I’ve always been interested in everything that has to do with health. For me it’s important to practise something. In the autumn of 2005 I attended my first weekend course in Qigong, introduced by a friend at work. Before I did aerobics but it was too stressful. I get more out of Qigong. You practice both body and mind. You strive to be whole. It feels good.
Expectation
I work as a school psychologist. It’s demanding work. Especially as I work both in Finnish and in Swedish. I’m the only one in my work place with my kind of tasks. My work days are long. A lot is expected from me, both from myself and from others.
Security in Qigong
I’ve always been very healthy and for me it’s important to keep it that way. But suddenly I had a lethal disease. I could not really handle the situation. It was important for me to do something to defend my body. One example is now when my medication stops. I was really afraid of that moment before. Without the medicines I would have to take care of my body myself and make sure it was healthy. I feel much better now when I have Qigong. I have something to lean on and that gives me a feeling of security.
Year of Qigong
In 2005-2006 I took a leave of absence to get more time to do other important things in life that I didn’t really had time for when working. I wanted a possibility to take care of myself better. It felt especially important as I had gone through breast cancer. My year off became somewhat of a year of Qigong. I attended many weekend courses and a summer course.
Calmer
Qigong feels good in every way, both for my body and for my mind. Physically I’ve had help with the side effects of the breast cancer. My back is straighter and my standing posture is better. I still think my best results are the mental results. Now I can keep calmer even in stressful situations. I don’t get involved in the stress in the same way; I keep it at a distance. I’m learning to take one thing at the time even though there is a lot of pressure.
Be yourself
The summer courses are really nice. It’s especially fun to get to know people from different countries. When travelling around you know that Johanna lives in Gothenburg and in Trondheim I can find Ida. Now as I’m attending my second summer course, it’s nice to meet the same people again. It’s nice that I can be here without anyone expecting anything from me. I can participate without the duties in everyday life. Things work anyway. You have a possibility to socialise with others but you can also be alone and withdraw if you feel like it. Here you can be yourself.
Lilian Lyytikäinen