Watch contemporary self-cultivation practitioners

Watch contemporary self-cultivation practitioners

Across traditions and cultures, the pursuit of self-cultivation has always begun with a personal practice. Here you will meet three remarkable teachers – a Kung Fu-Wushu master, a Kriya Yoga master, and a Buddhist meditation teacher – each offering us a look into their own journey of self-cultivation.

Though their practices differ in form, they share a common thread: the sustained attention to body, breath, and mind as a path to greater awareness and well-being.

Allys Andrews – Buddhist Meditation teacher

My name is Allys and I have followed the Buddhist path for 46 years. During a meditation course in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Nepal in 1979, questions about life, death, injustice and making life meaningful were answered in a way that I needed to explore further. I returned to Melbourne and began studying Buddhist philosophy at Tara Institute, a Buddhist Centre in the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition.

After some years of study, I was asked to lead introductory Buddhist meditation classes at Tara, in schools, universities and TAFEs. My daily meditation practice is a steady support for the ups and downs of life, and my teachers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, are inspiring role models of compassion and wisdom. Life can be happy.

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Dr Shao Zhaoming PhD – Kung Fu Wushu

Dr Shao Zhaoming began training in Chinese Martial Arts at age five, becoming a two-time National Open Champion of China (1989–1990) and the youngest person awarded 8th Dan Kung Fu-Wushu by the Chinese Wushu Association. He holds a PhD in Chinese Medicine and a Master's in Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture) and authored a therapeutic massage textbook used at Beijing Sport University. He served as Senior Coach of the Tai Chi and Wushu Team at Beijing Sport University and is an International Wushu Grade A judge, currently Vice Chair of the IWUF Technical Committee.

In Australia, he has practised Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 30 years and founded the Tai Chi Kung Fu Institute and Life Chi Medicine in Melbourne. He has served as Head Coach of the Australian National Wushu and Tai Chi Team and in 2025 was elected President of Kung Fu Wushu Australia and the Oceania Kung Fu Wushu Federation. His career uniquely spans elite competition, academic medicine, international judging and coaching, establishing him as one of the most influential figures in Wushu and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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Lenish John – Kriya Yoga

Lenish John was born and brought up in Kerala, South India, where his journey with yoga began nearly 27 years ago through life itself rather than formal systems. From a young age, he was introduced to the Vedic language Sanskrit as part of his schooling, which later became a key to understanding the original depth of classical yogic texts. Moving through periods of health, financial, and social challenges, he experienced moments of deep uncertainty and hopelessness, where yoga became a way to rebuild from within and rediscover his own potential. These experiences shaped his understanding that yoga is not something to be memorised from texts or copied as movements, but something to be lived and realised within real human conditions.

As a teacher for the last 16 years, Lenish shares Kriya Yoga through a deeply personal and human approach. Rather than following fixed systems or standardised training methods, he meets each individual within the reality of their own life, guided by compassion, care, and genuine attention rather than commercial exchange. His work reflects a simple but powerful invitation to move inward, to see clearly, and to transform life from within.

Lenish has been recognised internationally for his contributions to yoga, including receiving an honorary doctorate in Yoga and moving to Australia in 2009 on a Distinguished Talent Visa.

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