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Going Om: A CEO's Journey from a Prison Facility to Spiritual Tranquility
He always followed the rules, never rocked the boat, and everyone called him "Saint Michael" growing up. He got his MBA from Wharton, became a successful CEO, and then... he went to prison.
In a behind-the-scenes look at life in a men’s correctional facility, Going Om is the story of a man who was least likely to end up behind bars. Huggins shares both alarming and surprisingly funny stories, as well as emails that he had sent from prison, and lessons learned during the dimmest days of his life. Struggling to cope in a world where he did not belong, Huggins turned to the practice of yoga for strength and direction. Before long, “Yogi Mike” had a following of inmates seeking his help with physical fitness, anger management, and everything in between.
In a behind-the-scenes look at life in a men’s correctional facility, Going Om is the story of a man who was least likely to end up behind bars. Huggins shares both alarming and surprisingly funny stories, as well as emails that he had sent from prison, and lessons learned during the dimmest days of his life. Struggling to cope in a world where he did not belong, Huggins turned to the practice of yoga for strength and direction. Before long, “Yogi Mike” had a following of inmates seeking his help with physical fitness, anger management, and everything in between.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2016
About the author
Michael D. Huggins
2 books6 followersMichael D. Huggins is the Founder and Executive Director of the Transformation Yoga Project. After receiving an undergraduate degree from Villanova University and an MBA from Wharton, he worked his way up to being the Chief Operating Officer, President, and Chief Executive Officer of several medical device firms.
In 2009, Mike pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor as a Responsible Corporate Officer for actions that happened under his watch but that he did not know about, which landed him in prison for nine months. The high-profile case drew national media attention, and Mike's world unraveled in the blink of an eye as he was whisked to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.
The yoga he had practiced and taught some years before incarceration turned out to be his salvation on the inside.
He declined lucrative offers to return to the corporate world upon his release, and instead founded the non-profit organization: Transformation Yoga Project, which teaches trauma-informed yoga to prisoners, veterans, and those struggling with addiction. Specially trained in applying yoga practices for addiction recovery and trauma-related issues, he remains active in teaching yoga in prisons, as seen in the Yoga Journal, CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC and NPR. He is a frequent speaker on tools for self-empowerment, and the power of yoga as a tool for rediscovering your true self. He is also a contributor to several books that focus on best practices for teaching trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness to underprivileged populations.
In 2009, Mike pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor as a Responsible Corporate Officer for actions that happened under his watch but that he did not know about, which landed him in prison for nine months. The high-profile case drew national media attention, and Mike's world unraveled in the blink of an eye as he was whisked to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.
The yoga he had practiced and taught some years before incarceration turned out to be his salvation on the inside.
He declined lucrative offers to return to the corporate world upon his release, and instead founded the non-profit organization: Transformation Yoga Project, which teaches trauma-informed yoga to prisoners, veterans, and those struggling with addiction. Specially trained in applying yoga practices for addiction recovery and trauma-related issues, he remains active in teaching yoga in prisons, as seen in the Yoga Journal, CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC and NPR. He is a frequent speaker on tools for self-empowerment, and the power of yoga as a tool for rediscovering your true self. He is also a contributor to several books that focus on best practices for teaching trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness to underprivileged populations.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 5, 2018
Great Story. Nice secular approach to yoga philosophy
Included in here is quite a bit of Mike's hand printed lettering, which are at first a nice touch, possible only because of modern printing techniques, I imagine. After a while it just seems gimmicky, though. There might be more emotion and character in "cursive" handwriting, but the hand printing just gets tiresome to read. There's nothing New Age or esoteric here, in fact Mike makes a swipe at people who change their names to "Spirit Moon" and the like. That may appeal to the intended audience, but clearly this isn't the writing of a yoga saint, he's a bit of a hardened yoga survivor. There is no delving into Tantra or Hinduism or Buddhism, which is partly because the prison chaplains, among others, put barriers up. I thought more connections to ancient philosophies would have rounded out the book better, though. It's also a powerful expose of the American justice and prison systems. It inspires me to do more about helping those caught in our prisons. Yogi Mike has put his full time efforts into helping prisoners with yoga, and this book seems very much part of that. It is not the writing of a professional, dedicated memoirist, but then again those books tend to be self-centered, or self-serving. Mike neither wallows in misery, or claims undiluted ecstasy from practice. Read with that in mind and you'll be pleased with this book.
Included in here is quite a bit of Mike's hand printed lettering, which are at first a nice touch, possible only because of modern printing techniques, I imagine. After a while it just seems gimmicky, though. There might be more emotion and character in "cursive" handwriting, but the hand printing just gets tiresome to read. There's nothing New Age or esoteric here, in fact Mike makes a swipe at people who change their names to "Spirit Moon" and the like. That may appeal to the intended audience, but clearly this isn't the writing of a yoga saint, he's a bit of a hardened yoga survivor. There is no delving into Tantra or Hinduism or Buddhism, which is partly because the prison chaplains, among others, put barriers up. I thought more connections to ancient philosophies would have rounded out the book better, though. It's also a powerful expose of the American justice and prison systems. It inspires me to do more about helping those caught in our prisons. Yogi Mike has put his full time efforts into helping prisoners with yoga, and this book seems very much part of that. It is not the writing of a professional, dedicated memoirist, but then again those books tend to be self-centered, or self-serving. Mike neither wallows in misery, or claims undiluted ecstasy from practice. Read with that in mind and you'll be pleased with this book.
January 14, 2020
Eye Opening - Educational - Entertaining
Recommend reading for MBA students and business executives. Anyone interested in prison reforms and learning of a proven successful method of calming discipline should read this book. An ideal read for Criminal Justice majors.
DAR
i
ghting
Recommend reading for MBA students and business executives. Anyone interested in prison reforms and learning of a proven successful method of calming discipline should read this book. An ideal read for Criminal Justice majors.
DAR
i
ghting
October 18, 2020
Higher Power
I knew Mike as an executive before he went to prison. Wonderful person who survived to tell an encouraging story about his prison experience. I highly recommend this book for those seeking a higher power for strength to survive.
I knew Mike as an executive before he went to prison. Wonderful person who survived to tell an encouraging story about his prison experience. I highly recommend this book for those seeking a higher power for strength to survive.
May 15, 2022
A very admirable message in this book about what is important in life.... Just not very well written and I just didn't click with the author
February 21, 2021
Great account of Mike’s journey through the broken prison system, how he was sustained and the transforming power of yoga and human decency. Packed full of amazing stories!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews