08/06/2026
PRANA LOVE YOGA - WEEKLY UPDATE - 08 JUNE 2026
Hello all
How are you? I hope those who have had the flu are starting to feel better. I am over the worst now ... thank goodness.
Apologies for the delayed post, I had a full weekend of birthday celebrations and family time.
I feel so very blessed that I was surrounded by so many wonderful people for my storytelling birthday event on Sunday. There was so much love, compassion and joy in the air.
And what made it even more special was to have lots of family with me, including my mom, my sister, cousins and surprise attendances from my step-son James and my son Brandon who travelled through the night from PE to be at the event.
And although it was a chilly morning we were blessed with good weather and the most spectacular cloud patterns above us.
When I felt this little nudge within me, to do a storytelling birthday event, I initially had some doubts .. "this would not be fun for everyone.. ", I thought, But the nudge persisted and I reminded myself how powerful it can be to share openly a story that is complete .... not complete in that it covers all the details ... but complete because it doesn't only talk about the shiny happy stuff.
The journey I shared, needed me to be vulnerable and included some sad parts. But I could sense in the moment that this was what many needed ... an invitation to tune into their own hearts and gently hold what had been crying out for some nurturing.
The nudge I had was actually more an intuitive whisper asking me to be of service on this day of celebration.
After my story of my life journey, I shared a few of the key lessons I had learnt along the way. These are not lessons that I can tick off as done, but rather lessons that I continue to work on:
** We don’t need to teach our children … there is limited time with our children … far less than we think … until they are out of reach from our influence. So, rather let’s spend our time just being fully present. Tune into who they are .. as they are … we don’t need to give them the way of the world or even what’s right and wrong … allow them to figure this out … and besides if you are fully present, honoring their unique beings … they will trust their own inner wisdom ... and this will be right.
If we are worried about them knowing what is right or wrong .. then we need to model what this looks like .. they will learn far more from observing us.
Tell them stories for sure … tell them about our struggles and what worked and what didn’t work for us … but we don’t need to preach or lecture. Let's just marvel at their magnificence.
** And …. Let’s give our children our very best .. our best smiles .. our best vibes .. our best attitudes … our best moods … Let us not save our best for our bosses or colleagues or even our friends.
So often our children see us being so very kind and sweet to the other adults in our lives, but when our irritation … our frustration … our impatience … eventually spills out …. they are the ones that often receive it.
I say, let the other adults in our lives be the receiver of our grumpiness and let our children get the very best of us.
** We must prioritize our own healing .. above all else this should be our top priority. Our self-healing is the greatest gift to ourselves. We can run and hide from our pain, but it will always catch-up with us and it will find a way out .. often in ways that do harm.
Our-self healing is also the most profound gift to our loved ones .. every small step we take to heal our wounds is equivalent to granting them their greatest wish.
** But there is no short cut to our healing … no practice or ceremony … no ritual … no treatment … no medicine from a lab or plant … no yoga class or transcendence practice … will heal our deep wounds of the heart. Many of these practices can actually delay our healing if we use them as temporary relief and avoid doing the real work.
** Healing often requires forgiveness … Let us chip away at each regret .. every bit of guilt and shame .. let’s forgive ourselves … do it over years … or even decades … Make a list … acknowledge the things you think you did or didn’t do, that linger deep in your heart … choose the easy ones first … and forgive yourself.
** Cultivate self-compassion .. this is not easy … but it gets easier if you keep at it. We must listen out for the words of the inner critic …and need to firmly reject these words .. even if it's after the fact .. "No .. dammit I am not stupid … I am good enough despite this mistake".
** And finally we must seek joy … this is easier than we may think … because it’s not about the grand things .. it's not about the big adventures .. joy is about noticing the little things and being fascinated by them … someone’s smile ... the sound of children’s laughter … the caterpillar inching across the grass … our toes in the sea … the breeze on the skin.
And of course the more we heal … and the more we invite our abandoned inner child back .. the more joy will find us.
Thank you again to all those who attended and for all the love I received. It was a special morning for me.
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**** Still no swims ... ☹️ ****
After the birthday event, some brave ladies went for a dip in the sea. It was a chilly morning and they said they were doing the swim for me. Thank you for that.
I felt so much FOMO ... I have not had an ocean dip for nearly two weeks.
From being a daily ritual that I never thought would end, to not even toes in the water for two weeks. It has been hard for me to accept. But I am listening deeply to my inner knowing as to what is right, And, even though I had my swimming costume and towel with me on Sunday, I could hear a clear "No .. don't do it", from within.
There is such a profound difference between acting from a place of impulse and acting from a place of quiet awareness. It isn't always available to me and sometimes I think it's good to just be spontaneous, but when we act from a deep trust of our inner wisdom, it feels so obvious that we have made the right decision.
And being in that place of peaceful knowing is a gift that mindfulness offers. I am grateful for my practices and my conscious awareness growth.
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**** Free Beach Yoga and optional swim ****
I am sad that last week's beach yoga was cancelled ... another blessing in disguise I suppose, as I was not really better yet.
Tomorrow's weather is looking good. I am so looking forward to seeing everyone on the grass again .. and maybe I do my first swim.
Please don't forget we start at 09:30 now.
Much love and blessings
Michael
082 650 3397
