflection on a friendship marked by both rupture and enduring gratitude. Subscribe, Listen, and Remember Sharath Jois's legacy is woven through these voices — in the stillness, in the laughter, and in the ways we continue to return to our practice. As we remember him, we stay connected to what matters most: love, presence, and the quiet strength of community. The Sunday Inspiration Email  Receive a gentle email every Sunday to inspire your day. Since 2017 Scott Johnson has shared the 'Stillpoint Sunday Inspiration Email' every week. He shares simple yoga philosophy, music he's listening to, short films he's watched, People of Yoga film & photography portraits and his poetry. If this is something you'd like to receive you can sign up here...