The Path to Summit
Author: Marina Kochetova
Faces of our city… There are many of us, just as there are many roads we choose…
Larisa Kuznechuk, originally from Primorye, has lived in our city relatively recently — since 2022. She was born in Soviet Nakhodka, a city of fishermen, in a sailor’s family. When she was eight, her family moved to Vladivostok. Her teenage years and youth were spent in the capital of Primorsky Krai.
She attended a general education school and, at the same time, a music school where she studied accordion and domra. She played in a folk instruments orchestra. After graduating, she entered university as a history major, eventually earning dual qualifications — historian and teacher of history and social studies. She worked in a secondary school for ten years.
Larisa married a surgeon who, after many years in a hospital, became a ship’s doctor. Today, the couple and their two adult children live in Gatineau. Her husband now works in construction rather than medicine, while Larisa teaches at a Saturday Russian school.
At first glance, nothing extraordinary. But in reality, there is much of interest. For example, her childhood passion for music later led her to guitar playing. Her higher education in history inspired a serious interest in Kundalini yoga.
This was not accidental — as a student, she wrote a paper on the Roerich dynasty and a thesis on 19th-century Indian history. Years later, she felt a deeper calling and began studying Kundalini yoga, both independently and with an experienced mentor. She even traveled from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg for an intensive course, earning a Level 1 teaching certificate.
Ancient knowledge, wisely applied in modern life, gives strength and energy — something Larisa felt from her very first class. Kundalini yoga brings balance between body and soul. Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Demi Moore also practice it. According to Larisa, yoga helps overcome anxiety, insecurity, and emotional blocks — something especially relevant today.
Larisa first visited Canada 12 years before moving and was deeply impressed. Her husband had visited earlier as a ship doctor, spending time in British Columbia, where he was amazed by the nature and cleanliness.
Their daughter came to study in Ontario in 2015, and their son in 2019. Both are grateful to Canada for the opportunities it provided. In 2022, the parents joined them — along with their dog and cat, whose relocation required a complex journey across continents.
Having lived many years in Vladivostok — sometimes called “Russia’s San Francisco” — the family now enjoys Canada’s rivers, lakes, and oceans. They especially enjoy fishing in Port Hope and traveling to provinces like Prince Edward Island.
One of Larisa’s brightest childhood memories is a pink music folder brought by her father from Japan. What once felt like a miracle has now become part of her life — she continues to create her own “miracles,” discovering new things in this vast world.
There is only one summit, but many paths to it. Each of us has our own Everest. Larisa walks through life with her head held high and an open heart, embracing the journey called life.