Because of an innate interest in human beings, Evgenii dedicated his efforts at school and university to studying humanitarian disciplines and developing his body and character. Although he found many subjects in school to be irrelevant and the education system’s approach to be more on a ‘brainwashing’ side rather than on the side of self-discovery, he persevered by prioritising subjects he deemed important and working with teachers he felt were genuine in what they taught. Much of his younger years were dedicated to physical training, which he was encouraged to do by his father. Callisthenics, running in the hills, weightlifting, swimming in the river and manual labour (because he lived on the farm) were the mainstays of his practice at that time. As a result, he developed a strong and resilient physique, which became a foundation for all subsequent practices. |
The prompt to search wider and be uninhibited by styles has led Evgenii inwards to explore the internal arts and meditation. Further travels took him around China, Russia, South-East Asia, and India where he encountered many teachers and practitioners whom he studied and trained with over the years. Their religious and cultural belonging varied, their modalities were yoga, taijiquan, qigong, vipassana, traditional trance, dance improvisation, and more. Yet their dedication, skillfulness and virtuous qualities were praiseworthy. It had become apparent to Evgenii very quickly that those teachers who didn’t have a grounding in the training of their body and energy were somewhat lacking conviction when talking about mind, psyche, soul or spirit. It is as if they have missed an essential aspect of the ‘whole’. It has also become apparent to him that it is very difficult to meet proficient all-rounded people who can be considered masters of what it is to be fully human. The latter implies mastering the body and energy, which is considered an ‘earth-level’ practice in traditions of cultivation, as well as mastering the mind and developing virtue: a ‘human-level’ practice. It is way harder to meet those who have gone beyond the ‘human-level’ and found freedom through realising the Spirit within themselves: a ‘heaven-level’ practice. Yet many like to talk about high-minded concepts pertaining to the level of heaven whilst even their body and energy are yet to be functioning efficiently. |