The Townsman [MA]: Practitioners of Falun Dafa say it helps people get rid of bad habits, but those who practice it are targeted in China

They sit side by side in the grass at Phillips Academy, hands raised, faces tilted to the sun. The meditation exercises are a weekly release for Jennifer Zhang and Hao Wang -- as well as a privilege.

"We sit on the grass, have the meditation, and have all these benefits," says Hao Wang, 16, a sophomore at PA. "In China, they're sitting on the grass like we do, and they're getting arrested."

More than 200 "practitioners" of Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, have died in China to date, says Zhang, a Windemere Drive resident. She says that the [party' name omitted] government is torturing and persecuting thousands more -- all out of fear of the ancient Chinese practice that calls on people to reinforce truthfulness and kindness.

"How harmful can meditation be?" asks Zhang. Those who practice Falun Dafa with her say it's anything but.

Hao Wang started the meditations three years ago, when his father, diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, began meditating to relieve his symptoms. Since then, his father's nerve contractions have all but disappeared, much to the family's relief.

"It emphasizes improvement in your mind, having a higher moral standard for yourself and getting rid of bad habits," says Hao Wang, one of millions of people world-wide who practice Falun Dafa. "It's not just for health that I'm doing this, but because it makes me a better person."

Brandon Wang, a Salem resident who practices occasionally with Zhang and Hao Wang, celebrates similar results. "I feel so wonderful living in this world," he says, adding that his chronic back and neck pain has disappeared since he began practicing Falun Dafa three years ago. "It's a joyful life. This feeling started from Falun Dafa."

The Chinese government controls the media and has a blockade on information about the Falun

Dafa persecutions, says Zhang. She's taken it upon herself to spread the word about the meditation practice and increase awareness about the killing and torturing happening overseas.

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Hao Wang took his message a step further by traveling to Geneva in April to join 300 Falun Dafa supporters rallying at the United Nations conference. He participated in a candlelight vigil, asking international diplomats to vote to support human rights in China and take action. That vote fell short, but he is proud to have carried his message that far.

"We are their voice," Hao Wang says. "If more people had stood up and spoken for the Jews during the Holocaust, maybe not as many people would have died. If you shine a light on (the persecution in China), it will be exposed."