The Dragon's Head Blog: Mr Moy’s teachings provide harmony, balance and peace for participants in Ukraine

In the first days and months of the war, I was very worried. I woke up to explosions. There were missiles arriving in and near Lviv, where I live. The most terrifying for me was the night when I was tossed up in my bed by an explosion, and a fragment of a missile fell 1.5 km from my house. Air raid alarms were frequent and at different times of the day. It is now a part of our life. I can’t change that. It was necessary to accept it and learn to live on.

In the morning, while the coffee is being prepared, I manage to do 50 don-yus, and sometimes foundation exercises. This is a good start to the day for me. And I also feel happy to receive an on-line question from another participant, “how was your night?”, as well as to ask someone “how are you?”.

Daily household work also helps to distract me from worries: cooking, cleaning, working in the garden, caressing cats and dog. I am lucky to live in a village. But the village life also requires that I have strength, health, and courage, so I have to take care of myself. My house is near the forest. This is a favorite place for us to come together and practise. It’s safer outside and the closeness of nature, trees, grass, flowers, birds, wind, sun and rain, changing seasons and the daily practice of the teachings of Mr. Moy bring harmony and peace to my life. Yesterday, the Taoist Tai Chi ^® set in the rain gave me an incredible feeling of balance and unity with the world.

Difficult times give us new opportunities. Thanks to modern technologies, the Fung Loy Kok board were able to organize online video conferencing sessions, which became a place for me to deepen my understanding of Mr. Moy’s teachings. More than two years of conversations, sharing experiences, chanting and self-practice of Taoist Tai Chi ^® arts have strengthened my body and mind, helping me to face the challenges. They became a tool for me to overcome anxiety, stress, and worries, first during the Covid-19 pandemic, and later during the war.

The moment the sessions begin on Saturday we leave war, restlessness, fear, tears and sleepless nights behind closed doors. The FLK board welcomes us. We enjoy being part of a large organization, we feel its support. We listen to the stories of FLK directors, the reflections of leaders, we perceive his teachings not only with the extent of our knowledge of the English language, but also with our hearts and feelings. This time for us is a source of knowledge, a place of comfort, peace, strength, faith, and confidence. These feelings accompany us during our personal practice, during our meetings, and in our daily life. The importance of Saturday sessions for us was further demonstrated when we had a break for summer. How we missed them and looked forward to them restarting in September.

I want to thank the FLK board for the support, the members of the European Regional Council for listening and crying with us, when we just wanted to share our pain and stress, and for explaining to us what we did not understand or missed on the Saturday sessions. Also, for sharing his teachings and examples of how to overcome worry and stress.

I would also like to thank members of the organisation in Poland, Czech and Slovakia for the possibility to participate in their meetings, to be together and for better understanding (translation) of the Saturday sessions. I am happy with all my heart to be a member of the this organization.

Katya