Michael Polling

Michael Polling (born in 1956) is one of those happy exceptions, who during one lifetime has had the experience of living (at least) two very different lives. In his case, there is a life before and one after the millennium.

Before the millennium, he was mainly active as a music journalist and music critic, living his life as a hedonist.

Afterward, heralded by a nasty burnout, his path has been emphatically spiritual; a period of sometimes literally letting go, and profound and harsh secondary life lessons.

Becoming acquainted with the teachings of Tantra, played a big role in this second phase of his life. Firstly, came the relatively soft lessons of Margo Anand, a well-known French Tantra teacher. Later on, followed by the challenging, everything changing teachings of Osho, the controversial Indian guru, who he never met, but which ashram in Pune, India, he visited fifteen years after Osho’s passing away. And finally, he was deeply touched by the, from time to time, extreme hard Tantric variations of the Tibetan Buddhist Kum-nye institute.

As dogma averse Michael is, he still regularly undertakes new classes and courses, to help him discover new interesting teachings, to be able to continue to grow and become more and more himself.

Around the year 2005, whilst still living in the Netherlands with his former partner, they started Growing through Connection, center for Tantric Awareness and Healing (in Dutch: Groeien in Verbinding, Centrum voor tantrische Bewustwording en Heling; his logo with the English word ‘GiVe’ is derived from the Dutch name of his center).

A couple of years later, instigated by the arrival in their lives, of free, unbound love, their relationship ended, and with that, their work collaboration as well. The reason their relationship failed, was not that they did not welcome the changes. No, it was more because they did not know yet, how to cope well with the new circumstances they had found themselves in.

To help Michael fully manifest the enormous difference between the man from before the millennium and the one afterward, he changed his name in 2012.

The old name, with which he signed his journalistic reviews and articles, was Kees. His new name, suggested to him by his spiritual guides (yes, he also has those in his life), is Michael – derived from the Archangel Michael. In Spain he uses the name Miguel - also a tribute to his Colombian cousin, Miguel Polling Zimmerman, an artist/painter who was assassinated in 1995, with whom he has always felt very close.

The change of his name coincided with his decision to concentrate his activities on the Canary Island of La Palma (Spain). There he assists couples and singles in weeklong retreats, in processes around relationship problems with (self) love and sexuality.

Or, as he says in his own words:

“It is my purpose to get closer and closer to my core, to the man I essentially am.

And at the same time, I try to pass this along to my clients. I’ll invite them to experience how they can let go of all those conditionings, which do not serve them anymore.

And to be aware of how their judgments, not so much limit others, but above all cripple themselves.

So, they can connect with their (self) love, and become more and more their beautiful selves.”

Some reactions from readers of 'The Autobiography of a lingam':

"I wish I can share it with my son but he will be angry with me because I am his mother...

It is fascinating and erotic but definitely not vulgar...

And I laughed about the toilet paper left in the yoni. That is me always in a hurry at work... :) :)

I don't know what happened. I read the chapter on transcendental sex and I am really turned on." (L.)”– South Africa

“’Autobiography of a lingam’ is such a book that you leave behind in a slight disorder. And that is a merit. Michael Polling is free to let his lingam (dick, cock, prick, willy, joystick and/or penis) tell. This results in a very original, refreshing book with an honest, vulnerable and authentic story about love, eroticism, man- being and tantra. Those expecting exciting erotic adventures are luckily deceived. Michaels lingam speaks without hesitation about highlights, lows, doubts, uncertainties, successes, and desires during the search of his owner. That is why Michael's vision of men, women, and spirituality is intertwined. The book is easy to write and read.” (Joost Horsten, The Netherlands)