How a Traditional Spiritual Practice Changed the Lives of These People

A series of activities and events are planned over 4 days for this year’s Falun Dafa Day on May 13. May 13 is the birthday of Li Hongzhi, Falun Dafa’s founder. Falun Dafa is also called Falun Gong. A practice of mind and body, Falun Dafa teaches Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Attendees say their well-being owes much to the meditation practice they share. Victoria Szafranska, Physical Therapy student: I feel more at ease mentally. I feel more conscious of my emotions mentally. I also feel less tension in my shoulders, physically. Less stress overall. Definitely more happy, I feel more positive going to work dealing with my patients at work, addressing their emotions and being conscious of their emotions also. Dorian Filip, Local Practitioner: Over the time with the pain, I started being quite anxious, depressed, and not happy, not happy at all. I was wondering a lot about life what’s the meaning of life, why there’s so much pain, why suffering? When I started practicing everything changed tremendously. I feel a lot more relaxed, more focused on what I’m doing in my daily life, either work or family related, and happy, really happy inside. Michael Carter, Local Practitioner: Once I started learning about the principles truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance I started changing the inside, my heart and my mind and I became more compassionate, I was more tolerant. Mika Hale, Vocalist: It was pretty turbulent actually most of my relationships were really strained, especially with my family. In 2007 I was so miserable with my life that I used to pray everyday outside my window—to be killed. Mika used to suffer from a thyroid condition and it miraculously went away after practicing. Her strained relationships also began to change. Mika Hale, Vocalist: Being able to talk to people from a genuine place, my relationship with my mother is amazing and the relationship with my sister and children are amazing. Before they were really turbulent. Scott Chinn, Software Developer: Before I started practicing Falun gong you could say I had a lot of anxiety, also stress, stressed about things I couldn’t control— Scott decided to try out Falun Dafa in 1999 after seeing positive changes in his friend who practices. Scott Chinn, Software Developer: Less anxiety, less stress, just happier overall, it’s just gotten better and better and better. I keep practicing because I keep feeling happy.