Germany: Introducing Falun Gong at Bremen Health Week

On September 4 and 5, 2009, the annual Health Week was held in Weserpark Shopping Centre in Bremen, a city in northern Germany. Many people learned about Falun Gong at the event.

A demonstration of the Falun Gong exercises

Shoppers stopped to watch the exercises

The event was hosted by IPO in Fulda, the biggest independent public health organisation in Europe. The event has been held for five years. It is the third time that Falun Gong practitioners have participated.

At 1:30 p.m. on September 5, practitioners demonstrated the exercises to music on stage in the shopping centre. The noisy hall suddenly became quiet, and people stopped to watch. Some sat down to watch, while others read the Falun Gong information.

Reading about Falun Gong

After the demonstration, two ladies asked questions about Falun Gong and the health benefits from practicing it. Practitioners answered their questions.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Its beneficial effects in uplifting an individual's physical health, spiritual well-being and moral character, not to mention its positive influence in the community and society as a whole, have been undeniable. In fact, Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in 100 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.