Read about Kerstin who participated in the Summer Course for the first time last year, 2016. She came to the course thanks to her daughter, who participated the previous year and had very good results. This summer they both return.

I am here because I have heard so many positive things about the Summer Courses. My daughter and my cousin have both had very good results.

I started doing Zhineng qigong because I have an ankle that is still bothering me, 40 years after I broke it. I am stiff in every part of my body and have pain in my shoulders and back. Most of the time I feel very tired and I have a stomach problem. Moreover, I was born with a deformity of the legs in relation to the knees. During this Summer Course, I feel my ankle is improving and the left leg has been straightened out. I also feel more calm. I definitely will come back to the Summer Courses in the future. I feel that I have found a form of training that I can use for the rest of my life and keep me vital. It is wonderful to be here with my daughter and experience this together and later to be able to do some qigong together when we meet.

Read about 21 year old Livia and why she returns to the summer courses year after year.

I had a knee injury that made it very difficult for me, I could barely walk, but that disappeared during my first summer course in 2015. I then also discovered that I am doing well and feel good in every way.

It is delightful to attend the Summer courses. There is a wonderful community and you socialize with people of different ages. Everybody gives a helping hand and although so many live together it works out amazingly. It’s fun to experience this a couple of weeks a year. Last year I brought my mom with me and she has, like me, had improvements. We have the same genetic defect of the legs. Because of this defect I was so injured that I could barely walk after working as a waitress in Australia.

When I started training I did not feel so good mentally, but today I feel much better. I’m very grateful.
I had been training with European Zhineng Qigong before, but it was quite another thing at the Summer course. It was there I realized that Zhineng qigong is so much more than just the movements and that this method can help me in so many ways. The mind-set, the way of thinking helps me. I have more energy, I need less sleep and I am happier.

Read about Fredrik who came back after a ten year break.

After attending a few weekend courses I joined my first summer course in 2004. I cannot say it felt fantastic, but somewhere in my struggle there was a feeling of calm and wellbeing. Some years after the summer course my life changed and it became difficult for me to fit qigong into my daily routine. That meant I took a break from training for just over five years.

The reason I started with qigong was because I had a problem with my neck and back. These issues are completely gone as long as I do my qigong practise regularly. With the training I also feel more flexible and stronger but above all more calm and harmonious. When I stopped training the problems came back. I now do my exercises more on a regular basis again and I immediately feel better.

I think the summer courses are a great way to start your vacation. There is no better way to unwind and recharge. In a couple of days I become relaxed to a level which otherwise takes over a week. Another effect I notice is that my grass allergy disappears. Before the summer course I need medication, but after a few days at the summer course I can stop taking the medicine without any symptoms. There is also a great sense of community and atmosphere at the courses.

Read about Marlene Lilja who soon will be attending her 20th summer course. Why is she coming back year after year?

I actually did not start training right away for my own sake. I participated because of the Asthma and Allergy project which I was a part of organising in 1997. But I then stayed on and in 1998 I attended my first summer course and have since then participated every summer except one.

Qigong is like a good friend as you age. It keeps your body supple and flexible as well as keeping the arthritis under control. I am sure I would have more problems if I had not practised qigong. I had an MRI on my knees many years ago and it was found that I had arthritis. I have been in a lot of pain because of it, but not today. So, for me practising qigong is investing in my health. And even more so an investment in a calmer mind. Nowadays I am as cool as a cucumber, compared to the days before I started practising qigong.

During summer course you detach from your every day life and you are allowed to rest from the upsetting daily news flow from the papers and other media. There is such a friendly and relaxed atmosphere throughout the summer courses. It is also a joy to meet all the people I have got to know, many keep coming back just like me. For me, there will be no real summer if I have not been to the summer course.

By practicing qigong you can improve your physical and mental health. However, the health-enhancing results are not the same for everyone, they show in many different ways. It depends on the individual’s own physical and mental point of departure. The training results therefore differ from one person to another. The people practicing with us have all kinds of health issues, physical as well as mental. What is a perfectly normal physical or mental status for one person, can be the turning point to a better life for someone else. Magnus is one example. Magnus has multiple sclerosis, MS, and after this year’s summer course training in Stockholm, he was able to write again.

In the autumn of 2012, Magnus had a relapse that aggravated his illness. In the beginning of 2013 he therefore needed 17 hours of home-help service a week to ensure meals and snacks, getting outside for a while every day, help with shower and cleaning. By practicing qigong Magnus has step by step been able to improve his health. The improvement is evident for him as well as the people around him. “In the beginning of 2014 I was able to reduce the home-help service to 40 minutes a week. I still could not do the cleaning but I was in much better shape! I was able to work half time, in my office”, says Magnus.

The relapse 2012 had also led to a major deterioration in fine motor skills in Magnus’ hands and he lost the ability to write. If he for example, had to fill out a form someone had to do it for him. After the summer course training in Stockholm in January 2017, Magnus came home with good results – he was able to write again! We got a picture illustrating his improvement.

“When I came home after the course, I had received a form to fill out. Now I filled it out myself. It felt so natural and so good to know it was no longer a problem! A few days later my wife took out her sewing kit. I asked her to put a blue thread through the needle’s eye for me. My pullover had holes underneath the arms. I mended the pullover!”, Magnus tells us.

Now the longer courses during the winter months are completed and the spring term is in full swing with group practice and weekend courses. The next long course to look forward to is the summer course. One way to prepare for the summer course is to focus on how we can improve the quality of he training and by that improve our training results.

One important aspect of that is to have trust in the method, something that helps us to focus on the training. Another important part is to notice and be happy about the results we have got, which can help us to strengthen our motivation. It is also important to value the improvements we can achieve so we give ourselves the opportunity to strive towards them.

Another way to prepare is to sign up, already! Here comes some pictures from last year’s summer course for inspiration.

Very soon the Winter Courses is here and there are many who will take the course for the first time. With you in mind we have put together a proposal for a packing list that you can use to get some inspiration when it is time for you to start packing. We also gathered tips from experienced summer course participants about things that might be good to bring.

You can get a copy of the list here.

During Epiphany holiday participants from Sweden, Norway and Finland gathered to practice together for five days. We were many who wanted to take the chance to fill up with more qi after Christmas and New Years, just before the course started it was fully booked and more than 60 people filled the room maximally. Still there was a great calm and focused training. During the course one of our teachers talked about the importance of being able to give and accept help. Something during the courses that help us get better at that is when we correct the exercises two and two. Then we have the opportunity to help others to improve their training and also ourself to accept the same help. Several course participants took the opportunity to help out by making tea, something appreciated by the other participants. Many expressed joy over the nice fellowship during our courses, that it is nice to come to a context where you at once feel like a part of the whole.

To participate together we do not have to wait until next year’s summer course training, our weekly practice started already this week, welcome!

Here are three pictures from the summer course training when we correct the exercises.

The scent of Christmas cakes and Advent stars lighting up December darkness, soon Christmas is at the door. The weekly practice is taking a break but do not forget to practice by yourself in between the Christmas preparations. For you who have the opportunity there are two courses to participate in during the Epiphany holiday: the summer course training and the brand new EasyCare – Eyes. You who by different reasons can not participate in the courses can still join us by practicing at home during the same hours. The summer course practice is a compressed version of the summer course which offers a lot of training and a strong qi-field. A lot of practice helps us to calm down but also to become happy. While we wait for the summer course training to start we have some pictures of happy course participants from this year’s summer course. And after that it is not long until the springterm’s weekly practice kicks off again. Enjoy your practice and Happy Christmas!