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Tim FerrissJason Nemer Interview (Full Episode) | The Tim Ferriss Show (Podcast)
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CHAPTERS
- 0:01 – 2:46
Duck Shit Tea and How Tim Met Jason
Tim and Jason open with the story behind their oolong tea and how they first met at a dinner in Santa Monica. That meeting led to Tim's first AcroYoga pose, a reverse bat position, which Jason and Tim describe.
- •Jason explains the tea's name: a Chinese tea so good it was played down by calling it Duck Shit tea
- •They met at a dinner at Dean's home in Santa Monica, with Travis Brewer, the ninja
- •Tim's first AcroYoga photo was in a reverse bat position
- •The pose is described as upside down, ankles held, with the base's legs up in an L position
- 2:46 – 10:55
Origins of AcroYoga and Sports Acrobatics
Jason tells how AcroYoga grew from his sports acrobatics background and Jenny's therapeutic flying, and how the two met. Tim shares how it has helped his hips, then they explore sports acrobatics categories like men's four and basket tosses.
- •Jason competed in sports acrobatics from age 12 and met co-founder Jenny, whose background was therapeutic flying
- •Their first meeting ended with a night talking until 5 AM and putting the practice together
- •AcroYoga now has certified teachers in 55 countries
- •Sports acrobatics includes pairs, trios, men's four, and platform tumbling
- •Tim says his hips, knees and ankles improved with regular practice
- 10:55 – 14:51
The Dark Side of Acrobatics and the Ferrari Engine in a Hyundai Body
Jason and Tim discuss the injury risks of high-level acrobatics and gymnastics, with stories of athletes trying to intimidate rivals. Tim connects this to Jerzy Gregorek's advice about his push-and-break habit and the value of therapeutic work.
- •Jason shares a story of a Bulgarian men's four falling from a four-high pyramid, ending a career
- •Jason says a body that becomes an obstacle to your goals is the dark side of acrobatics
- •Tim describes Gregorek's 'Ferrari engine in a Hyundai body' remark
- •Tim now combines gymnastic strength work with acro three mornings a week, and values traction
- 14:51 – 19:35
Demo: Folded Leaf and Therapeutic Flying
Jason and Tim move to the mat to demonstrate therapeutic flying, starting with folded leaf. They show traction variations and the base, flyer, spotter structure.
- •Folded leaf is offered as one good starting point, with base, flyer and spotter roles
- •Jason explains being water with the arms and earth with the legs
- •Gravity acts as the therapist, letting the spine hang and unwind patterns
- •Shoulders and lower back are the vulnerable areas, so communication matters
- 19:35 – 25:40
Leg Love and Restorative Partner Work
Tim demonstrates 'leg love' moves he used to ease a friend's back pain, with Jason explaining the counter-rotation logic. Jason says the goal is a practice that affirms who you are for life.
- •Leg love releases tension in the legs after being based
- •The moves provide hip, lower back and ankle traction as a counterpose to external rotation
- •Tim says it complements Olympic lifting and squatting
- •Tim reports a 40–50% decrease in his friend's back symptoms
- •Jason says acrobats, yogis and healers can practice into old age, unlike high-level gymnasts
- 25:40 – 31:59
Lu Yi, Scott Blossom, and Healing Philosophy
Jason describes his acrobatic master Lu Yi and a visit that morning to his healing teacher Scott Blossom. Tim reflects on why people drift into healing and how attending to someone else's body teaches you to attend to your own.
- •Lu Yi is a Chinese circus master who refused Jason's requests for training for three years
- •Jason brought Lu Yi to Scott Blossom, a Chinese medicine doctor, for treatment of sciatica
- •Jason practiced metta (loving kindness) while Scott read Lu Yi's pulses
- •A healer must be 'selfish' in listening to their own body to give without depleting themselves
- 31:59 – 38:40
Cross-Pollination: A New Handstand and Shadow Yoga
Jason describes an interlaced-finger handstand he discovered during his Shadow Yoga practice, and Tim ties it to break dancing. Jason then explains Shadow Yoga's origins and principles.
- •Jason tried a handstand with interlaced fingers and found it very hard
- •Playfulness and discovery keep the practice expanding
- •Shadow Yoga was created by Zhander Remete, drawing on Iyengar, Ayurveda, Kalaripayattu and temple dance
- •It starts with joint mobilization and favors soft muscles with bones bearing the weight
- •Jason says it helped him manage lower back pain
- 38:40 – 52:50
Handstand Fundamentals: Alignment, Tightness, Balance
Jason explains the ATB framework with the bridge analogy and Lu Yi-isms, then he and Tim demonstrate handstands and common mistakes. They also discuss hand placement and Tim's rig for handstand practice.
