Our mind is extremely powerful but we must learn to master it, carry it through the path of positive thinking, which will take us to a positive attitude as well. What did I do to get out of that huge hole? I started to work on my inner world, to feed my brain with good vibrations. Basically, it means to foment and promote the good things around us and try to ignore the less good ones. I had magnified my illnesses in such a way that in my brain they had become my only reality, they had taken control of me, not only of my muscles, tendons and joints.

​

I removed the thick curtain of my disease and was able to look beyond; then I could see the rest, the other reality which was there waiting for me to appreciate it as I had to: a loving and patient husband, three healthy and thoughtful children, a reduced but harmonious family, a cosy home, a few friends always handy. I had so many things but I had completely ignored them, making more and more room for the negativity of my pain. But I did it. I managed to look through that curtain, «admire the light, overlook darkness», as I try to instill repeatedly to Haidi, my beloved character. And how did I do it? I was recommended to do Qi-gong; I admit that the first time I heard the word, I thought it comic and, out of ignorance, I smiled. The second time I planned to attend lessons. It was one of the most correct decisions of my life. 

 

Qi-gong deals with several techniques related with traditional Chinese medicine; it works on the mind, breathing and gentle physical exercise. In general, the objective is to maintain health, although in some cases it can be prescribed with a particular therapeutic aim. They are slow movements that induce mental balance and calm, inner peace which is obviously reflected on the surface. Qi-gong lessons normally start with some minutes of meditation, a process that intensifies serenity. It’s a time when we connect with ourselves, our body, our soul and our present. During this time we stop thinking about all those aspects that worry us, thus diminishing their strength and importance in a way that they lose the power to hurt us and separate us from happiness.