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Question
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robdobo: March 15 2006
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The Link Between Physical Health And Emotional Health
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Depression Statistics: General Fact Information
-In any given year, about seven percent - between 13 million and 14 million people - will experience a depressive disorder.
-Of those who develop depression, only about 20 percent will receive adequate treatment.
-About 16 percent of adults will experience depression at some point in their life.
-About 97 percent of those reporting depression also reported that their work, home life and relationships suffered as a result.
-Depression can quadruple a person's risk of dying within 6 months after a heart attack.
-Depression is also known to weaken the immune system, making the body more susceptible to physical illness.
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Having suffered all my life from Bi-Polar Disorder, and Agoraphobia (Chronic fear of leaving the house) I can say for a fact that my physical conditioning can have a profound impact on my emotional state. The more I work out the more strength I get emotionally to overcome my problems. I have been using KB's for months now, not well, I am just starting to learn the proper usage, but still I used them well enough to increase my health noticably. Stress causes energy that needs to be expended, often untreated that energy is expended as anxiety and tension. I find that when I start to feel a little anxious I grab a pair of KB's do some military presses and the anxiety melts away.
In a month or so I will be entering a treatment centre that will hopefully teach me some skills to overcome my disorders, the treatment centre is a voluntary facility, and requires a promise that you will be able to participate in there programs, before I started working out this was a promise I could not make, now I am ready to go, and looking forward to the experience... first thing I am gonna pack? a 16kg Kettlebell.
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I would love to here if anyone else has used Kettlebell training to help treat their depression or other mood disorder....
I can understand why some may have a problem talking about it openly on the forums so feel free to e-mail me at robdobo@rogers.com
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Answer
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John Du Cane: March 16 2006
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I recommend you check out Peter Levine's "Waking the Tiger" for a brilliant discussion of trauma and the immobility response in relation to your question.
The common attitude in qigong is that one of the very best ways to address "mental disorders" is through wortking on the physical and energetic systems. The qigong belief is that correcting the imbalance on these levels is easier to accomplish and can often correct related mental imbalances.
I am not at all surprised to hear your story about the impact of the KBs on your depression.
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Question
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RobertWall: March 15 2006
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Question for John Du Cane, RE: Five Animal Frolics
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I'm somewhat of an amateur martial artist, and I've heard a bit about Tai Chi. I've heard of Five Animal styles of kung fu, but not Tai Chi.
Are these forms, per se? Do they replace the standard Tai Chi forms (the Yang long and short forms, for instance)? Or are they just their own thing?
Do these build up to one eventually learning something like the Yang forms, or would learning all of these be more of a complete art in and of itself?
I'm trying to figure out where I want to spend my $$$, and your products seem better from a "targeting" standpoint (this one for stress, this other one for something else, etc.). I'm just wondering where they fit into the larger Tai Chi landscape.
Information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Answer
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John Du Cane: March 16 2006
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Robert,
The Five Animal Frolics on my DVDs are not kung fu in the sense of martial arts.
They are qigong movements devised originally by one of the founders of Chinese medicine as a set of therapeutic exercises for general health and well being.
They are not forms but individual movements repeated a number of times for a particular effect.
They in no way replace Tai Chi which is a complex and very profound martial art.
However many Tai Chi teachers recommend the Five Animal Frolics either as a good complement to Tai Chi, or as a good introduction to styles of movement, breathing and posture that will help a beginner move into Tai Chi.
I teach The Five Animal Frolics, along with Tai Ji Qigong, week in week out also as a very good introduction to the vast field of qigong in general.
One nice plus with these qigong methods is that you get to experience enhanced qi flow rapidly. Because of its difficulty, this experience can be slower with Tai Chi.
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Question
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dusanjn: March 25 2006
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Qigong after training - Q for John Du Cane maybe
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Hi,
Does anyone here do qigong exercises AFTER their main strength workout? Is there any reason why you would not do this, or why this is not reccomended?
I appreciate your valued feedback.
Kind Regards
Nick.
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Answer
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John Du Cane: March 26 2006
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As omranger mentions the Tiger-Laohu Gong set would be the kind of qigong that would be best suited as a post strength training session, because of the coiling, loosening, stretching and fluid movement.
Many RKC cert attendees have come to my Sunday evening qigong classes after three hard days of KB lifting and I have seen them respond very favorably to this style of qigong, along with the stretchy, joint mobility enhancing movements you also see in The Five Animal Frolics and some of the simple methods in Qigong Recharge (this set I teach one morining of the cert and is certainly a great invigorator before KB lifting.)
I would stay away from qigong involving the holding of positions, after strength training.
Strength training involves the cultivation of the ability to master tension, but if you don't complement this with free-flowing qigong-like movement, you can lose mastery of the other part of the equation -- the skill to deeply relax the body -- and you will become chronically over-tight.
He doesn't post here, but Ron Morris, a Mpls RKC has been highly successful in incorporating qigong into his KB classes and swears by it.
Lemon1 makes some good points about considering delaying some of your qigong practice to a period later that same day.
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Question
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powerlifter54: March 26 2006
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My Favorite Article
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Didn't realize this came out.
If i can put together an Elite Total and write a PL book entirely in this tone, i will probably do it.
Does this tone amuse or offend?
Interested.
Tone and Content I am shooting for overall
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Answer
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John Du Cane: March 26 2006
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Jack,
For what it's worth, I really enjoyed your style and humor in this article.
One of the things I have always appreciated about Pavel is his ability to inject a lively humor into what could otherwise be dry material.
If I was you, I would definitely develop your current writing approach.
Editor's suggestion: for the web, particularly, keep the paras short. (Yes, I am the one who edited your piece.)
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