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To the door of Abyss : freediving competition season of the deepest zen monk Kosho Loïc Vuillemin



The freediving season starts and my first appointment with competition is coming at the beginning of May. Like many, i had to observe the world situation, find solutions to survive our society's madness and pray to make the right decisions. Despite thousands of emails to various companies, i could not achieve to get a proper sponsoring contract that would wash away the financial obstacles brought by competitions and training.


You've been many to support my involvement into elite sport, many to help me deepen my meditation, pranayama and freediving teaching activities. My gratefulness for you all goes beyond what i can decently express. Without you, none of this would have ever been possible. Sucess was achieved and i'm ready to renew the challenge.


I'm standing here again to ask for support to transcend difficulties and dive even deeper, to show an example of dedication that participates to a better version of humanity and to make accessible to all that deeper dimension of ourselves.


Palmarès – my previous achievements


Some may know that i've passed years and years amongst my buddhist community to open a temple to all (Yujo Nyusanji – France 34). By now this wonderful place offers more than 60k m2 of land in which the wildlife is safe, the trees taken care of and where the rivers and springs are kept healthy. It can lodge more than 100 persons and features everything you wish for spiritual retreats : dojo, big bells, gardens, romantic bridges... and yes, there's a swimming pool. That was a major achievement for sure...



But let's look here at my freediving competition palmares since this is what will keep me busy in 2021.


8 Swiss national records

CWT: 84m (2019) - 85m (2020)

CWTB: 62m (2019) - 76m (2019) - 80m (2020) - 83m (2020)

FIM: 84m (2019) - 85m (2020)


Aida International Ranking

OVERALL: 8th (2019) - 1st (2020)


Competition results

2nd place CWTB – Swiss Championships – Zurich, Switzerland - 2019

9th place CNF – World Championships – Villefranche sur Mer, France - 2019

1st place overall – Freediving World Competition – Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt ) - 2020

2nd place overall – Dahab Championships – Dahab, Egypt - 2020


Deep Zen Team

I am very proud and happy to have the support of some brands for my equipment. Fortunately, i then have no worries which equipment to choose or trust.

Go N Sea : The jewel of Gisèle Senegas from France. Her fins are really great. The top technology carbon that she makes her blades with is nicely wide and fits my finning style really well. Powerful yet flexible, i'm convinced these fins can bring me way deeper than i already did in CWT or CWTB. With the Blue Darck model i scored many national records and participated successfully to World Championships back in 2019. Recently, she designed a model even more adapted to depth, the « Vertical » ones. She offered me two pairs, each of them with different footpockets and blade stiffness.


Meister : a very very high quality of equipment for freediving. I ordered 2 tailormade wetsuits in different thickness last year and keep them preciously only for depth trainings and competitions. They fit perfectly and let my moves nicely free while keeping me at warmth. Supernice of them, they made me a good discount on the total price and printed the logos i needed on them. I was also really impressed by the speed at the one they had my suits ready after order. Meister is certainly one of the very best brand of equipment considering freediving and spearfishing.


FreeXperience : Safety first. FreeXperience produces lanyards that keep the freediver attached to the line during the dive. Undodgeable pieces of the freediver's equipment, the freeXperience lanyards are really high quality, solid and safe. While diving with these, yes indeed i feel safer … and that's incredibly important. Kimmo Lahtinen, founder of FreeXperience, offered me a set of lanyards for both CWT/FIM and CNF. I also use the FreeXperience Titanium noseclip that, beyond fitting my nose nicely and tightly, is really gorgeous.



I have also on my side the Association Taiji la Côte which helps me a lot. They regularly invite me to lead workshops and give public talks in Switzerland which definitly helps me gather funds.



Zafu-shop has been one of the very first to support me with a money donation. The artisan Fabrice Genevois is craftworking zafus, zafutons and more. Daily, i use the zafu he gave me for meditation but also for stretching and breathing exercices. A must have...



Hira Hosen – Ascension Catalyst is also one of my great supporter. She has been providing the necessary funds for me to train with the assistance of safety divers many times. Since she's my wife, she also watches my back on a daily basis. You may need her help to live with an open heart...


