The Saratogian (California, U.S.): Educating Saratoga about Falun Gong

07/31/2006

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Before she moved to Saratoga Springs five months ago, Xiulan Li could never even think of going to the park or any other public place to meditate and exercise.

Li, a Chinese national who recently moved to the United States, is a practitioner of Falun Gong, a religious movement, which has been banned by the Chinese government. Since 1997 in China, followers of the movement have been persecuted, their books burned and their teachings banned, said Li's daughter, Leejun Taylor.

"In this country, it's OK to if you gather 10,000 people outside the White House," Taylor said. "In China, it's not."

In an effort to educate local residents about Falun Gong and its practices, Taylor told her mother's story to about a dozen local and Capital Region residents at a workshop at the Saratoga Springs Public Library on Sunday. The workshop covered both Falun Gong's persecution in China and its meditation practices. It ended with a demonstration of the five basic meditation exercises. The Falun Gong movement was introduced in China in 1992 but by 1997 it had become so widespread that the Chinese government considered it a threat, Taylor said.

"It's a holistic mind and body spiritual practice," she said. "Everyone is welcome to try it. From the distance it might look like tai-chi, but there is much more to it."

Since Li moved to Saratoga, she and Taylor have been meditating in Congress Park, slowly gathering the attention of locals interested in Eastern religious practices.

"It's a way to purify the mind and the body," she said. Janet Cohaen, a Wilton resident, came to the event out of interest in the health benefits of Falun Gong meditation. Like other meditation practices, Falun Gong is believed to help with a variety of medical conditions.

"I have heard about it on TV," Cohaen said. "I have high blood pressure and I don't believe in the use of excessive medication."

Taylor's goal in Saratoga is to inform people about Falun Gong practices and let them know that anyone can join the Congress Park group and learn the basic Falun Gong meditation exercises.
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