Zvika’s search for deeper meaning led him to China, where ancient Taoist practices seemed to offer the healing and understanding he was looking for. At the time, he was facing one of the most profound changes of his life: the transition from a fully functional person to becoming deaf. For several months, the Wudang Mountains became his home, far from family, familiar surroundings, and everything he knew. He trained for 12 hours a day in Tai Chi and Qi Gong, living for three months on air, water, rice, and vegetables.
As Zvika describes it, it didn’t take long to understand where he really was. This was not only a monastery, but also a kind of rehab center and a deep detox. It became a place where he could let go of the fading layers within him and find the strength to return to life. What needed detoxing? Performance, results, vigilance, constant striving, and the relentless chase for more. His days had been ruled by adrenaline, tension, fatigue, irritability, and burnout. His body was crying out for relief, while his mind stayed trapped in the game. The struggle was never outside him; it was within. Tai Ji showed him that true self-defence can also mean defending yourself from yourself: learning to stand still, flow, and release.
Zvika believes that crisis often triggers panic, yet each crisis can also become the beginning of something new. Instead of feeding fear with more tension, he learned to see crisis as a doorway to a deeper state of calm and awareness. This is not escape, but transformation. Discipline, perseverance, and daily practice became central to his path. At the retreats, participants learn Qi Gong, working with the life-force energy of the five elements through Yin Yang: Water stability in the kidneys, Metal orientation in the lungs, Fire coordination in the heart, Tree flexibility in the liver, and Earth focusing in the spleen. For committed, conscious people, the gate can open anywhere, at any time.
In a diary entry from September 5, 2013, Zvika wrote about internalizing change through repetition, much like the rhythm of breathing. He described the importance of not thinking, but feeling and relaxing the “Monkey mind,” until the brain waves settle and meditation in motion begins. From the root of crisis, his spiritual journey deepened into a process of radical change. Tai Ji training, for him, is about aligning consciousness and the subconscious with reality itself, supporting prevention, calm, and growth through daily practice.
A risky operation, supported by modern medicine, restored Zvika’s hearing. He values technology, science, and brilliant minds, yet also believes that healing requires our own effort, especially after trauma, loss, or major life changes that feel like crisis. Through his healing process, he regained not only his hearing, but also his sense of self. Life opened into color, balance, and a new way of seeing. Years of Tai Chi Qi Gong, spiritual study, and ancient Chinese medicine brought him to what he considers one of life’s most important gifts: balance. Today he feels calm, energized, healthy, and empowered to share the quiet strength he spent years learning.
“The practice I chose is, at its core, a gentle form of martial arts. Tai Ji Qi Gong is rooted in Taoist principles: Yin Yang, relaxation, emptiness, rooting, slowness, uniformity, coordination, breathing, concentration, focus, flexibility, orientation, stability, restraint, neutralisation, letting go, and letting be. These are beautiful ideals, but can we truly reach them? That is a complex question. What is certain is that practice brings us closer. The aim is ideal physical health, clear mental and spiritual awareness, and the learning of simple self-defence movements and techniques. In the end, practicing Tai Chi Qi Gong leads to a balanced, healthy life.”
Qi is present from the very beginning of life. It is the first heartbeat in the womb, the first breath entering the lungs, the life-force moving through the trillions of cells in the body. In many people, however, it becomes blocked. Qi is vital energy, and when it feels absent, that is often what is missing. It must be nurtured and awakened so we can remain balanced, empowered, and able to move through life with grace. When Qi flows freely, it warms the body from within and supports clarity, spiritual depth, harmony, longevity, and health.
In spring 2022, Zvika arrived on Lefkada Island in Greece and felt an immediate pull toward the place. Crossing the floating bridge, he sensed an energy greater than himself, almost cosmic. A winding mountain road led him to a small traditional village and a villa complex on an evergreen hillside. For him, it was the answer he had been seeking. After years of unanswered questions, something long-missing had finally appeared. About 11 years after his journey began in the Wudang Mountains, he found himself on this magical island in the heart of the Mediterranean. One year later, Anat joined him in developing Apanema Mindfulness Resort into a place for retreats, calm, peace, and healing.
After 2.5 years of developing Apanema Mindfulness into an ideal retreat setting in Greece, Zvika and Anat are now hosting one-week Wellbeing Mindfulness Retreats from September to June, almost once per month, starting in 2025. These retreats are designed for very small boutique groups of up to 10 people and take place in the comfort of a private, gated villa complex with a swimming pool, sauna, massage, practice studio, and Zen Garden.