Lately, i committed to a very interesting partnership with Padma. They produce Tibetan medicine of really high standards and quality. I will be testing one of their formula while training this season. I have the strong belief that the formula can help me feel the greatest vitality. More energy for training, faster recovery, more focus. I love the idea of traditional plant based medicine, do you ?



But also:

  • Prana Santé that invites me regularly to lead workshops in their beautiful place

  • 2beFree that has been and still is super supportive and provide excellent freediving equipment

  • Estelle Mei Aubert that wished to support the monk i am. She is expert of sacro cranial therapy.

  • Les Apneistes Anonymes, a club from Switzerland that puts the accent on discovering the wild underwater beauties of our country. No competition there :)

  • Aurèlia, Heidi, Timo, Vitaly and Helen, Marshal... friends that believe in me and students that tipped me nicely to express their satisfaction for my teachings.

While you read, be sure no effort have been left aside to gather all the necessary funds to participate to the coming competition events. But the money goal is by far not reached...


Competition schedule and costs


April

14th,to 30th : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) – 350 euros


May

1st to 3rd : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) – 70 euros

4th to 10th : Official training week – Freediving World Cup part 1 – Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt – 100 euros

11th to 15th : Competition event – Freediving World Cup part 1 – Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt – 230 euros

20th to 31st :Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) | Shallow part of the training will be made in Fanar Beach, free of charge – 160 euros


June

All month : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) | Shallow part of the training will be made in Fanar Beach, free of charge – 510 euros


July

1st to 3rd : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) – 70 euros

4th to 10th : Official training week – Freediving World Cup part 2 – Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt – 100 euros

11th to 15th : Competition event – Freediving World Cup part 2 – Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt – 230 euros

20th to 31st : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) | Shallow part of the training will be made in Fanar Beach, free of charge – 160 euros


August

1st to 15th : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) | Shallow part of the training will be made in Fanar Beach, free of charge – 160 euros

16th : Fly from Sharm el Sheikh to Cyprus – 230 euros

18th to 31st : Assisted training in Limassol – 300 euros


September

1st to 19th : Assisted training in Limassol – 300 euros

20th to 30th : Competition event – AIDA World Championships – Limassol, Cyprus – 700 euros

Accomodation in Limassol: 45 x 55 euros = 2500 euros


October

1st : Fly from Cyprus to Turkey – 450 euros

3rd to 10th : Competition event – CMAS World Championship – Kas, Turkey – 700 euros

12th : Fly from Turkey to Sharm el Sheikh – 230 euros

Accomodation in Turkey: 10 x 55 euros = 550 euros

20th to 31st : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) | Shallow part of the training will be made in Fanar Beach, free of charge– 160 euros


November

1st to 15th : Assisted training in Sharm el Sheikh (Freediving World) | Shallow part of the training will be made in Fanar Beach, free of charge – 160 euros

16th to 22nd : Official training week – Freediving World Cup part 4 – Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt – 100 euros

23rd to 27th : Competition event – Freediving World Cup part 4 – Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt – 230 euros


Total 8750 euros (!!!)


It will be very difficult to make it cheaper. Obstacles are many and it is pretty difficult to foresee everything that could happen on the way. Then there are obviously additional costs such as medical visits, insurances, equipment renewal, taxi rides and so on. So this amount may be a minimum needed to go through all these events safely. You understand why serious partnerships and sponsoring offers are so precious.


The good question : why would you give ?


My objectives are not only a defined moment in time, whenever i'm making myself ready for given performances in the very near future. Obviously and like most of us, i proceed step by step in life and the numerous achievements i realised, not only in freediving, have all or almost all been crowned by success. I give my heart fully in life and there is not a second of it that i would like to waste. Challenges and great projects are a constant amazement and the positive impact of success on those that surround us is mind-blowing.


You may want to give because you feel like supporting a dedicated person more than a precise objective. Supporting an authentic monk is very good for karma, just to say, mostly if you bring offerings before midday time. The impact of what i do is for the better good of all those who wish for a better world, i have no doubt about that. It's a daily discipline to act as a man of good and my faith is deep and strong.


