By WILLIAM J. BROAD
On a cold Saturday in early 2009, Glenn Black, a yoga teacher of nearly four decades, whose devoted clientele includes a number of celebrities and prominent gurus, was giving a master class at Sankalpah Yoga in Manhattan. Black is, in many ways, a classic yogi: he studied in Pune, India, at the institute founded by the legendary B. K. S. Iyengar, and spent years in solitude and meditation.
New research adds weight to the increasingly recognized theory that trauma is a factor in the development of chronic pain.
By Jennifer Davis
Muscle Deterioration In Patients With Lung Disease Seen Connected To Heightened Carbon Dioxide Levels In The BloodScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2009) — Muscle deterioration in patients with lung diseases might be a direct consequence of high carbon dioxide levels in their blood, an international team of researchers headed by Prof. Yosef Gruenbaum of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found.
Chemical Dependency Group
Simply put, it is our true nature to seek balance, by whatever means necessary.
Be-it physical, mental or emotional in nature, the reach for chemicals to feel better reflects our deep, innate human desire to live in a state of balance. And, quite honestly, is a product of the times in which we live. We are constantly being told, some might say programmed, to believe that there is a magic pill for almost everything, or this product will make you look younger, or feel better than you have ever felt before. We live in a time when drug companies are not satisfied with the diseases we have medically identified as a society, they are actively creating syndromes and disorders to help us find new reasons to use their products sooner, and more often.
In western science, if we are in pain, we are offered (often very addictive) pain medications to help us mask the pain. If we are feeling anxious, nervous or stressed, we are given chemicals to calm us down. If we are feeling emotionally depressed or angry we are given chemicals to help us alter our mood. All are simply ways to mask or hide from the actual imbalances occurring within ourselves, clouding our awareness along the way. This is not to say that all drugs are bad, but we feel they need to be closely monitored and cautiously used as part of a balanced, multi-pronged approach to the healing process.
From an eastern science perspective, imbalance at a basic level, can be explained in this manner: When we are cold we want to warm up, when hungry, we eat, when tired we sleep, when anxious or angry, all we want is to calm down. This simply reflects our deepest human desire to achieve a comfortable state of balance.
Qigong Principle training techniques are designed to use the natural chemical stores of the patients endocrine system as well as the central nervous system to help identify and better regulate imbalances within themselves. Regular Qigong practice can help the patient be more available for therapeutic processing which can then lead to more effective personal work towards their overall health and balance.
Please note, the desire and reach for chemicals (external stimuli) to resolve physical, mental, or emotional (internal) issues does not work long term. Nor will Qigong training be a panacea for your recovery. In order to fully recover, a patient must be willing to take on the issues which got them so far out of balance in the first place, physically, mentally and emotionally.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This group therapy program is held at a private, inpatient hospital and is not available to the general public. We are available for private Life Coaching Sessions which incorporate techniques developed for this program.
If you have a therapeutic practice and wish to incorporate this type of program in your facility, please contact Sifu Chris.
Professional Member of the National Qigong Association
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