Most of the stories about the results of practising Zhineng Qigong are about people who have much improved their various more or less serious conditions. It is truly inspiring and it shows the power of the method. But Zhineng Qigong is not just for those with more or less serious health problems, but something for everyone to get help and benefit from. Hence this little story of mine……
For as far as I can remember my body has been rather stiff with short muscles and tensed, “stressful shoulders”. Nothing of any alarming nature but it is a fair guess that my body is somewhat more stiff than average. I have practised regularly at “Friskis och Svettis” for nearly 10 years and it has made my body softer, but I wished to make my body even more supple. Also I looked for a good method to learn how to focus the mind, to increase my powers of concentration.
After more than ten years of trying to get started with meditation I realized that I will never do that. Periodically it has worked fine but most of the time it has given me a bad conscience. After having started with Zhineng Qigong I find that one of the reasons is that meditation is simply too boring, it is too static for me. Apart from that, training is much easier when we can follow those splendid CD records which are available.
Many years ago I heard about Qigong for the first time and I thought that maybe I would try it. Nothing came of it until the beginning of 2002. At that time I talked with two friends of mine who practised something called Zhineng Qigong and they heartily recommended it. I was keen on trying something new and I applied for the Weekend Course of February, 2002. It was a positive experience. I felt that I became relaxed and I thought that this might be something for me. But I was not completely convinced. The day after the course when I quickly turned my head to look across the street, my head “swept” easily and quickly and further to the left than I was used to. I was very surprised. Afterwards in the afternoon as I sat down by my piano at home, which I have not played much for the last year, it was as if I had got a new right hand. It swept across the keys!
Having got these results and since the course cost some money, I continued to practise to see whether it would yield any further results. I had no immediate problem that “forced” me to practise. Still, I practised every day and I found that all the time there were these small changes taking place in my body. My body started to soften up in many different areas and I also became more focused and happier. I also found that if I did not practise one day, then my body would stiffen up. Because of this it was easy for me to find the incentive to continue practising. Then when I repeated the course in April, 2002 my previously stiff left hand was released. Now I was able to do sweeps over the keys even with my left hand! Now I began to understand that I had to continue my training.
I had already booked my holiday trip, but as I practised I came to realize that I wanted to try joining a Summer Course! After great anguish I cancelled my trip to a hiking holiday in Italy and went to Hamburgsund instead. I was to stay on Level 1 for 9 days because I was, after all, a beginner. However it turned out to be 18 days, both Level 1 and Level 2! I simply could not go home. The atmosphere, the people, the training and the results it gave me made it impossible for me to leave Hamburgsund. The most astonishing thing for me was that the tension in my shoulders which I have tried to get rid of for twenty years, was removed in a few days. I do not know how many times during the training I thought that “I can´t do that, my body is so stiff” and then I did it.
Now it has been a year. One year of training. A fine year. Now I notice that apart from making my body more supple, the training also affects my mind. I am not as restless, it is easier for me to focus and stop or take away negative thinking.
So I really looked forward to going to Hamburgsund for a Summer Course. To get all that training and meet all those Qigong friends from all over the Nordic countries, to eat the famous ice cream at Pipers´ Café etc. This year I had also decided to stay for nine days. It turned out to be 18 again! It was a treat to come back there. The novelty of it was gone of course but I felt how the training affected me more deeply and I was able to grasp more of the ideas behind Zhineng Qigong. So it gave me a tremendous lot this year too, but in a different way. So much so that this year I could not go home after nine days either…
So I guess you can figure out what I will be doing next Summer…
In conclusion I would just like to say that I am grateful for having found Zhineng Qigong. I find it a powerful aid. We can also thank our lucky star for having got a force such as Su Dongyue in our country. His vast and deep knowledge and commitment is very inspiring.
Patrik Enander
Age 41