This week, we’re honored to welcome Chicago yoga legend Gabriel Halpern to The Funny Thing About Yoga. Gabriel founded The Yoga Circle in 1985 and has been teaching yoga longer than we’ve been alive! Sitting down with him was an absolute treat as we explored the vastness of his life’s work—from discovering yoga through Yogi Bhajan and Kundalini to studying with Iyengar, sharing his philosophies, and the invaluable lessons he’s learned along the way.

A natural storyteller, Gabriel brings wisdom, humor, and positivity to every topic. In this episode, he takes us through his journey—from practicing yoga in San Francisco to navigating challenging moments in the yoga world and eventually selling his beloved studio. He also shares profound insights on the concept of the guru and the importance of separating lessons from the teachers.

There was so much more we wanted to ask, and we can’t wait to have him back for another conversation. We hope you enjoy this inspiring episode! Don’t forget to share, rate, review, and subscribe—it really helps!

WHERE YOU CAN FIND GABRIEL HALPERN:

WEB: https://gabrielhalpern.com/

IG: @themeiste

ONE SPOT LEFT: Nicaragua Yoga Retreat March 2-8, 2025: https://www.cayayogaschool.com/nicaragua

OTHER UPCOMING RETREAT:

Starved Rock Yoga Retreat (JULY): https://www.cayayogaschool.com/starvedrock

ITALY Yoga Retreat (AUGUST): https://www.cayayogaschool.com/italy

BE PART OF OUR FUNNY FAM: https://www.cayayogaschool.com/community

PODCAST SUBSTACK: https://thefunnythingaboutyoga.substack.com/

FOLLOW US:

@thefunnythingaboutyoga @cayayogaschool @gianagambino @bradshawwish

LINKS:

https://www.cayayogaschool.com/

https://www.gianayoga.com/

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In this episode of The Funny Thing About Yoga, Giana, and Bradshaw dive into the world of workshops! Bradshaw shares all the juicy details from his recent handstand workshop, and the duo breaks down how to structure workshops, their purpose, and why they’re valuable for both teachers and students. Along the way, they sprinkle in plenty of laughs with stories about "stealing" content, giving credit where it’s due, spilled coffee disasters, and some truly hilarious retreat texts.

This might just be the tip of the iceberg regarding workshops—there’s so much more to explore, but for now, enjoy this fun and informative chat!

The next Funny Fam Meetup is on January 27 at 8 PM CST! 🎉 Join our community meetup here: https://cayayogaschool.com/pages/community

Sign Up for Bradshaw's next Handstand workshop, on March 16th at Yogaview: https://yogaview.com/workshops-events/

JOIN US ON A RETREAT:

Nicaragua Yoga Retreat (MARCH): https://cayayogaschool.com/pages/nicaragua-retreat

Starved Rock Yoga Retreat (JULY): https://cayayogaschool.com/pages/starved-rock-retreat

ITALY Yoga Retreat (AUGUST): https://cayayogaschool.com/pages/italy-retreat

PODCAST SUBSTACK: https://thefunnythingaboutyoga.substack.com/

FOLLOW US:

@thefunnythingaboutyoga @cayayogaschool @gianagambino @bradshawwish

LINKS:

https://www.cayayogaschool.com/

https://www.gianayoga.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Funny Thing About Yoga, Giana and Bradshaw sit down with fellow yoga podcaster J. Brown for an unfiltered conversation about life behind the mic. They share all the details about recording episodes, trying to stay ahead, navigating listenership, and what it means to have a platform—and whether that comes with responsibility.

J. reflects on his decade-long journey as a podcaster, sharing how he’s landed interviews with revered guests, who’s still on his dream list, and how his approach has evolved. He opens up about starting as a provocateur and how personal shifts have influenced the podcast’s evolution.

The conversation dives into significant topics like the Me Too movement, cancel culture, and learning from the trans community. Later, things get personal as they discuss losing a parent, grief and how yoga can offer a profound connection to spirituality.

This raw, honest, and inspiring chat left us moved by J.’s authenticity and inspired to keep learning and growing in public. If you haven’t already, check out J. Brown’s Yoga Talks podcast for more thoughtful conversations every week.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND J. BROWN:

POD: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j-brown-yoga-talks/id1029751323

WEB: https://www.jbrownyoga.com/

IG: @jbrownyoga

JOIN US ON A RETREAT:

Nicaragua Yoga Retreat (MARCH): https://www.cayayogaschool.com/nicaragua

Starved Rock Yoga Retreat (JULY): https://www.cayayogaschool.com/starvedrock

ITALY Yoga Retreat (AUGUST): https://www.cayayogaschool.com/italy

BE PART OF OUR FUNNY FAM: https://www.cayayogaschool.com/community

PODCAST SUBSTACK: https://thefunnythingaboutyoga.substack.com/

FOLLOW US:

@thefunnythingaboutyoga @cayayogaschool @gianagambino @bradshawwish

LINKS:

https://www.cayayogaschool.com/

https://www.gianayoga.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.