F A Q
1. I have been hiking and backpacking all my life. I love being in nature. I think I am already connected, and I wonder if there will be anything new for me in your classes.
You are definitely connected but you can reach deeper levels of connection. The difference of being in nature before and after 3 to 4 classes is similar to the difference between looking at a nature site through a window, and actually being there. Of course some people get it faster, some more slowly. 4 classes is only the beginning to feel the difference. There is much more to learn how to improve and control these feelings, to actually communicate via energy exchange with natural environments.
2. Can you explain more exactly what you do in your class? What words do you say to people?
Not everything in this world can be explained in words. I think the best way is if you read about Nature Connection Workshops and then try it out. I think too detailed an explanation in words can lead to a wrong impression. It is like writing instructions on how to dance for someone who has never seen anyone dance before. I doubt this person will get the spirit and purpose of dance just looking briefly though written instructions on when, where, and in what way which part of the body should move.
3. I was exhausted after working the whole day in the office. I was going home when suddenly I felt refreshing peaceful energy coming from the river and it made me so relaxed. Is this real?
I was hiking alone in a wilderness; I saw a big tree on the ground. I think I felt energy coming from that tree. Is it connected with what you are doing?
Sometimes people can get in tune with nature energies spontaneously, when certain conditions take place. We will learn how to get connected when you want, with whatever you want to be connected too, and what you can do with this connection.
4. I have been trying different kinds of meditation but did not stick to any. I’d like to get relaxed and feel peaceful, but it takes too much of my effort and time. I get bored sitting for a long time. I experience resistance instead of peace. Are your exercises different? How long does each exercise usually take?
I don't want students to get bored and lose their attention, so I keep their minds busy. At the same time I want give them enough time to get relaxed. This point of view can be a contradiction with some traditions of meditation where students are expected to get over their difficulties. Our goal is connection with Nature, and I do it in the way which fits better for our contemporary life, which is especially helpful for beginners. Different exercises have different durations, from 5 to 20 minutes. Also, the duration of an exercise depends on the group.
5. I like being outdoors. I am curious about your work, but I don't want to get involved with any mysticism or witchcraft stuff. I wonder if there’s anything like that in your classes.
No. What we do is simple and natural. It is not something unusual. You master your imagination skills, and develop your skills to feel different energies which really exist, as real as light, sound, electricity, magnetism, etc. Welcome to the wireless nature network :)
6. I am religious, and I wonder how your classes can help me to get a better connection with God ?
Of course, you deepen your connection with God via deepening your connection with nature.
7. I am spiritual but not religious. I always felt that nature is my church, my temple. I am very interested in your classes. Do I have to believe in anything else?
You don't have to believe in anything. What we do is nothing about beliefs. In my course people can be independent from any beliefs, and it is their choice what they believe in, as far as they don’t disturb others and our class.
8. I don't believe in God and I am not looking for new beliefs. I just enjoy being in wilderness, and I am curious of how your classes can help me to relax better, and gain more energy. I am not sure if I want to try the other part, “connecting with the universal source”. Can I skip it?
You can learn as much as you want, and stop at any point if you feel you get connected enough for now.
9. I am Christian. I would like to enhance my connection with nature and be closer to God, but meditation does not belong to my life. Would it work for me?
Sure. It works for every human being. You don't have to call it meditation, you can call it guided imagery exercises, or a kind of prayer if you wish. We all naturally do exercises like that in our regular life, when we watch a movie, or read a book. We sit quietly for a long time when our minds keep us in the world of the movie or book. Your church services are doing the same thing, getting people in tune with God.
10. Do you use a recording, music, or something else?
No. Recording does not have an interaction opportunity with a group, which is important when you learn something. I don't use music or slideshows in the beginning, but I might use it later if I find it helpful and not distracting for a particular group.
11. What positions do you use in your class?
We use a few easy yoga positions. If somebody gets tired in certain position she/he always can move to another position, or lie down. The main rule is: keep your body comfortable, so it is easier for your mind to do the meditation work. Also, we have some moving meditations, even indoors. We usually don't use chairs because someone might need to move their chair out of the way, and not in another student’s way, when they want to lie down. It can be distracting for meditation, and also can cause an injury.
12. I have a bad back; I can’t sit for a long time in a meditation class. What do you recommend?
You will have an opportunity to change positions when meditating. Bring a soft, thick mat, or mattress, and lie down when you are tired of sitting.
13. I can't hike much because of my bad knee. Probably I can’t attend a workshop with a hike. What would you recommend?
I always try to adjust each workshop to participant’s needs. There is an opportunity to do a workshop first, and then you can skip the hiking part, or hike less or more slowly. Regular hikes in addition to workshops are always free. They are different from hiking meditations which are usually included to a half or whole day workshops. A distance of those hiking meditations might be uncomfortable for you, please be aware of that, and do not choose those workshops.
14. I have attended one of your workshops. Some of your meditation exercises are very similar to Buddhist practices (or Thai Chi, Maya, Shamanism, etc.). It is not new to me. What makes your workshops special?
My workshops are based upon different traditions, so it is nothing unusual if you recognize some exercises from your experience in the past. I did not invent those kinds of meditations. What I did is I selected them from different traditions and combined them into my classes, sessions, and courses using my contemporary knowledge in human psychology, with a purpose to lead people to get in tune with nature. Of course, I also added my own exercises which work and fit for my classes.
15. I have attended your introductory workshop for the beginners, and I am not sure what level of workshop I should choose next.
