Jan/Feb 2010
Yoga and Gong Meditation at Elgin
Mental Health Center
By Sharon Steffensen
Photos of Boontiva Truong-Quang by Lenny Komeczski
After
two years, yoga teacher Boontiva Truong-Quang achieved her goal
to bring yoga to patients at the Elgin Mental Health Center, a
medium-security facility for the mentally ill. First, she attended
a conference on healing at the center, where Mary Jensen, an associate
at the Mental Health Center and a student of Boontiva's, invited
her as a guest speaker. The next year, Boontiva lectured about
the science of yoga as a therapeutic, holistic approach to life
at a national conference of mental health workers. Later that
same year she was invited to lead eight introductory sessions
of yoga for patients and staff as well as some members from the
national conference at the Elgin Mental Health Center. The staff
and doctors were impressed, and finally Boontiva obtained a one-year
contract with the State of Illinois to teach yoga three days a
week to the patients.
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After a year of working at Elgin Mental
Health Center, Boontiva invited Kenny Kolter, a gong meditation
leader, to a health and wellness fair she was hosting
at the facility. The wellness fair was well received and
well attended. Three days later Kenny got a call from
the comptroller of the facility who asked if he would
be interested in a one-year contract to play the gong
one day a week at the center. This time the contract was
awarded by the State of Illinois within a couple of months.
Cathy Johnson,
Activities Program Director, told Kenny
that in her 25 years of working atthe facility, she
had never seen a contract go through so quickly. Now
Kenny is in his second year of playing the gong, and
Boontiva is in her third year of teaching yoga at the
mental health center. Boontiva teaches seven to eight
yoga sessions on several units during her three days
a week at the facility.
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Her friendliness, sunny disposition, and down-to-earth manner quickly
earned her the respect and trust of the patients. Most of them
have only a modest understanding of what yoga is, and some don't
know anything at all, so Boontiva takes a variety of approaches.
To break the ice, she may start by asking the patients what they
think yoga is. She may bring them into a circle and invite them
to move into their favorite animal postures, which are often names
of yoga poses. Or she may start with Laughing yoga, telling them
to look toward the ceiling, raise their arms, and laugh as loud
as they can; then pair up with someone they don't know, look into
their eyes, and laugh not so loudly; and, finally, look at one
another and laugh silently. After this exercise they become more
relaxed and comfortable.
The yoga classes are very simple and direct, with
patients participating in full asana practice on the floor with
yoga mats. There is a core of six to eight people who attend each
session (with sometimes as many as 18) every week, practicing
the poses at various levels of difficulty, and some of them are
fairly advanced. Other groups do chair yoga. Because of their
mental illness and medication, many don't have the physical dexterity
to do a full floor asana program.
Boontiva keeps it interesting by constantly mixing
it up--introducing new poses or talking about meditation techniques,
proper breathing, or food choices. Patients often ask her to recommend
a book or a meditation or yoga DVD. All of the patients participate
on a voluntary basis, choosing from a variety of activities.
Kenny participates in four or five sessions every
Tuesday. For half of the sessions, he works in tandem with Boontiva,
playing the gong (sometimes with a drum) softly in the background
during the yoga class. The rest of the time Kenny leads gong meditations
while the patients lie on mats or sit in chairs. Both the yoga
sessions and the gong meditations are approximately a half hour
long.
Kenny describes gong meditation: I try to provide
a sonic backdrop for people to go within to pray, meditate, or
relax. A typical session I do is in the gymnasium, where we pull
out tumbling mats. Patients lie down and try to get comfortable.
I play the gong and the drum in a trance-like fashion. I've been
playing drums since I was nine years old, so I bring a rhythmic
and musical element to playing the gong. It's not overly intense.
Before the session, I say, We are going to take this next half
hour, and we will use this time to drift and dream and be quiet
within ourselves.' There is no guided imagery, just listening
to the gong.
Gong meditation is one of the most popular activities
for the patients, sometimes with half the unit attending--approximately
ten to twelve people. Kenny receives positive feedback. One young
woman said she loves Tuesdays because she knows she will sleep
well that night.
The reason the gong is so effective, says Kenny,
is that within the sonic spectrum of the instrument is the eternal
Om sound, providing a mantra for the participants. The gong is
very soothing. It is penetrating and fills the space and has a
relaxing and powerful meditative effect. The gong I play is tuned
to 172 hertz, which is the frequency [at which] the earth rotates
in our solar system. The gong has a wonderful grounding and reaffirming
energy to it.
There are both short-term and long-term patients
at the facility. They may stay at the center for seven days, three
months, or 25 years. Some are confined to their unit. Kenny explains,
The work we do primarily is at the forensics treatment program.
All of the patients are incarcerated because they have some form
of criminal activity associated with their mental illness. They
may be unfit to stand trial, and they are there to become mentally
integrated to stand trial. The other populations are people categorized
as not guilty for reason of insanity. They're long-term. Many
of these patients are not really able to be at a regular county
facility or state prison. So they are there because of the complexity
of their mental illness and the amount of medication they need
to stabilize themselves.
