January 8, 2001

Maria Cortés Gonzalez

El Paso Times

June Liu admits it was a peculiar site for the usual scene of joggers at a San Antonio park two years ago.

A small group of friends sat with Liu on the park grounds, creating slow, gentle movements with their arms, following the Chinese exercise of Falun Dafa.

"People would look at us and say it looked weird. And after a few days, they would stop and ask questions, so we brought some fliers and pamphlets for them to read. As people got interested, they would join us," Liu said.

At the suggestion of new practitioners, Liu and her husband began giving demonstrations in libraries and other places in San Antonio and soon branched out to other Texas cities. This Saturday, the couple will be in El Paso giving a demonstration at the Irving Schwartz Branch Library on the East Side.

Library manager Penny Brewer said the demonstration should be interesting and different for library visitors.

Though it is still novel to many Americans, Falun Dafa -- also called Falun Gong -- is practiced by millions of people around the world. It is a Chinese regimen that centers on the self-refinement of body, mind and spirit through delicate but intense movements.

The Chinese government considers the practice of Falun Gong to be [] and banned it last year, arresting many practitioners.

Much like yoga and tai chi -- known as Chinese Qigong exercises -- Falun Dafa is meant to promote whole-body wellness through meditation and exercises and is supposed to instill emotional tranquility.

"It's really amazing. It helps people with their morale and to feel more energized. I've introduced it to many American people and find them to be more sensitive than Chinese to feeling the energy," Liu said.

Wayne Peoples, a 60-year-old El Paso consultant who has practiced tai chi for 18 years, said there are numerous Chinese Qigong exercises. "They are more about controlling the mind over the body and energy development," he said.

Peoples, who attends the Center for Internal Arts on Montoya Drive about three times a week, said tai chi has helped his joints loosen up as he has aged. But he's also benefited mentally.

"It's all one big package. When you do this, you get a boost in energy, and it reduces the stress level. And you also become more aware of what's happening to your body."

Falun Dafa practitioners are taught to follow three basic principles: truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

Liu said people are sometimes prone to blaming others.

"But (Falun Dafa) teaches us to look at ourselves first. If you have a problem with a college friend or family member, you need to look toward yourself first to see what your problem is with the person. It's a complete change of mind," she said.

Liu, who has been doing Falun Dafa for four years, said the exercise is not difficult to learn and can be applied by anyone, whether the person has 20 minutes or an hour to work out. The exercise consists of five sets of movements.

"It's really good for Americans because of their (hurried) lifestyle. It helps get them relaxed and to release stress. And it's not a religion, so anybody can try it," she said.

What's more, people do not have to attend a special class to learn the exercise.

She taught the exercise to her husband, Hongyi Pan. He said most people learn it from someone they know and then pass it on to someone else. Liu was taught by her brother, who learned it from other relatives while living in China.

"Anybody can learn it. (The exercises) are very smooth, slow and easy to learn movements. And you can keep doing it on your own. You don't need to attend a class," Pan said. "That's why we want to show more people about Falun Dafa."

Maria Cortés Gonzalez may be reached at mcortes@elpasotimes.com.

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