What is qigong? Benefits, exercises and how to start

What is qigong? The meaning of qi and gong

Qi (气) is one of the central ideas of Chinese thought. The character first evoked vapor or breath. Over time, it came to mean the vital energy that animates all living things. Many English speakers write it chi, which is why you will see “chi energy” and “chi gong.” Chi and qi are simply two spellings of the same word.

Gong (功) means work, skill or achievement: something gained through steady effort. The same word appears in kung fu, gongfu in Chinese. Qigong is therefore the art of cultivating qi, the breath and energy of life, day after day.

The spellings vary with the system used to write Chinese in Latin letters. Qigong and qi gong follow pinyin, the system used in China today. Chi kung comes from the older Wade-Giles system, and chi gong mixes the two.

A short history of qigong

The practice is far older than its name. Ancient Chinese texts describe daoyin, “guiding and pulling,” exercises that combine movement and breath. A painting on silk found in a Han dynasty tomb at Mawangdui, sealed in 168 BCE, shows dozens of figures performing them.

Over the centuries, Daoist, Buddhist and martial traditions each developed their own methods. Famous sets emerged along the way. The Five Animals Frolics is attributed to Hua Tuo, a celebrated figure of the late Han dynasty. The Ba Duan Jin, or Eight Brocades, is attested since the Song dynasty.

The word qigong itself was popularized in China in the 1950s, as a common name for these many practices. It later spread around the world. In the app, The Taoist Sanctuary in the Mountains, in Sacred Places, takes you to such a retreat at dawn, above a sea of clouds.

The three regulations: body, breath and mind

Chinese teachers often sum up qigong in three regulations, or tiáo. You regulate the body, the breath and the mind, and the practice happens when all three come together.

No single one is enough on its own. A perfect posture with a restless mind is just exercise. A calm mind in a slumped body is just rest. Qigong lives where the three meet.

Chinese tradition also has energy centers of its own, the dantian. The lower dantian, below the navel, is where many exercises gather attention, much as Indian traditions work with the 7 chakras.

Main types of qigong, from moving sets to qigong meditation

There are many qigong styles, but they fall into a few broad families. Most of them mix several of these aspects. Even a moving qigong workout stays gentle: the effort is slow and turned inward.

• Moving qigong

  Slow, flowing sequences coordinated with the breath, like the Eight Brocades or the Five Animals.

• Still qigong

  Postures held without moving, seated, lying or standing, where the work is entirely inward.

• Qigong for well-being

  Gentle daily sets aimed at suppleness, balance and calm. This is the form most people practice.

• Martial qigong

  Practices that support the martial arts by building rootedness, power and resilience.

• Meditative qigong

  Daoist and Buddhist methods centered on stillness, inner circulation and self-cultivation.

Ba Duan Jin exercises: the Eight Brocades and other classic sets

The Ba Duan Jin is one of the most widely practiced qigong sets in the world. Its name means “eight pieces of brocade,” as if each movement were a precious silk. It is short, gentle and easy to fit into a morning. Names vary from one translation to another, but the eight movements are usually these:

• Two Hands Hold Up the Heavens
• Drawing the Bow to Shoot the Hawk
• Separating Heaven and Earth
• The Wise Owl Gazes Backward
• Swaying the Head and Shaking the Tail
• Two Hands Reach Down to the Feet
• Clenching the Fists with an Angry Gaze
• Rising and Falling on the Toes

Tai chi vs qigong: what is the difference?

Tai chi, short for tai chi chuan (taijiquan), looks a lot like qigong: both are slow, flowing and centered on the breath. Many teachers even see tai chi as a form of qigong. The main differences lie in their purpose and their complexity.

If you are starting from scratch, qigong is usually the easier door. You can learn a single movement today and practice it tomorrow morning.

Qigong benefits: what research describes

Qigong is popular for how it makes people feel: calmer, more supple, more at home in their body. Research has started to look at these effects, often together with tai chi.

Studies have mostly looked at balance, flexibility, relaxation and attention. Results are often encouraging, but many studies are small and their methods vary. No study can promise anything to a given person.

What you can count on is simpler. A slow, regular practice offers a daily moment of calm, a closer sense of your body and a breath that has time to slow down. If the breath is your way in, Breathing with the Whole Body, in Body, Calm & Sleep, lasts 13 minutes.

Qigong for beginners: three simple exercises

Practicing qigong at home is easy: a quiet corner is all you need. These qigong exercises form a 10-minute morning qigong routine, with no equipment. Morning practice is a long tradition, so try them after waking, near an open window. Wear loose clothes and stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees soft.

For guided practice, the Sensations & Qigong category offers four sessions built on the same ideas. Afterward, Monastery at Sunrise, a world made for the morning, can carry the calm into your day.

1. Warming the hands

   Rub your palms together for a few seconds, then hold them slightly apart. Feel the warmth, the tingling or the gentle pull between them, as if you were holding a ball of air.

2. Holding up the heavens

   Interlace your fingers in front of your belly. Inhale as you raise your hands above your head, palms up. Exhale as you lower your arms out to the sides. Repeat six to eight times.

3. Standing like a tree

   Raise your arms in front of your chest, rounded as if hugging a tree. Let your weight sink into your feet. Breathe slowly and stay for one to three minutes.

4. Closing

   Rest both hands on your lower belly, below the navel, and take three slow breaths before you move on with your day.