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Walk

Tour "The Incredible in the USSR: Eastern Practices"

When
in 17D
15.08.2026 · 14:00 · UTC+5
Where
Yekaterinburg
Музей Бориса Ельцина
Intent
Walk
About

How did Eastern practices become part of Soviet everyday life? Yoga, meditation, martial arts - all of this was perceived as something mysterious and alluring. The tour at the Yeltsin Center will show how these practices penetrated the USSR and why they gained such popularity in the late 1980s. Could anyone have imagined during Soviet times that practicing yoga or Eastern meditation would become a mass phenomenon? Yet, in the late 1980s, this is exactly what happened. Perestroika opened doors not only to new economic and political realities but also to cultural influences that were previously considered alien to the ideology of the USSR. Among them were Eastern practices, which literally burst into the everyday lives of millions of people and became not just a trend, but a way to find inner support in an era of change. The tour at the Boris Yeltsin Museum will unveil this unusual phenomenon. How exactly did yoga, Zen Buddhism, Chinese gymnastics, and martial arts penetrate a closed society? Why did Eastern philosophical currents resonate so powerfully in the hearts of Soviet citizens? And how did the state attempt to integrate these teachings into the framework of official ideology? Participants can expect an engaging story about the delicate balance between prohibitions and the thirst for self-discovery, about people who practiced meditation under total control, and about enthusiasts who turned esotericism into a way of life. At the end of the tour, there will be a special gift: guests will enter the Hall of Freedom, where instructors from the Confucius Institute at UrFU will conduct a demonstration of traditional Chinese gymnastics. This event is for those interested in history, culture, philosophy, and how global ideas transform into local phenomena. It not only broadens horizons but also inspires - especially those seeking inner support in challenging times.

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