Keeping Calm and Peaceful during Quarantine with Meditation

Written by Emily Chian

Photo sourced from Joffers951

Toronto_Falun_Gong_Exercises_6.jpg

Almost a month and a half of social isolation has passed and may continue for some time into the future, yet all this time indoors is a great opportunity to take things slow and learn something new. If you are experiencing stress, boredom, or cabin fever, I encourage you to try meditation. 

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation helps clear the mind and calm your body. It relieves stress and increases energy and vitality. It trains your mind to focus and teaches you to stay peaceful in any environment; whether it be at school, work, or home.

It helps improve memory, productivity, and creativity.  It can also help manage  mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety. As you advance in your meditation practice, you will develop a deep sense of spirit and self. I recommend starting with a practice called Falun Dafa (Gong) because its exercises are gentle and easy to learn.

What is Falun Dafa (Gong)?

Falun Dafa is an ancient meditation practice that originated in China. There are five slow-moving exercises, aimed at improving the mind, body, and spirit. Many learn Falun Dafa for its health benefits. The practice and its teachings are based on three peaceful principles: truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

Despite Falun Dafa being a  unique high-level Qigong practice with, there is no special technique or skill required, and anyone can learn it. Many people have experienced (either spiritually and/or physically) the great benefits the practice.

Falun Dafa is now practiced in over 100 countries around the world. However, it is banned in China. On July 20th  1999, the Chinese government began an unlawful arresting and persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners, after it confirmed the number of practitioners exceeded its communist party members (60 million). Notably, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) holds a long history of suppression and abusive political campaigns. Its stance against freedom of belief, speech, and conscience, continues to run firmly today. Information and stories about the persecution are found on https://faluninfo.net.

 The Sitting Exercise 

Here are the steps for the sitting exercise if you want to try meditation. 

First, make sure your surroundings are quiet and free from distractions. You can sit anywhere but preferably a clean floor (on a mat or sofa). Sit with your feet crossed with one leg on top of the other. This is called the lotus position. If it hurts to keep them up, don’t worry, you can put them down. But through practice, you should gradually keep them up.  

Now, relax your mind. Ideally, you should not think about anything. You can think about filling yourself with compassion if you want. In the beginning, it can be hard to keep your mind and emotions in check, but it will come with time. 

You will add the arm movements where you have to hold each position for a few minutes. This video has a demonstration.

https://youtu.be/5O6_FPhKoWE

Spread your arms out to the side and keep the elbows slightly bent with the palms down but horizontally erect. You can leave the middle finger slightly out if you want. Your wrists should be in level with your waist. Keep your eyes closed and back and head straight, but body relaxed. The first position is about 9 minutes long.  

Next, bring your right hand over in front of your shoulders with the palms facing down if you are female, or do the movement with your left hand if you’re male. At the same time, bring your other arm to your lap with your palms facing each other. Center your palms in front of your body and imagine you are holding a large ball. Hold for 9 minutes.

After, just switch the position of your arms with the bottom arm now being on top. Again, if your legs are starting to hurt, you can put them down. Keep in mind that tempering your mind and finding the will to work through the pain is part of the practice. The pain is only temporary (numbness varies from person to person so make sure to listen to your body), and over time, you will surely be able to sit in the full lotus position. 

For the last movement, the hands are joined on your lap. Place the right hand over the left hand if you are female, and the opposite for male. Have the thumbs touching each other. This is the longest pose and you can continue for as long as you want. Press your hands together in front of your chest whenever you finish.

As you go through the poses, listen to this music: : 

https://media.falundafa.org/media1/media/dafa/exercise/320k/exercise_05.mp3

Some struggle to keep still, keep their mind from wandering, and withstand the pain from crossing the legs. This is normal in the beginning. You are doing the exercise right when you feel like you are sitting inside an eggshell. You should try to reach a state of tranquility during the practice. 

 After meditating, hopefully you become refreshed, energetic, and renewed!

If you are curious about writings, the book for beginners is called Falun Gong by Li Hongzhi. The main text, Zhuan Falun, goes deeper into the practice’s teachings. No quick summary can tell you what this book comprises. It is a guide that teaches you the meaning of life and the universe and how to be a good person in your day-to-day life. You can find it on falundafa.org. I recommend it to everyone.

Claire Keenan