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What Is Qigong? A Beginner’s Guide to Its Powerful Health Benefits
- Erika Lorenzo
- 7 days ago
- 6 min read
Feeling stressed, achy, or simply looking for a reason to get out of the house? You're not alone. Whether it's the tension of daily life, persistent physical discomfort, or a longing for community, finding a gentle yet effective way to support your wellbeing can be life-changing. This blog will introduce you to qigong, an ancient practice designed to reduce stress, improve flexibility, and enhance overall vitality. You'll discover how qigong works, its incredible health benefits, and how joining a local class can help you feel more balanced, energized, and connected.
What is Qigong?
Qigong, pronounced chee-gong, is a physical practice created thousands of years ago as a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The ‘qi’ in qigong, refers to vital energy, and ‘gong’ refers to skill cultivated through regular practice. qi, or vital energy, is thought to be a universal energy that flows through all things and is mostly concentrated on the meridians of the body (more on the meridians later).
Qigong exercises use various movements and techniques woven together to cultivate and balance the body's vital energy, or qi, also known as ‘chi’. Qigong is a mind-body practice that integrates physical movement and postures with breathing and focused intention to enhance the flow of qi in and around the body. This is exceptionally great for building our awareness of both our mind and body, considering how much distraction goes on in our everyday lives.
What is the Difference Between Qigong and Tai Chi?
Like many of us, you might be wondering if qigong and tai chi are the same thing, and if they aren’t, then what’s the difference between tai chi and qigong? These two practices, though rooted within similar ancient Chinese wisdom, have some subtle and more obvious differences.
Understanding Tai Chi
Tai chi emphasises coordination, balance, and fluidity. Practitioners of tai chi perform deep postures, meticulously shifting their body weight, and generating strength and stability. Besides being a physical practice, at its core tai chi is a martial art, with intricate choreography and movements designed for meditative purposes as well as self-defence applications.
Understanding Qigong
Qigong, on the other hand, showcases a wider spectrum of practices with a primary focus on improving health, relaxation, and overall well-being. Examples include exercises encompassing a wide array of techniques, including gentle movements, controlled breathing, meditation, and visualisation.
Unlike tai chi, qigong offers simpler and repetitive movements, enabling people of different age groups and physical abilities to participate. Qigong is more than just a physical exercise, this holistic practice helps balance the body’s qi, prioritising preventive health, reduction of stress, and holistic healing.
In essence, tai chi remains to be more of a martial art focusing on the body’s physical and mental ability through graceful and precise movements. While qigong unveils a broader practice that invites individuals on a journey of balancing wellness, both in body and spirit.
Want to know if qigong is right for you? Book a class for only £8.
The Foundations of Qigong Exercises
The basis of qigong and its benefits are not only in the physical movements themselves, like for example, breathing, standing postures, and tapping, but the reasons behind these movements are also important. A fascinating part of qigong has to do with the interconnectedness of the internal body or the 12 meridians.
The 12 Meridians of the Body
Rooted in TCM, and therefore qigong, the proper functioning of the body is ruled by the Principal Meridians or 12 meridians. These 12 meridians of the body are an intangible network of channels that allow for vital energy, or qi, to flow, much like our circulatory system except instead of blood it carries energy.
The 12 meridians are composed of the:
Spleen
Kidneys
Liver
Stomach
Bladder
Gallbladder
Pericardium or heart protector
Lung
Heart
Small intestine
Large intestine
Triple heater or triple burner
It’s believed that stagnation or imbalances along these networks can lead to physical manifestations of symptoms affecting the body, mind and spirit. That’s where qigong comes in, this intentional practice can bring life back into the meridians allowing energy to flow through and clear out some of these blockages.
Breath
Another one of qigong’s foundational elements is the emphasis on intentional breathing patterns. Oftentimes, we go most of our days without noticing our breath. We are too busy running around, going from home to work, work to home taking in sharp and shallow breaths. What we don’t realise is that this triggers our sympathetic nervous system, the part of our nervous system that signals fight or flight mode, contributing to high-stress levels.
A simple way to calm the nervous system is to take slow, deep breaths, emphasising the exhalation. Qigong exercises have a way of seamlessly drawing our attention to the breath, and extending our breathing patterns, bringing more relaxation and mindfulness to our day within a matter of seconds.
Standing Postures
Qigong's standing postures (Zhan Zhuang) are important for regulating and influencing the body's vital energy, or qi. These static poses help align the body and support the flow of qi through appropriate meridian pathways.
Tapping
In qigong, tapping is a technique used to release stagnant energy and come back to a state of balance in the mind, body, and spirit. This looks like using your hands, or sometimes fingertips, to lightly tap along the meridian lines or specific acupressure points. According to TCM, energy blockages can lead to physical pain, illness, fatigue, and emotional imbalances. By rhythmically tapping these key areas of the body, you stimulate circulation, release tension, and send vibrations deep into the tissues—helping to reduce inflammation and revitalise your system.
Benefits of Qigong
If you’ve ever attended a qigong class or watched videos online, it’s easy to underestimate the significance of the practice as each movement looks quite gentle and without much effort. However, the beauty of this practice lies within the subtlety of the movements, as they have deep-rooted meanings.
Dozens of studies show the effectiveness of qigong on the body and the mind, like its positive impact on mindfulness, though there’s still room for more research to be done, evidence seems to show these to be some of the qigong benefits:
Reduce stress and regulate the nervous system
Improve flexibility and circulation
Improve balance and coordination
Improve quality of life
Enhance mindfulness
Increase sense of belonging and connection by participating in weekly qigong classes
Are You Curious About Trying Qigong? This How to Get Started
Qigong can be practised at any time of day, either in the comfort of your own home by watching online videos or you can participate in an in-person qigong class. Looking for a qigong class near you? We offer qigong classes in Glasgow every Wednesday at 6:30pm at our Wellbeing Centre.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q) Can I practice qigong if I’m over 65 years old?
Yes! Whether you’re young or older, qigong is accessible to all. In fact, it has many astounding benefits for the older community as the practice is gentle and can help build muscle and gently strengthen your joints.
Q) I’m pregnant, or have a physical injury, can I practice qigong?
Although relatively safe, it is best to consult your primary care physician before taking a class.
Q) I have never done qigong before, is it okay to attend one of the classes at the Wellbeing Centre?
Yes, our qigong classes every Wednesday from 6:30pm are for all levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced).
Q) Are there membership options for the qigong classes?
Yes, the Wellbeing Centre offers membership classes and single drop-in sessions. You can choose the best option for you. View our Membership options here.
Q) Is the qigong teacher certified?
Yes, Julie, our qigong teacher is a fully qualified Health Qigong Instructor and a certified HeartMath Facilitator and Coach.
Final Thoughts
Qigong is a simple, ancient exercise that can have many profound benefits. We intend to share insights within our scope while honouring the wisdom of the qigong practice. This page aims to provide general information as we are not doctors.
If you do decide to practice qigong, do so at your discretion. It is advised to consult your physician before performing any exercise.
Don’t know if qigong is right for you? Consider trying one of our other exercise classes like yoga, pilates, or meditation.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help!
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