Jagariya
A trek and martial arts retreat in Spring 2025 for self-leadership and change.
Embark on a 17-day Himalayan adventure, a journey of reconnecting with inner power, discovering softness in strength, and training the spirit of wakefulness back into your life…
A unique experience from within the majesty, serenity, and ruggedness of the most breath-taking regions in the world.
Reclaim energy and wakefulness in life
Join us for a transformative 17-day trek that integrates movement and energy work to deepen your practice of attention and self-awareness.
Drawing on the wisdom of the Buddha expressed through Tibetan, Theravadin and Chan teachings, as well as on Daoist, and Yogic traditions, this retreat blends mindful trekking with various modalities of work with the body to activate and build your Qi, which, in turn, fuels the practice of self-awareness.
As we move through rugged, breathtaking vistas, you will engage in training that applies martial arts principles, core methods of qigong and internal alchemy, and key tenets of perfecting the mind in virtue, concentration and discernment.
We will explore how to correctly apply attention immersed in the body, govern the breath, and utilise movement arts to generate energy thereby enhancing both vitality and clarity.
Meet your trek leaders
Dr Evgenii Timofeev (founder of Embodiment of Real) is a spiritual practitioner, teacher of internal arts, and interdisciplinary movement artist from Russia’s Far East. He has trained extensively in Shotokan Karate, Shaolin Gongfu, parkour, and somatic approaches, integrating Daoist internal arts and physical theatre. Evgenii’s PhD bridges Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and Buddhist frameworks to explore how movement arts aid in processing trauma. His platform, *Embodiment of Real*, provides resources and lessons for inner cultivation, blending theory and practice. His journey includes time in China, India, and Southeast Asia, enriching his holistic approach to mind and body training.
Dr Kristina Mah (Renshi, 5th Dan; WKF karate world champion) is a martial artist, academic researcher, and transdisciplinary artist. She has trained for over thirty years in Go-Ju Ryu karate and twenty years as an elite athlete. Kristina has recently shifted her focus to train in the internal arts. Kristina’s PhD focused on the theme of ‘compassion’ at the intersection of Buddhist philosophy and design and technology. She continues to work to integrate ancient wisdom traditions, emphasising embodied ways of knowing across varied contexts. Through diverse projects, including spiritual retreats and researching empathy in human-computer interaction, Kristina aims to embed somatic, contemplative, and movement-based practices into research and practice, fostering self-cultivation and self-empowerment.
Evgenii and Kristina, discovered a shared love of martial arts, movement, Eastern philosophy, and nature that led them to develop Jagariya.
Jagariya’s methods and philosophy are informed by Evgenii and Kristina’s combined fifty years of embodied wisdom gained through training, practice, study, and teaching. Their approach draws on lived experience from karate (Go-Ju Ryu and Shotokan), internal arts (Qi Gong, Taijiquan, Nei Gong), Parkour, high performance training, South East Asian ritual trance, yoga, and contemporary dance.
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Trek LeaderEvgenii Timofeev is a spiritual practitioner, student and teacher of internal arts and interdisciplinary movement artist. Originally from the Far East of Russia, Evgenii has spent periods of time in China, India and South-East Asia before settling down on Wurundjeri land (Melbourne, Australia) for his research and work.
Evgenii’s lifelong practice has developed from Shotokan Karate, Shaolin Gongfu, and the art of parkour. It has evolved through the study of somatic approaches, physical theatre, and Daoist internal arts. In his PhD, Evgenii has bridged Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and Buddhist framework for training the mind, showing how movement arts are indispensable in the process of navigating traumatic experiences. His current online platform, Embodiment of Real, offers a wide range of theoretical materials and practical lessons dedicated to the process of inner cultivation.
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Trek LeaderKristina Mah is a martial artist, academic researcher, and artist based on Gadigal-Wangal land (Sydney, Australia). Kristina’s movement practice is rooted in Go-Ju Ryu karate, where she has been a practitioner for over 30 years and trained as an elite athlete for over 20 years. Recently, Kristina’s focus has shifted to becoming a student of the internal arts.
Kristina’s work is committed to developing deeper understandings of ancient wisdom traditions and emphasises internalisation through embodied ways of knowing. This is expressed through the diversity of projects that she is engaged with, such as organising treks and spiritual retreats to researching empathy and compassion in human-computer interaction. At its core, her work seeks to embed somatic, contemplative, and movement-based practices to support self-cultivation and self-empowerment into research and practice.
Itinerary coming soon…
“In the first watch of the night, they continue to practice walking and sitting meditation.
In the middle watch, they lie down in the lion’s posture—mindful and aware.
In the last watch, they get up and continue to practice walking and sitting meditation,
That’s how a noble disciple is dedicated to wakefulness.”
This trek immerses you in our unique approach designed to connect you with your energy and wakefulness to build vital inner tools for self-leadership.
Over 17-days, you will learn and practice the quiet strength of jagariya to meet each moment with presence and greet disruption and change with openness to transform.
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