Nearly 140 people took the opportunity to participate in our Summer Course this year. Once again, we were at Hjälmared Folk High School outside Alingsås, where we returned after the pandemic break. The Summer Course is a residential course where we live, train, and spend time together for nine days in our strong qi-field. The strength of the qi-field can be crucial for the results you get from the training.
Our head instructor, Dong-Yue Su, leads the course together with all our other teachers. Being able to share in his wisdom and understanding of life, and how we should use our body and mind for the best in life, is a great gift. More and more people are realizing how much we still have to learn, even as we get older.
For many, the Summer Course is something they look forward to all year long. The warmth, care, joy, and love found in the course is hard to experience anywhere else. Other Qigong practitioners have become close friends, and during the course, people help each other, hang out, and have fun.
After the course, participants answer various questions in an anonymous survey. On the question of how they perceive the course as a whole, the average score was 6.79, where 7.0 is the maximum result.
Below, you can read excerpts from the participants’ evaluations of the course:
Migraine
“I still get a lot of migraines, but after last summer’s course, I noticed that I could handle the really bad days in a completely different way. I stopped using emergency medication and discovered that I could manage without it. The biggest thing for me has been understanding how strongly the mental affects the physical. I no longer worry in the same way when I’m in pain, and it saves a huge amount of energy.”
“I have struggled with migraines and there has been a lot going on in life, and I knew that if I came here, it would get better and I would get a boost. I have felt very calm, and it has been very peaceful and a strong qi-field. Very powerful. And these days have been really great. The best thing has been the new qi-regulation and the new Song relaxation from Dongyue Su. It’s the best gift from this year’s summer course, and thanks to everyone.”
Enjoyed
“I’ve enjoyed almost every minute.” “I’ve felt very safe here and I’ve challenged myself and tried to break old patterns in how I relate to other people. I’ve practiced asking for help and accepting help.”
Functioning intestine
“Not only has it worked normally, but my gut has actually worked better here than it does at home. At home, my bowel movements are almost always loose and sometimes I have to rush to the toilet, sometimes I only have a few seconds. Here, I’ve experienced having a normally working intestinal. It might sound trivial, but for me it’s a very big deal.”
Pain
“Before I came here, I fell and landed on my bottom straight onto the rock and hurt my tailbone, which I already had an old injury from when I was a child. So of course it hurt there, and you heard that I could sit in a chair. And it almost completely went away as soon as I walked in here. I’d have to say 99% better, and it’s absolutely amazing.”
Community
“There’s such a nice sense of community around here. And just walking around the area, indoors or outdoors, and hearing people laughing and children playing. I think it’s so wonderful and it’s really lovely. I’ve felt it especially this year, I think, this enormous sense of togetherness and goodness that exists among all of us here, and then the cabaret this year. It was absolutely delightful; I was just sitting there as a spectator, but I felt bubbles of joy inside me. I was so happy afterward, it gave so much. I just want to say thank you. To everyone for what we share here together.”
Aftereffects of Covid
“I came here with an injured arm. Could only lift my arm about 20 cm when I arrived at the course. By Thursday, I could lift my arm like usual again. I’m working on getting rid of the aftereffects of Covid. I get out of breath easily and can’t ski like I used to. Going up the hill to the accommodation is tough, but this has gradually gotten easier during the course.”
Thumb mobility back
“Two years ago, I broke a bone leading into the hand, which resulted in my thumb being bent all the time, the other fingers work fine. The doctors say a tendon in the thumb has shrunk or is gone. I decided I could live with the thumb and didn’t have surgery to improve it. Suddenly during the course, I started regaining connection with my thumb again and now the mobility is back in my thumb.”
Strong experience
“One evening I was training while having a severe headache, pain in my shoulder, and sore feet. Suddenly I noticed that I was smiling, a genuine smile that just came by itself. That’s when I realized that you can actually feel good even when you’re in pain. It was a very powerful experience.”
Softer and more free
“During this course I felt something release at the back of my neck. It felt like the very root of an old tension disappeared. After that, my whole body became softer and more free. It also released in my back and waist, and now I can do exercises that were previously too difficult for me. I also feel that it goes much faster from thought to action, both mentally and physically.”
Stronger in my leg
“I feel both physically and mentally stronger after the course. My left leg stays straight for longer periods, I can train longer and stand longer without getting tired. The muscles in my legs feel stronger, and I notice that my body works better. That makes me very happy and grateful.”
Eczema
“I’ve had eczema for over half a year without getting it under control. During the course, it has gotten much better and is now almost completely gone. I’ve also started producing more saliva, which means I no longer wake up at night with a dry mouth. I sleep much better and feel really grateful for that.”
Softer hands
“Already in the first few days, I noticed that my hands had become much softer. I would stand there lathering them with soap and thinking about how nice it felt. I also feel happier than before, and my legs have become much calmer. They used to be restless almost all the time, but now they can stay still in a completely different way.”
Rosacea
“My rosacea has improved a lot and the problems with my eye are almost gone. I also have less pain in my shoulder. The other day when I was walking around the lake, I noticed that my legs felt safer and more stable, especially on the hills. Maybe these are small steps, but to me they mean a lot.”
Calmer and more hopeful
“When the course started, I felt pretty bad and had a lot of negative thoughts about myself. But through the training and all the conversations, something has changed. Now I feel much happier, calmer, and more hopeful. I feel completely different than when I came here.”
Difficult periods in life
“I have gone through arthritis, hip osteoarthritis, and a fractured shoulder. I know I wouldn’t have recovered the way I have without Qigong. For me, the training hasn’t just helped my body but also given me a much better way to handle stress, worry, and tough periods in life.”
Relax
“I came here feeling heavy, grumpy, and tired. I gradually realized how much of my life has been about struggling and pushing myself forward. When I started to relax instead of fighting the pain, something happened. I got more in touch with myself and discovered that I could be helpful to other people. It felt really significant.”
More stable
“I feel softer and have regained my old balance. I feel more stable and grounded in my body. It’s a calm and secure feeling that I haven’t had in a long time. Also, during the course, I experienced a very deep meditative state that was both powerful and amazing.”
Good mood
“This is the first course in many years where I have been in a genuinely good mood the whole time. I’ve realized how much I’ve previously fought against both in training and in life. When I started to relax instead, everything became much easier. It feels like an important insight that I’m taking home with me.”
Happiness
“At the beginning of the course, I felt steadier than usual and could focus better. Then old thought patterns surfaced, but after a good correction and a nice training session, something released. When I went out that evening under the starry sky, I felt a pure and strong happiness. It was an amazing feeling.”
Inner calm
“The biggest result for me is the inner calm. I feel an inner peace that is very pleasant. There has been a lot of work with tension and pain during the course, but at the same time, I feel calmer than I have in a long time. I also notice that it’s easier to concentrate and relax.”
Lump by the eye
“During this summer’s training, it felt like something opened up behind my eye and into my head. After that, it’s been much easier to maintain positive thoughts. The old negative reactions don’t come as strongly anymore. In addition, a lump by the eye that I had had for almost two years has completely disappeared.”
Relaxation
“After a conversation with Dongyue Su, something changed in my training. During arm training, I was able to find a relaxation that made everything just flow. It was as if the movement turned into gold in both directions. I have been training for twenty years and can still have completely new experiences.”
Warts
“Two years ago, I came home from the course and discovered that two warts had disappeared. It was only then that I really began to understand that things keep happening even after the course is over. For me, it has become a reminder that the process continues long after you’ve gone home.”
Teacher:
Dongyue Su