Hi, I’m Michael.
I teach insight practices — yoga, meditation, and a few less obvious ones — to people building things in leadership and technology.
Handpicked. Curated. No ads. No spam. Cozy and real, made daily by Michael.
Read MichaelFilter
Get the hand-curated daily edition and follow the Journals. No feed, no algorithm, no slop.
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.
Open the full Journal & Field Ledger →
Saturday
November 14, 2026
He Thinks He’s the Face
Trump isn’t just a villain; he thinks he’s the hero doing a dramatic turn, and enough Americans are watching the same show.
Read the essay →Yoga and Bipolar Disorder
Research shows gentle yoga may benefit people with bipolar disorder, reducing anxiety and improving focus, though extreme practices should be avoided.
Read the essay →
https://youtube.com/live/gZPvDYASO6A?si=AN9pe7NpRs45GRsR · sourceSource: https://youtube.com/live/gZPvDYASO6A?si=AN9pe7NpRs45GRsR — youtube.com
Open the pick →
A Room of One’s Own
If the internet is making you angry now, in other words, it's your fault, but a newer concern is the creeping digital atomization that AI will accelerate—the illusion that you are interacting with other people when you're not. A filter bubble for one. Dead internet…
Open the pick →
A Room of One’s Own
it had written about the last remaining Blockbuster video store in Bend, Oregon (this was the only post on its Medium account when I checked), a brief piece possessing the dreamlike quality that so much AI writing has, almost coherent but not quite, with occasional…
Open the pick →Friday
November 13, 2026
bigthink.comScholars still can’t define religion. Here’s whyReligious studies scholars acknowledge they cannot produce a universal definition of religion that holds across all cultures and contexts. The difficulty stems from religion's inherent diversity, cultural embeddedness, and the fact that imposing Western academic categories often distorts non-Western✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
Mexico sets a new record for tourist arrivals and spending, even as growth slows
Despite increased travel costs, a decline in air arrivals and a lack of promotion, Mexico registered record figures in international tourist arrivals and spending during the first nine months of 2026. Data compiled by national statistics agency INEGI through September indicates that foreign currency spending…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
On the internal energy (kundalini) risk side – If we jump in at the start doing navi kriya with gusto during uddiyana in asanas, spinal breathing, yoni mudra, chin pump and other parts of our practice, and if we have any ecstatic conductivity occurring, it…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Finally, with our attention, we can trace the energy up and down the spinal nerve between brow and root with each lift and release, much the way we do in spinal breathing. In fact, navi kriya can be done during spinal breathing in just this…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
go very easy with it starting out – maybe 10-20 cycles, a second or two in duration each. There is more. With each inward lift of the navel in navi kriya, we can perform a gentle flex and lift of the anal sphincter – this…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Navi kriya is the process of making the abdominal lift dynamic between the navel and the area of the inner spine that is right behind the solar plexus (all the way back behind the hollow at the bottom/center of the ribs). The diaphragm is in…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Navi kriya is in the “powerful and best presented later” category. And now it is later, so let’s take a look at navi kriya. In yoga, navi is understood to mean “navel,” as in the belly button. Interestingly, in Sanskrit it also means, “boat,” which…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
If it is in your heart to travel the far reaches of inner space while still in this body, then you can do that if you wish. If you want to serve others here on earth, you can do that. You can do both, if…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
will be a foundation in our awareness that is unmoved by all that. This also includes the mind currents that we call “ego,” which we no longer will see as our primary sense of self as inner silence comes up within us. Rather, what happens…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
When cultivated correctly in deep meditation, inner silence is not an experience that comes and goes like so many inner energy experiences do. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
I am not saying that you should avoid kechari. Only suggesting that you build in the appropriate prerequisites step-by-step, and take it one day at a time. In doing that, you will know how and when to proceed. There is a connectedness that arises within…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
If I may, I have a question/dilemma for you: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Kechari is a fabulous practice, but it relies on a foundation being established in inner silence through deep meditation and a balanced global purification of the nervous system through spinal breathing. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
The blase will begin to unwind everywhere, but not in a raw kundalini way – not usually. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
It is inner silence coming up and standing somewhat separate from external activity, including thoughts and feelings. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
