(Minghui.org) A few days ago a woman at a party asked me repeatedly, “You are really in your 50's? Do you do Yoga?” She stared at me so much that I was embarrassed. “I thought you were in your early 30's,” she said. I told her that I didn’t do yoga but practiced Falun Dafa, a mind-body improvement system based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

I looked much older than my age, however, before I took up Falun Dafa more than two decades ago.

Falun Dafa Frees Me from the Darkest Days

I began battling serious chronic illnesses since my 20s. I felt cold all the time and suffered extreme lower abdominal pain. I was paper thin. Later I had pains in my chest, shoulders, back, and legs. I had problems with my lungs, which resulted in me frequently vomiting blood, even during my sleep. I was terrified and visited various hospitals, only to be informed that it would only get worse, even after surgery.

I tried different medicines, including folk remedies and different kinds of physical therapy, yet my health worsened. I had to take long sick leaves and couldn’t help with anything at home. I looked ten years older than I was.

I was at my wits' end when someone told me about Falun Dafa’s miraculous healing power. I decided to give it a try, thinking that I had nothing to lose. I started learning the exercises and sweat profusely as I was doing the second set of exercises (Falun Standing Stance). It felt wonderful and I knew from later study of Zhuan Falun that Master was purifying my physical body. It didn’t take long before all my illnesses disappeared.

Mankind is unbelievably fragile and helpless when it comes to illnesses. No matter how highly we regard modern medicine, it cannot explain how I could be free of illnesses shortly after practicing Falun Dafa.

I stopped the practice after the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Dafa in July 1999. Consequently my health deteriorated. My illnesses came back and I was bedridden. The situation was so bad that I had to take a 6-month sick leave. I picked up the practice again and in the 15 years after that, I have not taken one pill or gotten a shot. I didn’t get sick or have to take a sick leave at all. My coworkers were simply amazed by what they witnessed.

I look a lot younger than I actually am. At the 30-year high school reunion, almost everyone told me, “You haven’t changed a bit." People I didn’t know would have never guessed my age. When they asked what supplements I took or exercise I did, I always told them, “Nothing. I practice Falun Dafa.”

Being a Thoughtful Teacher

As a teacher, I tutor students after school for free. Some parents like to show their gratitude by bringing me gifts. I turn down all of them. A student’s parent left two buckets of peanut oil by my apartment without telling me and left. I then paid for the student’s expense when I took him out for a competition.

I never take supplies from school back home, not even a piece of paper, chalk, ink, and pen, even when my colleagues are all taking school stuff home.

I do my best to look out for the students’ best interests. I often encourage them to hold a positive attitude towards life, to be honest, kind and forgiving. I strive to see the goodness in my students and encourage them whenever I get a chance. I treat everyone fairly. I do not look down on them and am never sarcastic or discriminatory.

I behave this way because Falun Dafa teaches me to be kind and compassionate.

One year a student didn’t do well on a major exam and lost all of his confidence. I sat down and patiently analyzed the reasons as to why he failed. I talked to him about his future and ideals sincerely. He was so glad and we talked for a long time. In the end he promised me that he would be back on his feet again.

A few years later I was walking down the street when a person shouted from far away, “Teacher, you probably don’t remember me, I am [his name]. I did great in the exam this time…” This student had become a confident, high-spirited rising senior in high school. I was so happy for him.

I treat every student with an open heart and they love sitting in my classes. The educational notes I wrote won the first prize at school, and they were truly my teaching experience. The students I helped have won provincial and national awards in the past few years. In fact my students and I have won many awards together. My articles were published in good journals, all of which was everything I could have never imagined back when I was too sick to work.

Falun Dafa has allowed me to become a healthy and productive person. It reshaped my life and gave me my dignity.