At the age of 12 he was already lifting weights.
Because?
As a child I was obsessed with superheroes, I used to imitate Hulk, Spiderman and Superman from a very early age, and I was bullied at school and so was my neighbor.
Was there a reason?
I went with my older brother everywhere, always with boys older than me, and so I was the easy, easy prey.
Abuse us.
I started lifting weights to protect myself from that bad treatment. One day my mom made sandwiches and took me to watch a Rocky marathon - I watched Rocky 1, 2 and 3 in one go.
Wow.
Yes, Rocky brainwashed me. After six hours of Rocky I decided I wanted to be a boxer or a bodybuilder.
Why did he choose what he chose?
They didn't let me be a boxer, but they did let me accompany my dad to the gym and lift weights. I took it seriously: I went there six days a week. My parents thought it was a phase and that it would pass.
But it didn't happen to him.
My first competition was at the age of 15. I became the biggest teenage bodybuilder in England. At 16 I was Mr England. I was respected much more when I was muscular.
Her golden curls are legendary.
I miss that hair. When I was a bodybuilder I didn't think about girls, I was very focused on my work, I didn't go out or drink.
Soon he was the star of a program.
In a magazine they headlined "Is James Crossley the new Tarzan?", and they called me for Gladiators, which was a star program in the UK. When the program ended, eight years later, I was crowned the ultimate gladiator.
At the age of 19 he was already a successful handsome man.
It was a situation to which I had to adapt. I couldn't go by bus or train, and everywhere I went there were a lot of people waiting for me. It was all very strange, you end up surrounded by a bubble of people.
what did he do next
I was very lucky. After Gladiator I didn't know what to do and I studied acting, and after three years of touring theater I joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. Seven great years of touring, but I got tired of all that roaming.
Why was it decided then?
For the World's Strongest Man competitions, for eight years. I have a couple of world records, but lifting weights is very hard on the body and I had injuries. I went on a yoga retreat in Bali to recover.
His life changed completely.
I did gong bath therapy sessions and was totally recovered and fascinated. When I came back to London I wanted to continue that practice and I couldn't find anything, so I created it myself. I went to university, studied music therapy for two years and, at the same time, trained in the gong.
And he wrote a book about the gong.
Yes, and I set up Sound Healing Teacher Training, a school to certify gong practitioners.
Yes, the gong bath was good for him...
It's very therapeutic. Through sound and vibration the brain waves go into the relaxed state (alpha), the dream state (theta) and even the restorative state (delta).
I?
As the mind and body relax, the heart rate and blood pressure decrease and breathing becomes deep. It is in this state that deep healing can take place.
What changes did you notice in yourself?
I have always slept very badly and those gong baths allowed me to sleep in one fell swoop during the two weeks I was practicing it. I managed to relax my body and mind.
What is the mystery?
Everything has its own vibration, and when we have emotional stress or tension built up in the tissues of our body, perhaps for years, those tissues vibrate in a different way than the rest of the body.
And the sound of the gong harmonizes it?
Yes, the gong emits very powerful vibrations that make the body sympathize with it, it's like tuning the body. It also slows down the brain waves, it is like a very deep meditation that is achieved with years of practice.
But in instant version?
The sound takes you into that parasympathetic state of rest very quickly. We have childhood traumas and stress built up in the body and sound manages to get it out.
It's curious.
We have monkey minds that jump from one topic to another quickly and without control. The vibrations take you to a state very susceptible to healing, rejuvenating processes occur. It is very interesting.