This has nothing to do with the inherent potential for rising human spirituality, except that these obstructions lodged in the nervous system yielding ignorance have always been obstacles to be dissolved and transformed to higher expression in every individual. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
A: Of course, in all times religion is a mixture of culture, politics and spirituality, and every time has had many enlightened beings – the vast majority of them we never hear of. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Such experiences do happen as a result of samadhi, but are not prerequisites to it. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Astral projection, bi-location and powers in general are incidental to the overall journey. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
On the other hand, what happens spontaneously on the path (powers) will happen, and we will be wise to just take it in stride and move on with our practices, as you have done. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source:…
Open the pick →
Advanced Yoga Practices – Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
I used to have these experiences quite frequently. Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2Source: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2 · Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol. 2
Open the pick →
Scholars still can’t define religion. Here’s why
Scholars still can’t define religion. Here’s why Big Think · sourceSource: Big Think — bigthink.com
Open the pick →
Fanfiction Isn’t Dead, But AO3 Might Be
Cuando fue la ultima besque de caste de pedir permiso de la ultima besque de caste que las cosa implementeo curieran, y te de caste. Cuando fue la ultima veesque centiste emotion al volante. Nuevo jedo le hueme, or a cinco, el vamos la mobidada…
Open the pick →
A Fire in the Heavens
Page 7 of 23 A Fire in the Heavens · Page 7 of 23Source: A Fire in the Heavens · Page 7 of 23
Open the pick →
Life is easier with neighbors. Here’s how to get to know them
…places we've ever lived. You're the best neighbor we've ever had. Oh. That's lovely to hear. I always kind of joke and say, you know, the zippers on my car hearts nearly burst, you know, hearing that, I thought, oh, great job, David. Then as…
Open the pick →
METRO – Heavy is the Head that Refuses to Share the Crown
METRO - Heavy is the Head that Refuses to Share the Crown Serial · sourceSource: Serial — dts.podtrac.com
Open the pick →
Kratom and 7-OH can feel like ‘a miracle.’ They can also be addictive
Tyler told NPR that 7-OH tablets gave him more energy at first. He works a job where he's on his feet a lot, and with 7-OH, he said, " I can go, go, go, go, go, you know?" He began taking around 300 to 400…
Open the pick →
Kratom and 7-OH can feel like ‘a miracle.’ They can also be addictive
Wilson said kratom powders made her feel anxious and shaky, and 7-OH seems to work for her without those side effects. "It's been truly life-changing for my family situation, my personal life," she said. Wilson doesn't have health insurance, and said losing access to 7-OH…
Open the pick →
An iconic puzzle comes home as production of the Rubik’s Cube returns to Hungary
Rubik, who does not consider himself a speed competitor, said that for him, the cube represents a "transformable sculpture," the place where art and engineering meet and users can manipulate and change the cube in nearly endless variations. "If you are doing something, creating something,…
Open the pick →
An iconic puzzle comes home as production of the Rubik’s Cube returns to Hungary
"The cube represents an intellectual journey, a symbol of intelligence, problem-solving and cognitive discipline," he added, which "has brought joy—and frustration—to many generations." The cube has enjoyed another surge in popularity in recent years as global competitions have proliferated, measuring who can solve the puzzle…
Open the pick →
Why is Google cutting off Search from AI-free schools? Here are some theories
Google was sued by big online publishers who said adding AI overview to search negatively affected their business. The publishers sued under antitrust laws, and their argument hinged on convincing the court that AI Overviews was a separate product from Google Search. "The judge decided…
Open the pick →
Why is Google cutting off Search from AI-free schools? Here are some theories
But even as districts including Los Angeles Unified, Seattle Public Schools and New York City Public Schools recently agreed to bans on AI in the classroom, Google did not. If schools don't want AI Overviews to appear when students use its flagship Search tool, the…
Open the pick →
Next Time, Impeach Pete Hegseth for Press Censorship
Congress should not stop with Hegseth. The impeachment resolution Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., brought against Hegseth included eight articles, alleging that the so-called Secretary of War acted illegally in military campaigns in Iran, Venezuela, and the Caribbean, among other things. The resolution touched on free…
Open the pick →
Next Time, Impeach Pete Hegseth for Press Censorship
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth lashed out at a group he despises even more than "beardos" and "weirdos": the press. His security team threatened to physically remove journalists from a news briefing, Hegseth's first in several months, if they didn't maintain decorum. “beardos” and “weirdos” →…
Open the pick →
Hegseth awards medal to soldier who chastised him
On Thursday, the embattled Defense secretary tried to regain control of the narrative. He invited the soldier who bellowed at him, Spc. Thomas Iglesias, to the Pentagon, where he honored him with the "Joint Service Commendation Medal for the execution of his duties at the…
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.
Get in Touch
Questions, collaborations, speaking, coaching inquiries — send a note.
