The Problems Came With Hard Practise
I started to dance when I was seven years old. Dancing suited me very well. I was quick and had a soft body, I had a sensitivity for music and movement. I was restless and had an artistic temperament. In dance I could use the energy in my body as a creative force. Dance followed me as years went by. My dance coaches noticed my talent, my driving force became more and more others and my own expectations and less passion and affection. I practised hard and learned to accept physical practise despite an aching and tired body. I started to get problems with my back and stomach.
The Pain Got Worse
The same year as I started training to be a professional dancer our car was hit from behind. The hard practise and complications from the car accident aggravated my back and neck problems. I tried different treatments. During the last semester of the education I practised in a corset containing metal bars to keep my back upright. The corset aggravated my stomach problems. When I didn’t practise I often lay down on the floor with my legs resting on a chair seat. My energy wasn’t enough to do much more than practise. I finally realised that I wouldn’t be able to manage a life as a professional dancer. With mixed feelings of sorrow and relief I quit the dance school, only three months before graduation.
Searching Ways To Get Healthy
I spent many years finding a way to get healthy. I saw doctors, physiotherapists, naprapaths and they all tried different ways to help me. I practised tenaciously to stabilize my body but nothing helped. I became increasingly desperate and just the thought of a life with an aching body generated anxiety. A friend recommended me to see a Chinese doctor. I got two acupuncture treatments per week during a period of six months. It was a tough treatment. After the sessions, I often left in intense pain and tiredness. I was thinking about giving up. When the treatments ended in the beginning of the summer I could for the first time feel a difference. I got my energy back, the pain eased and the stomach calmed down.
Mom Introduced Zhineng Qigong
My mom had started to practise qigong. It wasn’t difficult to convince me to attend a course when she described cases where people with longstanding ache improved and got their energy back. At that time I was sceptic to all kinds of treatments and exercises. Because acupuncture actually made me better I thought this might also help in a similar way. I understood after the first basic course that this would help me. I felt a calmness in body and mind that I couldn’t find by myself. I could practise my body with exercises that didn’t create tension or encumbered my body. My soft body became an asset once again.
I don’t live with pain anymore and I feel strong and calm. I’m in charge of my health situation. I’m constantly increasing my awareness of how to live and practise to be healthy. I feel a deep gratitude towards Zhineng Qigong.
Ylva Lilja