Kenny enjoys working with Boontiva. He says, She
has a very simple, loving, and friendly approach with the patients,
and always has a smile. She's very approachable. She's like a
cheerleader, always sharing her excitement and passion about yoga
and spiritual growth. Her enthusiasm is infectious and is delivered
in a very genuine way. Patients' respond to her so well because
she is so comfortable in her element. This is her dharma--sharing
her yoga with a population of people who are really in need of
some guidance, in need of some technique on how to center themselves
and how to feel harmony inside.
They complement one another in their work. Boontiva
chooses postures that help the patients have better flexibility,
circulation, and mental clarity. Kenny provides specific sounds
that have highly beneficial applications in medical and clinical
settings. Some patients are more tactile and energetic; others
are more sedentary and sedate. While Boontiva is teaching, some
people just come and listen to the gong and pick up on the good
energy that is generated.
Boontiva, who was born in Thailand, emigrated to
the U.S., and became certified in India to teach yoga, says sound
vibration is universal and that gongs (which come from China and
Tibet) are used in Eastern cultures to announce marriages, births,
and deaths, as well as for healing purposes. She says, The sound
vibration, combined with breath and the grounding of yoga, is
the road to recovery.
Kenny and Boontiva see dramatic results from their
work. A woman who previously had a gruff personality now appears
happy, smiling, and more outgoing. She dresses in brighter colors
and participated in Bollywood dancing during a recent activity
day. Another patient, who was new to yoga, has begun writing a
book on yoga and meditation. He gave Boontiva and Kenny 35 pages
to read. Others comment that they feel stronger.
The activities staff, who work with the patients
every day, appreciate the work Kenny and Boontiva are doing, although
in the beginning there was a fair amount of skepticism about the
gong, says Kenny. But over time, they have seen that the patients
are interested and are benefiting. Neither of them have had a
formal review with the staff, but the fact that their contracts
have been renewed during a time of heavy cutbacks at the state
level indicates that the staff sees value in what they do.
Boontiva and Kenny believe that the future for mind/body
wellness is going to be in a collaborative environment, and they
would like to provide their services in other clinical settings,
such as hospitals, juvenile centers, cancer care centers, and
other mental health facilities. Kenny says, There is something
about being in service to a population that is in need, who would
never be exposed to yoga or gong meditation because of their economic
or cultural background. It is very rewarding to be in this environment
where people are hurt, separated from their families and loved
ones. We feel the work we are doing is groundbreaking because
this is the state's largest mental health facility. Traditional
clinical facilities are very conservative; they don't stray from
traditional therapies. We are very fortunate that there were some
people here that were progressive and willing to embrace change.
Elgin Mental Health Center is a progressive place.
Elgin Mental Health Center describes its services
as follows; Recovery is a personal journey of hope, healing, growth,
choice, and change. Elgin Mental Health Center provides treatment
for relief and restoration of the people we serve. It is a place
of hope for the healing of mind, body and spirit where many find
health and happiness again.
About Boontiva :
Boontiva Truong-Quang was born in Thailand. Her
parents were members of the Vietnamese Royal Family, and the family
was forced to flee Thailand to escape theCommunist Regime. Educated
in Bangkok, where she learned English, she later emigrated to
the US with her parents and completed her studies at Northern
Illinois University, earning a Master of Science degree in Marketing
and Management and a Master of Arts degree in Fashion and Design.
She is several course credits away from a PhD in Philosophy at
DePaul University. She worked in corporate America for 14 years
as a marketing director for the Marriott Corporation. In 1995,
after an impromptu trip to India, Boontiva discovered yoga and
stayed at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai to become a certified yoga
instructor. She is also trained in reflexology and Thai traditional
massage. Her mission is to be in service to improve my own life,
the lives of individuals, communities, and the planet.
With more than 600 hours of formal training, Boontiva
founded Optimum Health School of Yoga in Elgin. In addition to
teaching yoga, Pilates, reflexology, and yoga teacher trainings
at her center, Boontiva teaches at locations in the northwest
and western suburbs. Boontiva also received a grant from Activate
Elgin to promote awareness about obesity and healthy lifestyles
for children. She also works part time nights at a group home
in Schaumburg for troubled teenage girls. When she's not working
all night, Boontiva rises at 4 a.m., as she requires only four
hours of sleep. Each year she goes on a six-week, volunteer pilgrimage
to orphanages in Thailand, Nepal, and India. For more information
about Boontiva, visit www. classicalindianyoga.com.
About Kenny :
Kenny
Kolter started playing drums and percussion at the age of nine
and has been practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) since he
was twelve. He graduated from Maharishi International University
with a B.A. in Comparative Literature, where he was steeped in
ayurvedic (health)and Gandharva Veda (music) learning. He has
traveled and performed internationally as a professional musician
and has released three gong meditation CDs in the past three years:
Vibrational Journey , Vibrational Visions, and
Vibrational Portal. He recently completed a fourth CD with
Dr. Julie Milne titled Channel of Light--A Guided Imagery Meditation
for Gong.
Kenny leads gong meditation workshops throughout
the Chicago area. His goal as facilitator is to be a sound bridge
between the energy and spirit that lie within the gong and sonically
draw out or tune into the energy and spirit that resides in us
all.
Interview
with Kenny Kolter
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reprinted from Yoga Chicago
http://www.yogachicago.com/jan10/elginmental.shtml
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