If you read the descriptions of the levels, you will have an idea what level of workshop you should take. If you don't have any experience working with energy centers in the body, take the beginner level. If you do have some experience, you are eligible for intermediate level classes. If you are confident with this experience, you may take advanced level classes.
16. I have been experiencing meditation/visualization in my spiritual community for many years. Also, I love hiking, camping, or just being in nature. I feel nature energies and connection with God via nature. I am familiar with what you do in all three levels. Is there anything new I can learn from you?
You don't need these workshops. They are for people who want to reach the results mentioned above in a shorter time. It took you many years because the main purpose of meditations in your community was connection with God, and probably very little with nature. My course is directed to connection with nature. You are welcome to our group just for practice which you need anyway to refresh your visualization skills. I am sure you would very much enjoy our Theme Workshops for advanced learners, and it will be a new experience for you!
17. I heard many positive things about your classes. I wonder if everyone can succeed in your class? Do you know anyone who doesn’t?
Sure, everybody can succeed, because it is natural. Many people feel that they return to their forgotten childhood feelings. Some people can do it more easily than others, it depends what they have been in tune with during their lives. Most people love my classes. Once in a while somebody tells me that it is “not their cup of tea,” which is understandable. People are different, and they like different things. Honest feedback is exactly what I want, and it is the only way to develop and enhance any program.
18. Do you recommend your students to attend any particular classes and workshops along with yours?
I recommend them to keep trying different courses, and choose what they like. It is very helpful for heir life fulfillment, and helps them to succeed in my classes too. Also, I consider my course as a “bridge” to many spiritual traditions. It will open a new deeper look at many other experiences.
19. How often do you recommend practicing the meditations we learned in your class?
You can do those exercises again as“homework”, to improve what you have done in the class. However, if you repeat the same exercise too often it will stop working at some point. It is similar to food digestion. You can only eat a limited amount of food, and you can’t eat all the time. To keep your interest alive, move on to new exercises, and take breaks doing other things in your life. In my experience, it works better in a group if you are a beginner. Experienced mediators need regular practice in a group too. Once or twice every week or two is the best for our group work. I am not talking about meditation traditions with other goals, only the kinds of meditations we do in my classes for the purpose of connecting with nature.
20. What is your gift of feeling nature energies?
I was born and grew up in a big city, Saint Petersburg, Russia. I always so much enjoyed my trips to the countryside with a very different environment than downtown in the big city. I always felt at home in the forest where everything was alive and connected. I was so happy being there. At first I thought everyone feels like that, but gradually I discovered that people, especially adults, don't notice and don't feel many of the things I do. Most people are used to focusing on things in our civilized world and no longer able to “hear” and “speak” “Nature’s language”. I think I don’t have a special gift that no one else has. I think many kids just don't notice and value their abilities because they are focused too much on exploration of the adult world, which is, of course, very natural and important in their lives. I just always valued this natural gift more than others, and carried it through all my life. I also valued culture and the positive sides of living in a big city, but I couldn't go without “recharging my batteries” by regularly going to the forest. Being a part of Nature is my life.
21. How did you develop this course?
When I was working as outdoor instructor, I also was exploring varieties of different spiritual and healthy living traditions which came to Russia from all over the world. I have noticed that I got much more from some classes then everyone else does, if I come to a class after being in nature, or if I practice those exercises being in nature later. I began to explore why and how it works, and selected exercises which can be used to get in tune with nature energies. I have tried my first brief course in 1994 on a group of my high school students in outdoor trips, and then gradually enriched this course with more exercises. Eventually I developed a three year program of advanced communication with nature, and taught it for many years, first for high school students, then for some of their parents and other adults. This course is what I want to do in my life; one of a very few things that I feel I live for.
22. Is your feeling of nature energies any different in California then in Russia?
Yes. First, when I came to California, I was surprised that everything is much bigger here, from pine needles and sand grains to mountains and ocean. It felt like “cells of life” are bigger, and I felt like my body is trying to expand to fit in. I couldn’t get connected to nature as much as I do in Russia and Europe, it took me about two years to adjust myself to nature energies here. I still have experience problems at high altitude, different from usual altitude sickness. It is gradually getting better. Nature is amazing in California too.
23. Who was your Teacher? What school/community are you affiliated with?
When I was growing up, I was constantly looking for a spiritual teacher and a spiritual community where I can feel that I belong to and will be happy to live my life with. I never was able to find that. I kept learning what I found valuable and working for me from many great teachers and communities, and eventually I built up my own system, my own worldview, and realized that I don’t need to look for a teacher any more. Of course, I try to keep my worldview and my activities alive by updating them with the new information and experiences in my life.
24. Do you consider yourself a Guru? What is your concept of Spiritual Leadership?
I think “Gurus with followers” belong to the “childhood” period of humanity, a very important part of the spiritual history of the world. In our contemporary world, we have so many varieties of human potential concepts and experiences, directly or indirectly based upon the spiritual inheritance of the whole world. We all learn from each other, and from the whole history of past human experiences. Spiritual teacher is no longer one to obey and follow, he/she is a source for guidance on student’s search of their own ways of life and spirituality. I don't feel like being a Guru, and I don't expect my students to be my followers. I expect them to understand and learn what I am teaching, and when they are ready, to develop their own views and programs on the base of what they have learned from me and their other teachers. Besides obtaining my own “spiritual world” I always felt that is also very important to stay connected to our ordinary life, be a simple human being and a part of our society like everyone else. It gives me an opportunity for better understanding what is going on in real life, and be open to updating my concepts and activities.
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