(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held a free meditation workshop and morning tea at the Padstow RSL club in Sydney’s Southwest district Canterbury- Bankstown on July 6, 2025. Local residents enthusiastically signed up and participated.

The mayor’s office sent a congratulatory letter and city councilors spoke at the event.

Participants joined practitioners in trying out Falun Dafa exercises at the free event.

Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Wishes the Event Success

Mayor El-Hayek of Canterbury-Bankstown replied to an invitation by practitioners to attend the event: “Thank you for your efforts in promoting well being and offering opportunities for the community to connect and reflect. I sincerely wish you a successful and meaningful gathering.”

City Councilor: Falun Dafa Is Remarkable

Councilor Jennifer Walther attended in person and said in her speech, “These [the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance] are values we can apply in our day-to-day life. They offer comfort and stillness in today’s fast-paced world.”

Councilor Jennifer Walther spoke at the event.

She also said Falun Dafa has a profound history and is accepted as well as practiced by tens of millions of people globally, “I think it is remarkable that in our area the morning practice of Falun Dafa has been ongoing for 8 years, which is something worth celebrating.”

She said, “I think peace, kindness, and the spirit of upholding true values has great significance. I have a lot of respect for it. Especially when the world is full of challenges, hardships, and tragedy, I believe every one of us needs a bit more peace, truthfulness, and kindness.

“Once again, thank you for your warm reception. I wish everyone a fulfilling and meaningful experience. I hope there will be an opportunity to come back again. Thank you, everyone!”

Councilor Jennifer Walther (first on left) does the exercises.

Councilor Jennifer Walther learned the exercises that day. Afterwards she said she felt relaxed and happy.

City Councilor Praises Falun Dafa

Councilor Saud Abu-Samen said in his speech that Falun Dafa is a practice that enables one to relax the mind and body. It is also beneficial for improving individual moral strength and rediscovering hope. Taking part in the practice inspires people’s passion for life and from it, they learn many good ways that help in other aspects of their lives.

Councilor Saud Abu-Samen spoke at the event.

He said, “In today’s stressful life, we need to have this meditation to relax and have something to think about, outside the box. Instead of trying to change others, we should begin by changing ourselves. If we can manage to change what’s inside of us, things will change around us.”

Participants Hope Practitioners Hold More Workshops

The people who attended the workshop said they learned about the event through information placed in their mailboxes or flyers received at train stations. The first person to sign up for the workshop was a mother who said her daughter received a flyer on her way home from work. She signed up for herself, her husband and daughter. They were eager to attend the workshop and arrived early.

A lady from India registered through Eventbrite and said it was an excellent way to learn Falun Dafa. She felt good after doing the five exercises and took information on practice sites. She plans to go to the morning exercises.

Marcela was the last person to register for the event. She’s from the Czech Republic and said activities like this are great and interesting. However, she thought one session is not enough to fully learn the exercises and hopes practitioners will hold more workshops in the future. When she learned that the documentary “State Organs” will be screened in the same venue in September, she said she plans to come. After reading the flyer introducing the documentary, she said with sadness: “Organ harvesting is inhuman and terrible, and it must be stopped.”

Mr. Gao from Vietnam is Chinese and said he learned about the free workshop through an ad in the Epoch Times newspaper. He said Falun Dafa teaches Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, therefore practitioners can be trusted. He also said he is in his 80s and he could not keep up with practitioners who taught the exercises. "There should be more such workshops!"

Kelly came with a friend after receiving a flyer in her mailbox. She said workshops like this are very positive. By attending it and going to the Falun Gong website on the flyer, she gained a better understanding of the spiritual practice.

Kelly also said, “My friend and I enjoy strolling by the river but usually I don’t go to bed early. Yet, after returning home from the workshop on Sunday, I thought I should sleep early. I slept all through the night and it felt great.”

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. Emphasizing moral growth and health improvement, it rapidly gained widespread popularity and is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions. Mr. Li and Falun Dafa have received more than 10,000 proclamations, resolutions, and letters of support issued by governments of different countries. Its core text, Zhuan Falun, has been translated into 50 languages.