(Minghui.org) Every morning at 5:30 a.m., Falun Dafa exercise music is played in the garden of the Burnaby Library in Vancouver, Canada. Practitioners begin their daily exercises while it’s still dark outside. They participate every day, rain or shine, snowy or windy, cold or hot.
Group practice in front of Burnaby Library in Vancouver, Canada.
Those who go to the practice site are local Falun Dafa practitioners from the neighborhood. There are young people in their 20s, as well as older ones. The oldest is 82 years old. After they finish the five exercises in two hours, some go home and others go to work. Some volunteer their time for The Epoch Times newspaper.
Full of Energy the Whole Day after Exercises
Jason began to practice Falun Dafa in September 2001 outside of Canada. He moved to the neighborhood in 2004 and joined the group. Jason’s job is physically demanding, yet he persists in doing the exercises early in the morning every day.
“I will be energized the whole day, and I feel relaxed no matter how busy or how much I work that day. People think that I look ten years younger than I actually am,” he said.
Jason encourages other practitioners to be diligent and wake up early to do the exercises and strengthen their will power.
Strong Energy during Group Exercise
Liu and Chen are a couple who began the practice in 1996. Last year they immigrated to Canada from China. They take a bus to the library every morning. Liu said that before the persecution was launched in China in 1999, they had exercised in a group there every morning, too.
“After the Chinese communist regime started the persecution of Falun Dafa, we were unable to do that anymore. Now that we’ve come to Canada, we can exercise in a group again. How wonderful!” she said.
Liu feels especially good when she exercises with a group of practitioners: “The energy is really strong, and I feel great. I used to feel heavy in my legs when I walked. After I joined the group, my legs felt light.”
Liu’s husband Chen feels the same way. He said that when he used to go on business trips and was unable to exercise every day, he felt tired all the time. Now that he can exercise daily, he feels light and relaxed. If he misses the exercise session, he regrets it the whole day. “Now when I do not feel like waking up in the morning, I ask myself, ‘Do I want to have regret later?’ I will then quickly wake up and not be sleepy,” said Chen.
The couple came from Shenyang, in eastern China. Liu remembered that they had exercised outside in the winter in Shenyang even when the temperature was -10 degrees Fahrenheit. “The weather is so nice in Vancouver and great for exercising outdoors,” Liu said.
Ailments Disappear Through Practice
Hu is in her 70s. It is never a problem for her to wake up early to exercise. All her ailments disappeared after she began to practice Falun Dafa.
“It’s guaranteed that I will do all five exercises every day. Plus, I can share my experiences with other practitioners,” she said.
Hu used to be a middle school principal. Her daughter had introduced her to Falun Dafa. Hu said she was under a lot of stress being a principal, which damaged her health. She used to have low blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, a disorder of the inner ear, low blood platelet count, shoulder pain, trachea inflammation, headaches, and bad digestion.
“Falun Dafa is truly miraculous. In March 1998, my daughter told me about it. In May, I began to read the teachings. When I read, the characters enlarged wherever I set my eyes on them. My health improved even before I did the exercises,” said Hu. “After I began to exercise, I no longer needed a doctor. My blood pressure is normal, my hearing recovered, I do not need my glasses, and I feel relaxed and energized.”
Hu is determined to follow the teachings of Falun Dafa and progress diligently in cultivation practice. She volunteers for The Epoch Times and delivers newspapers to different news stands every morning.
The Persistence of a Practitioner
Jiang, who is 77 years old, is a pillar of the group. Her persistence mobilized many practitioners to join the group practice in the mornings. She moved to the vicinity with her husband in 2007 and has never slacked off since then.
Jiang does a lot of Falun Dafa work and does not go to bed until after midnight. With only a few hours of sleep every day, she considers doing the exercises as part of her cultivation practice and thinks that she should not slack off as a practitioner.
“Practitioners in China insist on practicing even in a harsh environment. Many of them are beaten, incarcerated, tortured, or even killed because they do not give up their belief in Falun Dafa. I want to be a steadfast practitioner, too, and waking up early is nothing compared to what practitioners in China go through. Besides, I benefit from doing the exercises,” said Jiang.
Jiang came from a city in northwest China. Three young practitioners she knew died because of torture and other persecution inflicted by the Chinese Communist Party. In 2000, Jiang went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Dafa. She was incarcerated for 15 days. During her detention, she was forced to perform slave labor, was not given water, and was not allowed to clean herself up. She said the practitioners who were detained together with her were brave and did not fear the persecution. They insisted on doing the exercises while they were incarcerated.
“Practitioners in China still try to practice Falun Dafa and exercise together in such a difficult time. As practitioners overseas, we really should not slack off just because the environment is easy for us,” said Jiang.
