When Olga Mares learned that she had arthritis, it was a particularly shattering diagnosis: she was only 27 years old, and a pianist. Mares was devastated, and the medication that her doctors prescribed made her feel even worse. Just as she’d begun to lose hope of ever feeling young, strong and vibrant again, she found Qigong, an energy practice from China. She says it turned her life around.

“Qigong may look like tai chi, but each exercise is a conscious combination of movement, breath and visualization,” she says. “It might seem too gentle to conquer any disease, but I found that the more I relaxed, the more I healed.” She practiced Qigong every day, four to five hours a day. After three months of this intense practice, her doctor told her that her arthritis was in remission. Meanwhile her fingers, which had been deformed by the disease, returned to normal.

Mares says this was the beginning of her healing on many levels. She now teaches Qigong and does healing herself, always mindful of what she learned from her own experience. “The biggest lesson I learned in my healing is that no matter what kind of health challenge you have, you should never give up,” she says. “You need to look for healing modality that works for you.”

To learn more about Olga Mares’ practice, visit BlueLotusQigong.com or call 914.850.1202.