Hanne Dahlin says on the penultimate day of the Summer course – step one -that she had a major improvement during the course. She takes off her sock and wiggles happily with her toes. Before the Summer course, she had not been able to bend the toes on her right foot. Now, she is able to bend all toes except one that is still a little stiff. “The right big toe, I could not move at all because of osteoarthritis. Now it’s fine. The big toe is better than it has ever been before.”
Hannes’ doctor had said that the toe could not get better and had offered surgery. In addition to the toes, she can also bend the knees a lot deeper than before. She shows how little she could bend the knees before. Now, she can bend them twice as much; a difference that has come gradually over the past year. “It means very much to me being able to use my joints and it affects the power of my legs.”
Ill, but healthy
The stiffness of the knees and toes is due to rheumatism. She was diagnosed in 2014 and the doctors decided that it had evolved over 10-15 years. “X-ray and MRI showed changes and the doctors were a little surprised at how I could have as little pain and yet good function in everyday life.” Hanne is certain it is all thanks to qigong training that she kept herself functioning.
“I began practicing qigong in 2005, encouraged by my physiotherapist whom I went to because I often had inflammations in joints and tendons. After I started training, I still had the inflammations but recovered much faster. I now work 80 percent.”
Less noise-sensitive
Another improvement that Hanne is happy about, is that she has become less sensitive to noise during the Summer course. Normally she uses ear plugs in a social context, and even in her own home she often has an earplug in one ear. During the course, she has not used earplugs in the dining room and has been able to sleep in the dormitory, which she always avoided in the past. “I have had no problem here. I have only been using ear plugs during the night.”
In addition to the improved physical functioning, Hanne experienced that she had very good results in several other areas: at work, in relationships and as a parent.
Higher work quality
“It is very important that I can do my job with hight quality. As a psychologist, it is of great value that I have become much better at thinking clearly in very emotional situations. Even if people around me are very emotional I can remain calm.”
Hanne believes that all employees in healthcare would benefit from qigong, not only to be able to provide better care, but also to improve their own health.
Most important: the mental changes
Hanne is very pleased with the physical results but she values most highly the mental changes. And it didn’t take long, it came right after the first weekend course she attended.
“The most important thing that has happened since I started practicing qigong is that it has become quiet in my head. Before, thoughts, memory fragments, gossip, ‘junk’ disturbed me. It was never calm. But after the first day’s training I went outside and it was quiet; a good silence. It was easier to be in the moment.”
Hanne Dahlin