The faithful gather at dawn on a grassy knoll in Central Park. Under a tree, they place a box playing harmonious Chinese melodies. Then they begin to meditate in the diffuse morning light, oblivious to the joggers huffing by. After 40 minutes an eternity at this hour a voice softly instructs them in Chinese to stand and assume the first position: hands raised overhead. This they do, holding still for several minutes until another command makes them glide as one into a new pose: both hands touching the lower abdomen. The joggers in their
high-tech sneakers and microfiber shorts must think these shifting statues are students in some slo-mo yoga class. But this is far more than a gradual stretch. It's Falun Dafa, a new, body-based spirituality that seeks to balance the culture's obsession with... More >>>
By photo: Michael Sofronski
To qi or not to qi: the faithful heal themselves at dawn.