Friends, many of you ask me how I came on this path. So in this article I want to share a bit of my story.
Searching for something deeper
I was raised Christian, and from a young age I was interested in spirituality, in God, in religion. When I was about 12, 13, 14, I started to ask my own questions: what do I really believe? I started reading about other religions and traditions, and about how the mind and the brain work. It became a fascination.
I lived near a national park, with a lot of nature and a lot of water. I used to go there and just sit. Staring at the water, not really looking, just watching life unfold without trying to control anything. Something meditative, something mesmerising. Looking back, that was my first meditation.
From theory to practice
I also suffered from eczema and a lot of skin problems. And I started to see that it really helped to take care of mind and body, not just by putting creams on the symptoms, but by calming the mind, eating well, and living with discipline. So I went deeper into practices: yoga, QiGong, meditation, mind training.
And I found that in religion and philosophy there can be a lot of theory, but through these practices you feel the truth. Not knowing it with the mind, but experiencing it directly, with the heart.
The accident
When I was 18, I had a big car accident. My right arm was paralysed, and I had spinal injuries and other injuries. To heal myself, I started doing a lot of QiGong, breathwork and meditation. Sometimes difficulties push you in a certain direction, and they bring growth into your life. That was certainly true for me.
Why I share this
Over the years I travelled a lot, and everywhere I saw how many people suffer from stressful living, from not being able to handle their own mind and emotions, from feeling disconnected. And I saw how these ancient techniques can help people regulate their nervous system, live in a healthier and more balanced way, and reconnect with the source.
That’s why I started Yogalap, the Life Awareness project. First I wanted to share everything for free. Today my courses are pay what you can, because I believe this knowledge should be available to everyone. Knowledge is for sharing.
When I teach, I feel the wisdom flow through me. That is my purpose. And it makes me so grateful to see more than a hundred thousand students around the world taking these practices into their own lives.
Continue your practice
If my story speaks to you, start where I started: with your breath. Breath is Life, Ocean of Energy (QiGong) and Awakening (meditation) share the practices that helped me most. All my courses are pay what you can, so everyone can learn these practices, whatever their situation.
May we all be blessed with peace, love and wisdom.
Michaël