You may want to support someone that believes in ethics at all levels, that we speak about elite sport, spirituality or even religion, family life and health of all sentient beings. You may want to support me because you believe, thank to my previous achievements and my constant dedication to a better world, that all these objectives i plan to realise will be so for a righteous cause.


Of course, i'm not against ethical businesses and i'm ready to study any form of sponsoring partnership. I look forward to read your propositions or needs. With me, you can be certain that your help will be received open arms, kept eternally in my heart and that the benefits you'll be rewarded with will last in time.


There are so many reasons to give, to support, to help... please write to me if you don't find any for the present project and give me a chance to convince you. I wish and need your trust and support. Even if it's the adventure of one person, i won't let myself go alone in it. I want to do all this with your help, so we can share the success of it together.


Join me on that incredible journey and consent to help me with a donation or by any other ways that you'll find appropriate.


Links you may want to check




2021 Objectives

I want to participate again to the AIDA World Championships and also so the CMAS ones. These are impressive and famous events with great media coverage and during which i target to perform great and clean dives. Considering targets, i wish to register new national records for Switzerland in all 4 disciplines and reach the legendary depth of 100m. There will be a serious list of competitions as you could read before and numerous great champions will be present. It's a tough season to come and i'm ready for it.


Discipline, wisdom and faith lead to great results, whatever your age or physical condition. Believe in your dreams and commit fully to your path, this is what lays behind my involvement in competitions to say the least.


Added to that, my involvement into these events is the choosen way to emphasize on my upcoming project : the Deep Zen Meditation and Freediving Education Platform for online and onsite learning.


Meditation is a necessary life hygiene nowadays and freediving is an incredible way to fasten the process of self realisation. The importance of integrating spirituality in our lifes and practices, bringing inspiration and hope to new generations and growing athletes, taking part to ecological sensitisation, protecting marine life and participating to a better world is tremendous... but maybe the most important, and this is the role of an athlete and certainly of a monk too, is to be an example for all those who look for the right way.


After 25 years of intensive zen practice, half a life of experiences, journeys and travels, seasons of athlete's training and performances, the time to transmit my knowledge is coming. I look forward to teach more and to be more available for retreats, seminars and workshops. But to make that possible, i wish to first reach and open a very specific door... the door of abyss, where Deep Zen stands and sit.


What will you get in exchange of your financial support ?

That's the use in the crowdfunding, you get rewards for donations. I hope these will obtain your interest and in case not, don't hesitate to contact me to ask for what exactly you would like in exchange of your support. It's quite a brainstorming to know what to give in exchange when your heart and soul is actually ready to give it all.


1-10 euros : be mentioned in the list of sponsors

11-49 euros : receive a personalised video message in your inbox

50-99 euros : receive a voucher for a Deep Zen one on one zoom session

100-299 euros : receive a voucher for a Deep Zen T-shirt

300-499 euros : receive a 1 day freediving introduction course, 2 freediving/pranayama/meditation training sessions or 3 Deep Zen one on one zoom sessions

500-999 euros : have your logo printed on my event T-shirts

1000-2499 euros : have your logo printed on my upcoming wetsuits

2500 and + euros : i'll come for a talk in your organization/company


If these do not really resonate fully with you, feel free ton contact me and propose the reward you would really like. Creativity has no limits when we share ideas.



For those who wish to become official sponsors and envisage a partnership, please have a look at the following document and contact me directly to discuss our mutual interests. I'm always keen to study and talk about what is expected to insure common growth and development.




Conclusion

You've understood that i'm not directly the usual type of monk. Intensive practice, dedication, discipline, training, family life and years of various experiences made of me that eclectic person that carries a lot of energy, happiness, faith and a wide range of challenges. No one should be drawn to live in a labelled drawer for the sake of political correctness. Together, with your help and with my total investment, let's show again to our world that there aren't visions great enough nor unachievable dreams for those who have faith and who keep it deep.


How to make a donation ?


You may want to visit this page also in case you don't want to help financially but in another way: https://www.deepzen.net/donations-support-deepzen


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