Qigong
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What Does “Qigong” Mean?
Qigong (pronounced “chee-gong”) means “energy cultivation” or “skill with energy.”
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Qi (Chi): the life force or vital energy that flows through your body, mind and emotions (E-MOTION = E-nergy in MOTION)
Gong: the practice of working with that energy – gently, skillfully, and with awareness
Through relaxed, mindful movement and breath, Qigong helps balance the flow of energy throughout the body: supporting health, vitality, and emotional well-being.
How Qigong Fits into Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
The Energetic Foundations of Qigong
To understand how Qigong restores harmony in the body, it helps to explore the two guiding maps of Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Yin and Yang — the balance of opposing yet complementary forces,
and The Five Elements — the natural cycles that express how energy moves through life and the seasons.
These principles are not abstract philosophy—they are living rhythms that we can feel and influence through movement, breath, and awareness.
Together, they form the energetic language through which Qigong helps us come back into balance.
Qigong is one of the Five Branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)—the others being Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Massage, and Acupuncture.
You can think of Qigong as the movement or exercise branch of this system—essentially, the exercise of acupuncture.
Where acupuncture uses needles to move energy (Qi), Qigong uses breath, movement, and intention to achieve a similar purpose.
Regular practice—even just ten minutes a day—helps balance the body’s energy flow, supports overall health and healing, and serves as a gentle form of prevention, maintaining vitality, mobility, and emotional harmony before imbalance occurs.
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Yin and Yang
At the heart of Qigong lies the balance of Yin and Yang—two complementary forces found in all aspects of life.
Yin embodies the receptive, cooling, and nurturing qualities of nature—night, stillness, and inward reflection.
Yang expresses the active, warming, and expansive qualities—day, motion, and outward expression.
Rather than opposites, Yin and Yang are interdependent—each containing the seed of the other. Movement and rest, effort and ease, activity and recovery—all are needed for harmony and health.
You can sense this natural rhythm every day:
as the sun sets and the moon begins to rise, the vibrant energy of Yang gently gives way to the quiet calm of Yin.
Think of how peaceful you feel watching a beautiful sunset—that soft exhale at day’s end is your own energy shifting from active to receptive, from doing to simply being.
Through Qigong practice, you’ll learn to:
Balance strength with softness—moving with power but without strain
Cultivate grounding (Yin) while awakening vitality (Yang)
Restore the body’s natural rhythm of expansion and renewal
Just as day flows into night and the tides rise and fall, your energy is designed to move through these natural cycles.
When Yin and Yang are in harmony, the body feels strong yet relaxed, the mind clear yet calm, and life flows with ease and steadiness.
From Balance to Flow
Once we understand Yin and Yang as the dance of balance, the Five Elements show us how that balance moves through the ever-changing cycles of life and nature.
Together, they form the energetic foundation of Qigong—teaching us to live in rhythm with both the world around us and the world within.
Compared to Yoga:
Qigong emphasizes flowing, circular movement rather than static poses or deep stretching.
Movements are usually standing but many can be done seated
No mats or flexibility required.
The focus is on moving energy (Qi) through gentle motion and breath, rather than emphasizing deep stretches or extended holds.
The rhythm is slow, fluid, and meditative, promoting relaxation instead of exertion.
While Qigong, Yoga, and Tai Chi all cultivate awareness, balance, and inner calm, each practice approaches movement and energy in its own way.
How Is It Different from Yoga or Tai Chi?
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Compared to Tai Chi:
Both Tai Chi and Qigong cultivate and balance energy, and they share many of the same foundational principles. Qigong is generally simpler and more repetitive, without the need to learn long choreographed sequences. This simplicity helps newcomers feel the practice internally right away, focusing on sensing and guiding Qi through breath and gentle movement.
Tai Chi incorporates set choreographed forms, where energy is expressed through continuous changing motion, structure, and intent, blending martial roots with meditative awareness.
Qigong movements are typically shorter, more adaptable, and easier to modify, making them accessible for all ages and abilities.
Tai Chi refines and expresses Qi through precise whole-body coordination, while Qigong gathers, circulates, and balances Qi through warm-ups, joint mobility, stretching, gentle strengthening, spiraling movements, breathwork, and mindful intention.
Tai Chi evolved from earlier Qigong practices and shares many of the same energetic foundations. Both support health, healing, and inner balance. Qigong simply offers a more immediate and approachable entry point for many beginners, especially those who prefer simpler, repetitive movements without needing to learn a sequence. It can also be a wonderful introduction for anyone curious about exploring Tai Chi in the future.
What Are Meridians?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, meridians are energy pathways that flow through the body—much like rivers nourishing the land.
They carry Qi (life force) through the organs, muscles, and connective tissue
Modern fascia research suggests meridians may travel within the fascia—the web-like connective tissue that links every part of the body
When Qi flows freely through these pathways, we feel more vibrant, balanced, and resilient—physically, mentally, and emotionally
These meridians form the foundation of QiGong movement—each practice helps open and harmonize these pathways through motion and breath.
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Why Spiral Movements?
Spiraling is one of nature’s most powerful patterns—it’s found in DNA strands, ocean waves, galaxies, seashells, and unfurling leaves.
In Qigong, spiral movements reflect these natural rhythms, helping energy move smoothly through the meridians and the body.
Spirals unwind tension in the joints, spine, and fascia
They promote natural rotation and joint mobility, protecting against stiffness and overuse
Spiraling supports coordination, balance, and the free flow of Qi throughout the system
These spiral movements are especially powerful when applied to the body’s central channel—the spine.
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Image by Cyndi Bemel
spine health
The spine is at the heart of every Qigong practice. Just as a leaf’s stem carries nourishment through its veins, the spine serves as the body’s central energy channel—supporting structure, movement, and our nervous system.
In Qigong Fundamentals, we work to prevent and ease stiffness while maintaining healthy spinal mobility through:
Gentle, spiral movements that decompress the spine and keep the vertebrae supple
Intentional posture and breathwork that improves our nervous system, alignment and circulation of Qi
Smooth transitions and fluid rotation that support joint health and balance
Awareness-based movement, teaching you to move from your center rather than from tension
A healthy spine is key to longevity and vitality—physically, energetically, and emotionally.