Editing Falun Gong (section)

===Exercises===
[[File:Five Exercises of Falun Dafa.jpg|thumb|alt=The five exercises of Falun Gong: Falun Heavenly Circulation, Strengthening Divine Powers, Buddha Showing A Thousand Hands, Falun Standing Stance, Penetrating The Two Cosmic Extremes|The five exercises of Falun Gong]]
In addition to its moral philosophy, Falun Gong consists of four standing exercises and one sitting meditation. The exercises are regarded as secondary to moral elevation, though are still an essential component of Falun Gong cultivation practice.<ref name=Pennyreligion/>

The first exercises, called "Buddha Stretching a Thousand Arms", are intended to facilitate the free flow of energy through the body and open up the meridians. The second exercise, "Falun Standing Stance", involves holding four static poses—each of which resembles holding a wheel—for an extended period. The objective of this exercise is to "enhances wisdom, increases strength, raises a person's level, and strengthens divine powers". The third, "Penetrating the Cosmic Extremes", involves three sets of movements, which aim to enable the expulsion of bad energy (e.g., [[pathogen]]ic or black {{transliteration|zh|qi}}) and the absorption of good energy into the body. Through practice of this exercise, the practitioner aspires to cleanse and purify the body. The fourth exercise, "Falun Cosmic Orbit", seeks to circulate energy freely throughout the body. Unlike the first through fourth exercises, the fifth exercise is performed in the seated [[lotus position]]. Called "Reinforcing Supernatural Powers", it is a meditation intended to be maintained as long as possible.<ref>Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong (6th Translation Edition, 2014)</ref><ref>{{harvp|Penny|2012|pp=163–68}}</ref>

Falun Gong exercises can be practiced individually or in group settings, and can be performed for varying lengths of time in accordance with the needs and abilities of the individual practitioner.<ref name="Ownby313"/> Porter writes that practitioners of Falun Gong are encouraged to read Falun Gong books and practice its exercises on a regular basis, preferably daily.<ref name="porterthesis">{{cite thesis |first=Noah |last=Porter |url=http://etd.fcla.edu/SF/SFE0000113/FalunGongInTheUS-NoahPorter-Thesis.pdf |title=Falun Gong in the United States: An Ethnographic Study |location=University of South Florida |date=2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909042030/http://etd.fcla.edu/SF/SFE0000113/FalunGongInTheUS-NoahPorter-Thesis.pdf |archive-date=9 September 2006 }}</ref> Falun Gong exercises are practiced in group settings in parks, university campuses, and other public spaces in over 70 countries worldwide, and are taught for free by volunteers.<ref name=porterthesis/> In addition to five exercises, in 2001 another meditation activity was introduced called "sending righteous thoughts", which is intended to reduce persecution on the spiritual plane.<ref name=porterthesis/>

Discussions of supernatural skills also feature prominently within the {{transliteration|zh|qigong}} movement, and the existence of these skills gained a level of mainstream acceptance in China's scientific community in the 1980s.<ref name="Ownbyfuture">{{harvp|Ownby|2008}}</ref>{{rp|63–64}}Falun Gong's teachings hold that practitioners can acquire supernatural skills through a combination of moral cultivation, meditation and exercises. These include—but are not limited to—[[precognition]], [[clairaudience]], [[telepathy]], and divine sight (via the opening of the [[third eye]] or celestial eye). However, Falun Gong stresses that these powers can be developed only as a result of moral practice, and should not be pursued or casually displayed.<ref name="penny"/> According to David Ownby, Falun Gong teaches that "pride in one's abilities, or the desire to show off, are marks of dangerous attachments", and Li warns his followers not to be distracted by the pursuit of such powers.<ref name=Ownbyfuture/>{{rp|117}}