(Minghui.org) Practitioners in North Carolina did the exercises at Bond Park in Cary on May 10, 2025, to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and the 33rd anniversary of the practice’s public introduction, and to wish Dafa’s founder, Master Li Hongzhi, a happy birthday.

Practitioners celebrate World Falun Dafa Day at Bond Park in Cary, North Carolina on May 10.

The melodious exercise music and the slow, graceful exercise movements drew many passersby to stop and watch. Practitioners told people about Falun Dafa and explained how practicing Dafa can benefit one’s body and mind and that Falun Dafa is practiced across the world.

Group exercises in celebration of World Falun Dafa Day

Practitioners introduce Falun Dafa to passersby.

Practitioners talked about how they began to practice Falun Dafa and their cultivation experiences.

Practitioner from Israel: A New Life Through Falun Dafa

Ms. Lily Yosef from Israel began practicing Falun Dafa twelve years ago. She lived in California for sixteen years in the 1980s. She was wealthy and ran a jewelry store. However, she felt that something was missing in her life, so she looked for spiritual things. After the 1994 earthquake in California, she closed her jewelry store and returned to Israel. Since then, she traveled back and forth between California and Israel several times. She went through a difficult time in Israel—she had to make a living, raise her daughter alone, take care of her mother who underwent various surgeries, and help her mother recover. The heavy pressure of life exhausted her, and she did not find the spiritual things she had been looking for. She felt that life was hopeless and even thought of giving up her life.

Once, Lily’s mother was feeling unwell so she took her to the park to relax. As soon as they got out of the car, a woman came over and asked her if she would sign a petition calling for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to stop the persecution of Falun Dafa. The woman told them about the persecution suffered by Falun Dafa practitioners in China, and Lily and her mother signed the petition. The woman then told her: “We practice Falun Dafa here every Saturday and teach the exercises for free. Falun Dafa includes standing exercises and meditation. You are welcome to come and learn them.” She also gave Lily an introductory flyer. Lily and her mother sat down on a bench. Lily repeatedly read the flyer, and thought: This is what I’m looking for.

She was the first to arrive at the practice site in the park the following Saturday. Although the practitioners weren’t there yet, she felt the energy field, something that cannot be described in words. When the practitioners arrived, Lily learned the five sets of exercises. She even completed the second exercise, Falun Standing Stance, which is difficult for beginners. She said it felt as though she’d learned the exercises before. Even after she went home, she felt as though her body was light and floating, and when she walking it felt as though she was floating.

Lily said, “I had a strong addiction to smoking and had tried various methods to quit, but failed. Yet I was able to quit the first day I practiced the exercises. That was twelve years ago and I haven’t smoked since. The coordinator told me about Falun Dafa’s main book, Zhuan Falun and invited me to join the local group Fa study. From then on, I began to practice Falun Dafa. In 2022, I returned to the U.S. with my daughter and son-in-law.” Lily is grateful that Falun Dafa benefited her physically and mentally and gave her a new life.

Young Practitioner: A Happier and Easier Life

Liu Shen’s grandmother had severe nephritis. In 1995, a neighbor suggested she try practicing Falun Dafa, so she listened to a recording of Master’s lectures that the neighbor had given her. Soon after she began practicing Falun Dafa, her kidney disease was gone. Mr. Liu’s parents and some other relatives also began to practice Falun Dafa.

Liu Shen and his family participate in the World Falun Dafa Day celebration.

Liu Shen began doing the exercises when he was three years old, and memorized Hong Yin. When he was older he began to read Zhuan Falun.

He said that before the CCP began to persecute Falun Dafa in 1999, many people in his neighborhood practiced. In the early morning, practitioners did the exercises together in the local stadium.

He said, “Practicing Falun Dafa helped me establish my outlook on life and worldview, and I have a different perspective on the world than ordinary people. How should people live? People don’t have to pursue material things or how much capabilities and power they have.

“Cultivation has made me more accepting and respectful of other people’s lifestyles. Other people’s wealth or poverty do not affect me. I don’t need to compare myself with others,” he said.

He said that when he was in China some practitioners were rich through business and some were middle class. However, the relationships between them were simple, and there was no competitive mentality. They just did their own things, and no one was treated differently.

Mr. Liu is grateful that Falun Dafa gave him and his entire family a happy family environment. He explained, “People hope their children do well in school, and they pursue high grades and fame, but pay less attention to morality. After my mother started practicing Dafa, she no longer had requirements for me from an ordinary person’s perspective. She no longer cared whether I studied well or not. She believed that fame and fortune were not what people should pursue in this life. From childhood to adulthood, I’ve been in charge of my own studies. I took the initiative to study, and I made my own arrangements to study for a master’s degree in architecture in the U.S. When they don’t have a competitive mentality, people actually live a very easy life.”

Mr. Liu added, “I’m grateful that practicing Dafa has brought a relaxed living environment to an ordinary family like us in the harsh environment of China.”