Hi, I’m Michael.
I teach insight practices — yoga, meditation, and a few less obvious ones — to people building things in leadership and technology.
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About
Twenty years teaching yoga, running a studio, and thinking about what insight practices actually do. They sharpen attention — and attention is the bottleneck on every hard problem, personal or professional. I write about that intersection, work one-on-one with leaders and builders, and run The Yoga Club in D.C.
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Tuesday
November 10, 2026
To Be a Gay Man
…models for me growing up, therefore, were basically repressed gay men, who danced the tune of the heteronormative bureaucracy for the entertainment of the audience at home. That wasn't a life I wanted. These days, TV regulars like Graham Norton occupy a fantastic position, seen…
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After the worst has happened, when you look back and see, no, in fact, it was not because there was something wrong…
To Be a Gay Man Will YoungSource: Will Young · To Be a Gay Man · Will Young
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One hundred percent. While I may have suffered unbelievably for having been queer as a little boy, I mean, truly, it…
To Be a Gay Man Will YoungSource: Will Young · To Be a Gay Man · Will Young
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The Fashion World Has Moved Beyond Yeezy’s Aspirations
In the past year, Ye has waged a comeback. He took out an ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing for his antisemitic remarks, and in March he released "Bully," his first album since the self-inflicted firestorm. Ye has since played sold-out concerts in Chicago,…
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The Fashion World Has Moved Beyond Yeezy’s Aspirations
All his antecedent controversies aside, this show convinced me that Ye is no longer a vital voice in fashion. There was a time when Ye had the Midas touch. (Or, perhaps, the muddy gray touch.) The New York Times (full text)Source: The New York Times…
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Did Triceratops Fight? Fossils Reveal the Shocking Evidence #Shorts #Triceratops #Dinosaur
Did Triceratops Fight? Fossils Reveal the Shocking Evidence #Shorts #Triceratops #Dinosaur Animalogic · sourceSource: Animalogic — youtube.com
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Did Triceratops Fight? Fossils Reveal the Shocking Evidence #Shorts #Triceratops #Dinosaur
For decades, paleontologists debated whether those iconic three horns and massive bony frills were purely for display, defense against predators like T. rex, or combat within their own species. Animalogic · sourceSource: Animalogic — youtube.com
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Man buys ebook he's not allowed to read, can't get refund 🤦 Louis Rossmann · sourceSource: Louis Rossmann — youtube.com
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Sex Work Made Me See Men Differently
Paloma Karr, a sex worker and writer, tells Anna Martin, the host of the "Modern Love" podcast, how working in a legal brothel in Nevada changed her understanding of men The New York Times · sourceSource: The New York Times — youtube.com · Sex Work…
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DCU shake-up: James Gunn and Peter Safran out post-merger
HBO has done right by the DCU: I loved both seasons of Peacemaker; Lanterns is a shining beacon of what is possible when someone is allowed to get really creative within the genre; and I'm very much looking forward to next year's Jimmy Olsen (Skylar…
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1. The Dangers of Safety
1. The Dangers of Safety Freakonomics Radio · sourceSource: Freakonomics Radio — mgln.ai
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Etsy IRL Instead of spending hours scrolling through vintage finds at 2am, you can browse crafts from around the world at the MMEG market. A cut of the sales fund education grants, which cancels out buyer’s remorse. (10am to 5pm) 10am to 5pm → https://us.list-manage.com/HFy5ZNK4Z9A?e=fc2268d0b5&c2id=3b8ddcf1279fac8169615f1d26995685…
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Sound like a good adventure on Friday! What even is a jingle dress?? 730DCSource: 730DC
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Pride
Liz is already a doctor of physical therapy. Becky isn't far behind — neither is Victoria. All three pursued their doctorates while keeping a serious practice. They've each thanked me, at different points, for fostering their curiosity. For never letting them forget what they were…
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Comic books go undercover in a new exhibit at DC’s Spy Museum
In Tuesday's episode of "Matt About Town," we're showing you how a new exhibit at D.C.'s International Spy Museum is looking to change that. It's called "Comic Book Confidential," and curators say they hope this exhibit serves as a great introduction to the world of…
Open the pick →Practice with us this season
Two seasons a year in DC through 2029, and four Mysore weekends a year on the coast of Mexico. Pick a date, hold a seat.
Self Practice by the Sea
A Mysore retreat on the Riviera Maya.
Four mornings of practice, four nights on the coast, a private home with a rooftop pool. Four dates a year through 2029, four spots each.
Semester Enrichment
Sixteen Sundays. Two cohorts. Four seats each.
Fall 2026 is sold out. Spring 2027 opens 7 February — Functional Primary or Functional Intermediate — and the fall format returns in September. Seasons run through 2029.
Books by Michael Joel Hall
Six books on Ashtanga, systems, and the craft of a practice. Functional Ashtanga is free; the rest are $10 each, or all six for $50. EPUB + PDF, instant download.
Functional Ashtanga
The manifesto and the method — the whole project’s front door, built on one principle: agency, not compliance.
Free
Self Practice
The method as a manual — how to build an intelligent, sustainable self-practice from the first breath.
$10
Ashtanga 2.0
The philosophy — a postmodern deconstruction of yoga’s authority, and the grounded mysticism that survives it.
$10
Mechanism, Not Magic
The thinking underneath the practice — yoga as a system for clear, honest leadership on and off the mat.
$10
How to Build a Yoga Club
The playbook for the room itself — how to build a practice space that lasts, without burning out or selling out.
$10
Your Life Is Art
The systems primer — stocks, flows, and feedback loops, and the craft of composing a life.
$10
Press
Interviews, bylines, and the occasional controversy.
What is Ashtanga Yoga? The Benefits of This Challenging Practice
“Ashtanga demands fitness, flexibility, and focus — a calming, yet sweaty form of moving meditation.”
Read →Yoga Teacher Recovers, But Attack Highlights a Job’s Health Care Issue
The catalyst for my ongoing advocacy around economic precarity in the yoga teaching profession.
Read →Building Resilience in This Political Climate
A practice sequence for finding strength and clarity when the news is loud.
Read →Responding to Rand Paul on Free Yoga for Government Employees
“They are in less pain, physically and mentally. They go on and do a better job.”
Read →Does Yoga Really Foster Transformation?
On why I practice — to cultivate the conditions required for transformation.
Read →Mysore, the Place and the Practice
A long conversation with Chris Parkinson about my journey, cross-training, and the trajectory of yoga in D.C.
Listen →The Newsletter
A daily email on consciousness, leadership, technology, and practice. No fluff. Unsubscribe anytime.
Recent Writing
Fresh off the press.
- To Be a Gay Man
- After the worst has happened, when you look back and see, no, in fact, it was not because there was something wrong…
- One hundred percent. While I may have suffered unbelievably for having been queer as a little boy, I mean, truly, it…
- The Fashion World Has Moved Beyond Yeezy’s Aspirations
- The Fashion World Has Moved Beyond Yeezy’s Aspirations
- Did Triceratops Fight? Fossils Reveal the Shocking Evidence #Shorts #Triceratops #Dinosaur
Get in Touch
Questions, collaborations, speaking, coaching inquiries — send a note.
