Excerpts of a golden oldie conversation at the Boulder Shambhala Center from yours truly, 2006. Probably the first time I met John.

I remember walking around the Shambhala Center, which I’d grown up in and around, and him talking about reading Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and saying, “anything I can ever do to support elephant, let me know.” That meant an awful lot at the time—I had started a small, grassrootsy print magazine with no money or staff, really, at that time.

And while I never really called in the proffered favor, he did appear on another one of our talk show (by that time at the Boulder Shambhala Center, with 600 in attendance) and has always been a warm presence in the greater mindful elephant community.

Until recently, that is, of course, when his name and reputation and Anusara yoga community became embroiled in accusations and controversy.