Reflections

Reflections from people who have worked with Michael

What follows are reflections from people who have encountered this work in different ways: through counselling, through mentorship carried over years, through workshops and group process, through ordinary community life, and through professional collaboration.

They are not outcome claims, and they are not offered as evidence that this work will do anything in particular for you. They are individual accounts, written by the people whose names appear beneath them, describing their own experience.

Shared with permission. Some identifying details have been limited to protect privacy.

Saffron, a workshop participant who attended with her father — Saffron

Workshop participant · Attended with her father

A Longer Reflection

An evening, a father, and a room full of people

My father, who lives with severe Parkinson’s disease, joined one of Michael Kaplan’s Sangham full moon meditation sessions. At the start of the evening, his tremors were particularly intense. He was visibly uncomfortable and struggling to sit still. About ten minutes into the meditation, however, he began to relax, and within another ten minutes he was remarkably calm.

My father regularly uses meditation to help manage his symptoms, but this experience felt very different. There was something powerful about the collective energy of the group, combined with the care and intention Michael brought through the full moon rituals and meditation practice.

I have also participated in group process work facilitated by Michael. He has a unique ability to guide people gently towards their edge of comfort, creating a space where meaningful insight can emerge while ensuring everyone feels safe, supported and grounded throughout the process.

Having practised yoga for over eleven years, I have experienced many different teachers and styles. Michael’s sessions stand out as particularly profound. The integration of movement, breath, reflection and awareness of fellow practitioners creates a deeply thoughtful and connected experience. His teaching is both skilful and compassionate.

Sangham has always felt like a place where I could arrive exactly as I am. Michael has an extraordinary capacity to listen deeply, without judgement, and to offer wisdom that feels both practical and heartfelt. Conversations with him have often left me with a greater sense of clarity, perspective and connection.

Michael has created far more than a yoga and meditation studio. He has cultivated a genuine community centred on presence, care and personal growth. I am deeply grateful for the impact he has had on both my life and my father’s.

Individual work and mentorship

Longer relationships, carried over years rather than sessions. These reflections come from one-on-one work, and from a family around it.

Jacob S., who has worked with Michael across adolescence and into adulthood — Jacob S.

Has worked with Michael across adolescence and into adulthood

Nikhita Leela, who has worked with Michael through counselling — Nikhita Leela

Counselling client

Parent Reflection

The continued mentorship and guidance Michael has provided for my son has helped us all enormously, and it's amazing to see how much more joyful and energised he feels after his sessions.
When we started with Michael we were in a difficult place, and the changes didn't come all at once. But in retrospect, I can see how the process with Michael helped guide my son into becoming the well-rounded, driven, and kind-hearted young man he has grown into being.
I remain grateful to Michael for what he has done, not just for my son, but for our whole family.

Parent of a teenage son

Three years of work together

Workshops and group experiences

Reflections from people who have practised in a room with others, in workshops and small group sessions.

Vera, a workshop participant — Vera

Workshop participant

Saffron’s account of a full moon session, and of the group process and yoga work that followed, is at the top of this page.

Community reflections

These speak less to a particular service and more to how Michael is with people over time, in shared community life and in groups.

Antony S., a community elder who has known Michael through group and individual work — Antony S.

Community elder, has known Michael through group and individual work

Ashraf Vahed, who has known Michael through community work — Ashraf Vahed

Has known Michael through community work

Professional reference

The reflections above come from people who have been on the receiving end of the work. This one comes from the clinician who supervised it.

Professional Reference

Bernard Altman

Clinical and Forensic Psychologist · Founder of Boys to Men

I have known Michael for many years through his involvement with Boys to Men, first as a participant in the work and later in leadership and facilitation roles. Over time, I have watched him develop into a capable, thoughtful, and committed facilitator with a genuine ability to work with people in a grounded and sincere way.
He brings presence, emotional intelligence, maturity, and a strong capacity to engage honestly with difficult human experiences. I have consistently found him to approach this work with integrity, responsibility, and real care for the people he works with.

Read the complete letter Show the short excerpt instead

I have known Michael for many years through his involvement with Boys to Men, first as a participant in the work and later in leadership and facilitation roles.

Over time, I have watched him develop into a capable, thoughtful, and committed facilitator with a genuine ability to work with people in a grounded and sincere way. He brings presence, emotional intelligence, maturity, and a strong capacity to engage honestly with difficult human experiences.

Michael has worked extensively with young men in both mentoring and group process environments, and I have consistently found him to approach this work with integrity, responsibility, and real care for the people he works with.

I believe he is well suited to counselling and mentorship work, particularly with young men navigating identity, direction, emotional difficulty, and the transition into adulthood. I would recommend him with confidence.

He has the skill, depth, and commitment required to support others meaningfully through counselling, mentorship, and personal development work.

Where to begin

If any of this is close to what you are looking for, these are the places people usually start. A first conversation costs nothing and carries no obligation to continue.

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Counselling and mentorship at Sangham are offered in a supportive, non-clinical capacity. They are not psychotherapy, psychiatric treatment, or emergency care. You can read the full scope and ethics statement at any time.