Sergey Shimkov (Kiev, Ukraine) is a certified instructor, a teacher of Hatha Yoga, Qigong, Kriya Yoga, Acro Yoga. Having taken the path of yoga in 2012, I studied with such masters as Yaroslav Karaaba, Oleg Dyachenko, Natalia Plokhuta, Valentina Malinovskaya, Diana Diksha.
For Sergey, the practice of yoga is a tool to understand a phenomenon that takes place both in our body and in our mind. Since the body is inseparably connected with the subtle body and soul, strengthening the body is no less important than the development of mind and spirit. Therefore, for Sergey, the middle path is the answer - the path of love and the heart, which finds its manifestation in the material plane in harmonious interaction with the outside world. For Sergey, the path of yoga is the path to oneself and to God, the path of the heart is to work, well, from the heart and to share inner happiness with others.
In his studies, Sergey uses a synthesis of various techniques, taken from the practice of cultures of the east and more. For better work with the body and mind in the classroom, breathing exercises are used - a set of pranayama, meditation practices that are of great importance, since the meditation process itself is life - a state between conscious and unconscious, the process of understanding what is inside and outside.
According to Sergey, for a person who comes to practice, it is important to feel the consonance and resonance with the teacher, because the teacher mediates the information that a person needs in this particular period in time. This is a person who is both an assistant and a friend who will support and prompt, a person that understands not only an external request, but also an inner, deeper one. An instructor is a person who gives not just a set of exercises for developing and maintaining the body, but gives energy and condition.
The practice of yoga itself may differ from time to time, because the instructor listens to the students and selects the appropriate pace and rhythm for the class according to the audience and its surrounding.
Each asana is performed with attention to the sensations and processes in the body, because asana is not just a frozen form of body position, it is a continuous flow of life that is inside and outside. During the practice of asanas, a person is able to go deeper into the understanding of certain internal processes and events in their life. The more clarity and awareness a practitioners cultivate, the happier their get, because the cause of any suffering is ignorance. And one of our main tasks is to come to an understanding of ourselves.
For Sergey, the path of yoga is the path of service. When we begin to selflessly serve, then our life changes, it fills with meaning, and there is a feeling of connection with God and that invisible power that leads and supports us through life.
Sergey also develops in the field of massage (classical, Thai, visceral therapy, yumeiho therapy). He holds seminars and consultations on healthy eating, body cleansing (detox program, removal of parasites from the body), since this is an integral part of improving our quality of life.
Along with the practice, Sergey also studies literature, scriptures (Hatha-yoga-pradipika Swami Swatmarama, Samhita, Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali, etc.), which allow him to expand his knowledge and highlight what is important, to strengthen his practice and to delve deeper in it. The astrology and numerology also helps Sergey to see things that are more subtle and yet that are no less important for individual practices and, especially, if one considers austerity.
For Sergey, yoga has become his life. This is the way which helps a person to come to their center, become happy himself and help others, to gain understanding and happiness.
Developing new methods of working with the body and mind, Sergey strives to show people that every person has the power to heal themselves and follow the path of development that will lead to qualitative inner changes. Having gained the spiritual experience, it is very important to apply it in everyday life, because it is in everyday life that we can see the result of our spiritual practice.
Yoga practice for Sergey is about harmonization of all aspects of our life, about a healthy strong body and the way of the heart, about inner potential and creation.
