About
Michael began life doing all the things that he thought were expected of him. Playing the right sports, choosing the right degree, admitted as an attorney and creating the white picket fence. Until one day he began asking himself what he really wanted to be doing with his life. At that moment his life began to change. He quit his job and started what would be the adventure of a lifetime. During this process of evolution he asked himself what brought him joy? He wrote them down “Yoga, Surfing, Hula hooping, Sailing and Writing” and decided to pursue them without shame, guilt or fear of what society thought. He left behind his law career, girlfriend, security, comfort and he took a chance. He began to live the dreams of his life. In 2013, he got on a boat with 3 other humans and sailed from Cape Town, South Africa to the Caribbean.
After sailing across the Atlantic ocean, living and working in the USA, Europe and Asia, he found himself completing his 200hr Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) outside Bangalore, India. Up until then he had an abundance of external gratification but still felt a certain lacking within. Little did he know that Shrimath yoga school would give him the tools and processes with which to go on an adventure of a different kind. This time he headed inwards, slaying the dragons of his past and uncovering those truths that had been alluding him. He came face to face with his shadow self and those parts of himself that he didn’t want to acknowledge. It wasn’t an easy journey, quitting his job and going on an adventure was one thing, finding internal peace was quite another!
The Living Tradition of Yoga gave him a framework within which to begin his internal adventure. A philosophy developed and practiced over millennia guided him as he began to explore the true nature of his existence. Amongst other things it gave him an understanding of the power of his breath. Through regulating his breath within the ancient yogic framework of Pranayama, he began to experience the connection between mind, body and soul. As he got closer to his breath, he began to experience a different kind of freedom, that was beyond material possessions and could never be taken away.
His curated practice gave him glimpses of what lay beyond the veil of illusion or maya. He began to see the mental disturbances in his mind for what they were, just stories. What lay beyond was far more pure and blissful than he could ever have imagined. He began to realize that it was his birthright to experience joy and freedom. The breath became his anchor during the storm as it allowed him to observe and regulate his emotions, and he skillfully began to transmute and change his state of being purely through regulating his breath. He learnt how to breathe with his entire body and beyond. Integrating all the systems of his body through the breath. He stepped into a new level of wellness and touched a different part of his existence.
Guided by the pillars of the Living Tradition of Yoga, Michael has committed to sharing this gift with the world. It all starts and ends with the breath. Simple, yet so powerful as we understand the gift and power within each breath. His daily consistent practice or Sadhana gave him the space and clarity to connect with the true nature of his existence. Through the breath Michael believes we can see the woods from the trees, that we are the wave that is part of the ocean and not separate. That we are more powerful than we could ever imagine. These techniques are not for the exclusive monks living on top of a mountain. They are available to everyone. It is our right to experience joy, unconditional love, peace, serenity and bliss. The gift of your breath will take you there no matter where you are.
