True connection isn't loud.
It's found at dawn on ski tracks, in quiet movement on the mat, and in showing up fully for the people who matter.
We caught up with Kike of One Kind Being in the backcountry to talk about movement, embodiment and his relationship with wild places.
For Kike, yoga is more than a practice on the mat. It's a way of meeting the world with curiosity and presence, whether that's moving through the Southern Alps or sitting quietly with the landscape.
You've spent years bridging inner practice (yoga, breathwork) with outdoor adventure. What first pulled you toward the backcountry specifically, rather than staying purely on the mat?
The philosophical framework of yoga invites us to experience the whole of reality, from the microcosms such as picking up a leaf and contemplating all its veins, to the macrocosm, such as stargazing at a starlit sky for a long period of time.
Curiosity led me to bring a lot of these practices and contemplative states into a broader playground. As that curiosity unfolded, I realised how yoga is a living art which manifests as direct intimacy with nature.
Is there a moment from a recent backcountry trip that captures what "raw, unscripted" movement actually feels like for you?
3 weeks I was backcountry skiing in Wanaka. What I love about this modality is you get to navigate unspoilt terrain. I was travelling uphill with skins on my skis. These help you glide uphill. It was a foggy morning with very little visibility, which drew me inwards. I still remember the sound of my skis gliding through the snow, it was such raw meditative state.
I love the following contemplation, ‘What is the quality of this moment before I have a thought about it’. That raw, unscripted moment is precisely that, a precognitive experience. Once it is put into words or a thought it loses its raw, unspeakable beauty.
You founded One Kind Being on the idea of oneness and embodiment. How does that philosophy change the way you move through wild places?
The principal of oneness comes from non-dual Tantra. It invites us to see Consciousness scintillating within every single atom in the universe. Whenever someone wakes up to this reality, she realizes it is no different being at Times Square NYC or at the top of Mt. Cook in terms seeing the sacredness in all.
That said, some of us find it easier to connect and check in with ourselves and others in wild places.
What does "showing up fully" mean to you in a practical sense, on the mountain and off it?
Showing up means being present. Just as embodiment means allowing our 37 trillion cells to be aware of themselves, presence allows us to be completely in a place. When this happens, time slows down and we can hold space for ourselves and others.
It also means being with what is. Rather than trying to change my experience of this moment, I witness thoughts and feeling as they come. Even if it doesn’t look pretty, I’m still showing up.
How do you think about layering and breath when you're moving hard in the cold? Does your yoga background change how you pay attention to your body in that environment?
Layering is key in the backcountry. I like to wear organic cotton around my skin and then wool (ideally cashmere ) as a mid-layer. The outer layers need to be technical, waterproof and breathable at the same time.
So I really go skiing with my WE-AR yoga wear and add a couple of layers on top.
A lot of your work is about opening people, often men, into softer, more embodied ways of being. What changes in a man once he starts actually feeling his body instead of just using it?
The retreats I lead are for both men and women. These challenging times call for a balance between strength and receptivity. These are precisely the principles of Hatha yoga where receptivity, as the inhale, meets strength, as the exhale.
I see more and more men allowing themselves to be receptive, to listen. I think the world needs more of that.
For those drawn to moving a little deeper into nature, Kike’s next Spring Equinox Retreat takes place in Wanaka from 8–11 October.
Keep an eye on our Instagram for the chance to win a place, and to follow along with Kike and One Kind Being.