- •ATB stands for alignment, tightness and balance, in that order of priority
- •Lu Yi's cues include 'make body one piece' and 'M-O extension', pushing into the floor
- •Technique means using strength and flexibility skillfully, and a surplus of shoulder flexibility helps
- •Common mistakes include bent elbows and the head too far away, and Jason says not to coach above the shoulders early on
- •Tim describes a handstand rig built on his squat rack's dip attachment and the 50/50 rings setup
- 52:50 – 1:02:03
Dharma Mittra and the State of Yoga
Jason describes his teacher Dharma Mittra and his mystical teachings. Tim asks what bothers Jason about contemporary yoga, and they discuss how partner practice brings yoga into human interaction and community.
- •Dharma Mittra teaches psychic development techniques and mindfulness, beyond physical poses
- •Jason says yoga can become one-wayed, like religion
- •He says there is a ceiling on yoga if the wisdom isn't brought into daily life
- •AcroYoga lets people rehearse human interaction and builds a tight, self-regulating community
- 1:02:03 – 1:14:21
Corkscrews, Hand-to-Hand and Human Chaos
Tim flies in a corkscrew sequence and hand-to-hand with Jason as base. They discuss hand angles and why training with humans teaches a unified body line.
- •Corkscrew sequences and a hand-to-hand are demonstrated with Tim flying
- •Hand and arm angles need a 'Goldilocks' steepness
- •No gym machine teaches unified body, because human chaos creates the stability to match it
- •Tim explains the progressive 50/50 rings and power lever setup
- 1:14:21 – 1:22:08
Sequencing AcroYoga: Bolero and a Unified Field Theory
Jason describes his grid cross-referencing AcroYoga poses, inspired by Tim's question about a sequence covering the key moves. Tim explains the belt, kata and ski-slope analogies for motivation, and recounts his progress on the sequence.
- •Jason's grid rates transitions between poses from beginner to not possible, to find a 'unified field theory' of AcroYoga
- •He wants a five-minute sequence of core moves, with Bolero as background
- •Tim compares it to belts and kata in martial arts and ski slope ratings
- •Tim completed the sequence except the London spin
- •Josh Waitzkin's idea of learning the macro from the micro, with the corkscrew as a diagnostic
- 1:22:08 – 1:28:55
Role Switching, Compassion, and Balancing Strength with Mobility
Jason and Tim discuss switching between base and flyer roles to build compassion and skill, drawing on tango and bossy flyers. They then cover pairing acrobatic work with therapeutic work, Hatha as sun and moon, and why basing helps Tim's hips.
- •Tim learned the female role in tango first, and says flying helps his basing
- •Jason says experiencing both roles builds compassion
- •Self-care is a performance enhancer, and Tim treats therapeutic work as extra recovery
- •Jason explains Hatha as sun and moon, aiming for 50/50 strength and flexibility
- •Basing re-seats the femur after sitting
- 1:28:55 – 1:39:12
Rapid Fire: Success, Books, Nomadic Kit and Frisbees
In rapid-fire questions, Jason names Gandhi and Einstein as successful and The Prophet as his most-gifted book. He describes his nomadic life and altar, throwing knives, disc golf, and throwing Frisbees off high places as a release.
- •Jason names Gandhi and Einstein for self-reliance and commitment to a vision
- •The Prophet is his most-gifted book, with the Tao Te Ching on his traveling altar
- •He travels with a suitcase, backpack, ukulele and altar items from students and places
- •He plays disc golf and says it is a pastime, not a sport
- •He throws Frisbees off high places as an intentional act of letting go
- 1:39:12 – 1:47:17
Trusting Strangers, Losing the Van, and Becoming Nomadic
Jason says the belief others think is insane is that you can trust people. He tells how losing his van on his 30th birthday launched his nomadic life, and describes his earlier decision to commit to yoga. The episode closes with his billboard message of play, and where to find him.
- •Jason says strangers are just people you haven't flown yet, and trust is like a muscle
- •His van and belongings were gone the day after his 30th birthday, and a Buddhism book led him to wandering
- •He chose to commit to yoga over restaurant work and lived in his mom's van in San Francisco
- •His billboard would say 'Play', with movement and play as his two prescriptions
- •Find him at acroyoga.org, AcroYoga International on YouTube, and jasonnemer.com
