What or who is Everest Mindful Thaiboxing?
Everest Mindful Thaiboxing (EMT) utilises physical exercise (Muay Thai and HIIT exercises), the Wim Hof method (breathing exercises, cold therapy), fasting/ketogenic diet, extensive stretching protocols, sensory deprivation (float tanks) and meditation/visualization. These form just part of our holistic approach proven to optimise well-being.
Who are you?
My name is Paul Eduardo Arguelles and I am one of two head instructors and founders of EMT. I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1983. I have a very international background, my Dad being from Colombia, Mother from Scotland and Grandmother from Chile. I have lived in England, New York, France & Thailand during extended periods. My base for the last 10 years has mostly been Barcelona, Spain. I have a Degree and Masters in Psychology and I´m a certified Muay Thai and Wim Hof instructor as is my partner Mauricio.
I come from a very sporty but also educated family, my Dad worked for NASA as a computer scientist and my sister managed to get into the top 300 in the world during her professional tennis career, she also played Wimbledon. I have fought professionally around 30 times all around the world, most notably winning at Max Muay Thai tournament in Bangkok, Thailand and Kunlun Fight in Shenzhen, China. Shorlty after these most notable events my career was ended in its prime due to a mystery sickness which was not helped at all by conventional methods, normal doctors say I am totally fine. This put me onto a slightly different path, my wise Father enlightening me to the fact that the only person that was going to heal me, was myself. Instead of fighting huge Chinse guys, now I had to fight to recover my health, and what a long fight it is turning out to be, three years on I still suffer from symptoms, symptoms however which have been eleviated muchly through the use of the EMT way. And symptoms which continue to light the fire under me to continue to search for more ways to find health and in turn share this with others. Meditation has been the biggest influencing factor. My spiritual reading and listening have been extense, I have attended various spiritual retreats, Ayahuasca ceremonies, amongst many other interesting experiences, most recently a Vipassana in the jungle in Thailand. Leading me to have the capacity to be grateful for my suffering and the path that it has put me on. Difficult as it can be to sometimes to not feel great, and not be able to move like I used to, Im exactly where I need to be.
My partner is Mauricio Olivera, the other head instructor and founder of EMT. Born in Uruguay in 1990, he has been living in Barcelona for 18 years. Mauri has always excelled at and enjoyed sporting endeavours, competing in the following; Muay Thai, Jui Jitsu, Football, Tennis and Swimming. He has a degree in both physical education and Chemistry, his understanding of the physicality of the body is impressive. Mauri is a certified kettlebell instructor and personal trainer. Mauri is truly passionate about leaving the world a better place than he found it, he had the idea to offer donation based classes. Obsessed with researching and then applying the newest empirically sound practices to our clients. Everyone is impressed by his dedication, studious nature, energy levels and positivity.
This is not how we make our living, it's our vocation, not merely a job, it is our lifestlye. We count ourselves extremely lucky to be able to earn a living from doing what we love. We have total passion for what we do, we love Muay Thai and martial arts in general and have been teaching with success for years. We are obsessed with learning about and integrating into the Everest methodology any practice which allows people to be their true selves, whether that is floating in Epsom salt, deep stretching or taking off your shoes and grounding your feet in the sand, whatever results in long term well-being. We are aware of the half life of knowledge and so constantly keep abreast of ways to help ourselves and in turn help others become happier, healthier and stronger. As long as it is science backed we will use both the newest technology or ancient forgotten knowledge. Always studying, travelling and going to seminars, reading etc. We just completed the online Wim Hof course and plan to go to the Pyrenees with Wim soon. We don´t stop, constant growth.
Our philosophy
We always thought health came from what physical exercise you do and how you fuel yourself. True to a certain extent, modern society is seemingly missing a huge part of the puzzle...dedicating time to your mental state. One quick example, you've trained your arms twice this week but how much happiness training have you completed? Meditation is scientifically proven to increase happiness amongst a myriad of other benefits, but sadly, is pretty much ignored in today's society.
We believe that by reconnecting with ourselves & nature we can restore health and happiness, and that regardless of what training you do or what you eat, if you don't dedicate the same amount of energy or more into your mental health then eventually health and vitality will leave you. Due to getting badly sick whilst living in Thailand and helping myself greatly, we really are passionate about spreading this knowledge. And the fact that we are living this lifestyle through and through and have felt its benefits, results in our enthusiasm being infectious.
Being able to be involved with our sporting passion of Muay Thai daily, heal ourselves and others is not something we are going to give up easily. Money, fame or promiscuity don't make you sustainably happy, helping others and being loving to those around you is how we achieve true happiness, this goes for us and everyone else. Remember at school when they told you to treat others as you would like to be treated? Cliches are cliche's for a reason, this is a golden and universal rule for a reason, we are intrinsically connected to each other in a way which science is yet to understand. Unless you are good, kind, friendly, warm and loving you are not going to enjoy life, and that's a fact. We gotta figure out a way to enjoy this life... and that's the funny part, we already know how to organise our health and the world yet nobody does it! We objectively know all these things, the right path for a happy healthy strong person is to do all the things we already know! So what are they..?
...Take care of your body, lift heavy things, run up hills, take care of your health, eat vegetables, get proper rest, take care of your mind, try to reduce stress, meditate, be kind, this is not a magical checklist! Stop the fizzy drinks, turn off your phone, stop doing the things you know full well you shouldn't, go into nature,start working out, eat some more vegetables, challenge yourself, sit in silence, learn new skills, push yourself to the limit of discomfort. All this gives us a sense of how our amazing body feels to be in when it's moving and flowing as it should and was designed to be. Enjoy every second of the day, allowing you to become more loving.
So if we know what to do why aren't we doing it? We need to retrain our brain. It's not designed to seek uncertain, uncomfortable, scary or difficult situations, in fact it is there to protect us from those and keep us alive. Lets dedicate time to our body AND brain. To be the best boyfriend, wife, friend, entrepreneur or person, and to attain the life you want, the career, your dreams, you absolutely must do scary, uncertain, uncomfortable and difficult things. So let's kick til your lungs burn, fast together, get in really cold water, meditate, do breathing exercises and generally optimise our existence so we can go from existing to living, there are no dress rehearsals in life.
