Discover new books on Goodreads
See if your friends have read any of Sensei Max's books

Sensei Max

Goodreads Author


Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences

Member Since
July 2026


Sensei Max has spent thirty-five years in martial arts — black belt, competitive karate medalist in Russia, and coach — before turning that same discipline toward writing. He holds a background in sports pedagogy and cultural studies, with doctoral-level research on self-defense as a cultural phenomenon, and hosted Russia's first national television segment on self-defense. He founded Self-Defense 100%, a martial arts club network, and built an audience of 80,000+ on YouTube (Sensei Max | Enlightenment As You Go, and The Walking Sages) since 2007.

Since 2019 he has lived in Bratislava, writing at the intersection of combat, culture, and contemplative practice. His books follow one throughline: real self-defense, carried all the way through,
...more

Average rating: 5.0 · 2 ratings · 0 reviews · 4 distinct works
Vanishing Point: A 21-Day P...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
Rate this book
Clear rating
Drunk Without Wine: A New S...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
Rate this book
Clear rating
Betrunken ohne Wein: Eine n...

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
Mind Itch: Why Goals Are a ...

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

September Stress Is Shared. So Is the Way Out of It.

Vanishing Point A 21-Day Practice of Attention by Sensei Max Every September, same scene. A kid sits down to do homework — and ten minutes later is staring out the window. An adult sits down to a deadline — and ten minutes later is checking their phone. The only difference is the size of the desk.

We tend to think of attention as a kid's problem: can they sit still and focus on the lesson. In reality it's a skill that works the same way at 8 or at 45 — t Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on August 17, 2026 05:43 Tags: attention, back-to-school, mindfulness, parenting, self-defense, september, stress

Sensei’s Recent Updates

1023021 36978 311980
Sensei Max shared a quote
Drunk Without Wine by Sensei Max
“Real certainty isn't about no longer doubting. It's about allowing yourself to be uncertain — letting doubt exist, letting fear exist, letting the shaking exist, without demanding you be a rock. The person who lets himself shake is no longer a slave to the shaking.”
...more
Sensei Max
Sensei Max shared a quote
Vanishing Point by Sensei Max
“Awakening that stays a hobby just repeats itself: wake up, fall back asleep, wake up, fall back asleep. Quantity never turns into quality. It only becomes real the day it stops being a side project and becomes the one thing you do.”
Sensei Max
Sensei Max is now following
70079927
" Hi Librarians,

Requesting a cover update for the Kindle edition of "Vanishing Point: A 21-Day Practice of Attention" by Sensei Max.

Book page: https://w
...more "
Sensei Max is accepting questions on their profile page.
Sensei Max has read
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Rate this book
Clear rating
Sensei Max has read
Vanishing Point by Sensei Max
Rate this book
Clear rating
More of Sensei's books…
Quotes by Sensei Max  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Life is a professional betrayer. Summer betrays you into autumn, autumn hands you to winter, young hands you to old. That's all life ever does. Freedom is not needing it to stop.”
Sensei Max, Vanishing Point: A 21-Day Practice of Attention

“Self-defense. Take the word apart. Fence — from defendere, to strike the threat away. Self — same root as "same," whole, undivided. For thirty-five years I taught people to defend the usurper who'd seized the throne. Real self-defense isn't blocking a punch. It's handing the throne back.”
Sensei Max, Drunk Without Wine: A New Self-Defense, All the Way Through

“Truth be told, the Buddha’s language—just like his mind—wasn’t Sanskrit, Pali, Gandhari, English or Russian.

It’s a language called Nirvana.

That language is also known as Nirvana.”
Sensei Max

“Life is a professional betrayer. Summer betrays you into autumn, autumn hands you to winter, young hands you to old. That's all life ever does. Freedom is not needing it to stop.”
Sensei Max, Vanishing Point: A 21-Day Practice of Attention

“Self-defense. Take the word apart. Fence — from defendere, to strike the threat away. Self — same root as "same," whole, undivided. For thirty-five years I taught people to defend the usurper who'd seized the throne. Real self-defense isn't blocking a punch. It's handing the throne back.”
Sensei Max, Drunk Without Wine: A New Self-Defense, All the Way Through

“«Attention is an extremely valuable resource. If you don't pay attention to it, it goes and paints the whole world around you — and that's how your energy leaks away.»”
Sensei Max, Vanishing Point: A 21-Day Practice of Attention

“Truth be told, the Buddha’s language—just like his mind—wasn’t Sanskrit, Pali, Gandhari, English or Russian.

It’s a language called Nirvana.

That language is also known as Nirvana.”
Sensei Max

“Anxiety doesn't live in the present. It can't — presence leaves no room for it, not for a single real second.

It survives behind eight locks. Guarding it. Feeding it. Keeping it standing long after whatever built it is gone.

One key opens all eight.

Wrote a whole book about it — "Drunk Without Wine”
Sensei Max, Drunk Without Wine: A New Self-Defense, All the Way Through

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 337697 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
1276511 Free Books & Kindle & ARC & Beta Readers & Giveaway — 3672 members — last activity 55 minutes ago
Group Description: A dedicated space where New Authors and Passionate Readers connect. Our mission is to share stories without the pressure of mandato ...more
48786 Spiritual and Self-Help Books Share Circle — 691 members — last activity Sep 01, 2026 09:51PM
A place for readers and authors to chat about our favorite spiritual books, seek feedback and enjoy sharing ideas
799440 Indie and Self-Published Author Support — 1182 members — last activity Aug 30, 2026 02:15AM
Breaking into the world of writing through the self-publishing gateway can be daunting and overwhelming. This is a support group where indie and aspir ...more
26989 Goodreads Authors/Readers — 57500 members — last activity 5 hours, 22 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
725059 Secular Sangha: A Secular Buddhist Group — 168 members — last activity Jul 21, 2025 04:37AM
We study Buddhist philosophy and meditation from a secular perspective. Group members are encouraged to read the ten core group books: “After Buddhis ...more
142309 Underground Knowledge — A discussion group — 26158 members — last activity 19 hours, 58 min ago
This global discussion group has been designed to encourage debates about important and underreported issues of our era. All you need is an enquiring ...more
119800 New Age and Metaphysical Self Help — 925 members — last activity Aug 26, 2026 08:41PM
This group is for readers and authors who are interested in New Age topics, Metaphysics, and spiritual self help. The purpose of this group is to shar ...more
311980 Nonduality — 140 members — last activity Jun 14, 2026 10:02AM
Welcome to a discussion of nonduality in topics including inquiry, enlightenment, Truth, ultimate reality, meditation, Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, myst ...more
36978 Martial Arts Fiction — 162 members — last activity Mar 06, 2026 04:44PM
A place to discuss the best and worst of ninjas, samurai, monks, assassins, cops and bad-guys, kung fu and karate, and discover some new kick-ass acti ...more
More of Sensei’s groups…
Comments (showing 1-2)    post a comment »
dateDown arrow    newest »

Sensei Max Thank you, dear colleague - glad our paths crossed here. Reflection and awareness are pretty much the whole game as I see it; looking forward to reading your work too. Take care, Sensei Max


message 1: by P.

P. Hirson Dear Sensei Max,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful message and for connecting with me on Goodreads. I truly appreciate your kind words about my work. It is a pleasure to connect with a fellow author whose writing also explores reflection, awareness, and the human journey. I look forward to staying connected and learning more about your work as well.
It is great to have you as a friend.
Warm regards,
P Hirson


back to top