While the media in Macedonia was reporting about
the fluctuations in the weather, caused by the hellish temperatures that seized our country, this weekend the warriors of Bujinkan Macedonia successfully held the seminar „Survival in nature“.
This year in total six members participated, three of them were veterans (with more than three Survival in nature seminars).
As every year, so as this one, the seminar started on Saturday in the morning hours. After the short condition training, the instructor Dovezenski held Goshijutsu training. Afterwards started the lessons for survival and shelter building, as well as the state of mind that the warrior must reach so he can handle the challenges on the field.
Around 14.00 hours, three of the members had their first crisis, caused by the hot sun, and more by the lack of water. The dehydration struck, and as it increased, the will power of the students decreased. The instructor Igor Dovezenski succeeded to help those who had an intention to give up and to get them „back into game“. The afternoon continued with bo shuriken training, and the evening end with the exercise „In Yo Kankaku“.
The night was calm, under the beautiful sky above Lipac, while the guards were changing every two hours.
On Sunday, the kenjutsu training started early in the morning, and continued with meditation under the rocks of the dried waterfall in S`mkneno. Afterwards, a short march was held from the place called Stari Lozja, where under one old oak the cross dedicated to St. Tripun is located. That place for the last two years is known for the traditional „languidness“ or the two-hour anticipation for the end of the seminar.
After the arrival at Stari Lozja, the temperature (which rose up above 45 degrees Celsius), started to take its toll. Two of the veterans started to feel breathing difficulties, disorientation, nausea and a fast heartbeat. The symptoms were constantly worsening, so they had to give up from the seminar.
The remaining four, including the instructor Igor Dovezenski, successfully finished the seminar and returned to the starting location.
Just for clarifications for those who had not participated in this event. During the two days it is allowed to drink only one and a half liter of water. For you to understand how little that is, imagine you for two days in an open space under the sun (above 40 degrees Celsius), everywhere around you rocks, no vegetation. You have constant activity and training, and you must not sit on your bottom, nor lie down. Liter and a half water you spend through your sweat during your first training, and that process continues for the remaining time. Every movement on that high temperature causes loss of body fluids, even the talking and the breathing make the water evaporate. On all that effort, you have only three hours of sleep during the two days, so, with that, the exhaustion becomes unbearable and causes a great confusion in the mind.
Congratulations on those who successfully finished the seminar, and to those who quit too, because the sole participation on this seminar is a great courage.
At the same time, the instructor Dovezenski announced that the next year will be the last for this traditional seminar.