Michael got exited about yoga after reading the book "How Yoga Ruined My Life." He started his practice and, since he wanted a totally non-intellectual approach to the matter, never again read a single word about yoga until he took up the teacher training at Svaha some four years later. In yoga and certain other aspects of life, he advocates trust in intuition and abstinence from conceptualization. All else being equal, he much prefers silence over talk and puts insight from direct experience first on his list of Great Lessons Learned in (a Yoga Ruined) Life.

Having enjoyed many forms of physical exercise over many years before coming to yoga (soccer, athletics, triathlon, karate, tai-chi and more), Michael was quite delighted to find something so seemingly simple as yoga postures so physically challenging and yet so deeply calming. He quickly realized though that the main, if not only challenge of yogic practice lies in finding the right attitude towards exercise. An attitude of unambitious, unreflective, primordial yet fully conscious and considerate action needs to be cultivated. This is where, according to Michael, yoga differs from both competitive and fitness oriented sports, as well as most purely meditative practices. Whence that he believes that the fruits of a regular yoga practice so directly permeate all aspects of daily life.

Relating to this, here are some of his favorite quotes:

- "This pose is designed to piss you off." (Alyson Cook, during class.)

- "Give it a rest and then try it again with more soul." (The Bronx, from the song "Around the Horn")

- "Don't DO it. Just BE it." (Variation on Nike slogan.)

When not standing on his head or otherwise recreationally pretzling up, Michael enjoys thinking about abstract things, as he is currently writing his PhD on Philosophy of Language.

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