Kati

I can relate very strongly to this post. I’ve been practicing Qigong for about two years now, more or less regularly. From the beginning, I’ve always done the grounding exercise that was recommended to me, and I’ve done it for the length of time that was suggested. And yes — I have noticed that I’ve developed more grounding through this practice. At the same time, I’ve realized that I probably need more time than others to truly ground. I’ve struggled with depression for many years — actually for decades —a and looking back, I can imagine that this means my nervous system and energetic system simply need more patience and consistency to build stability. Qigong has definitely helped me. And yet, I still feel that something is missing. Some time ago, I came across the concept of “Qi scattering”, and it immediately resonated with me. It felt like it described exactly what I experience: a sense of not really being connected to my feet, not fully landing in my body, even though I’m practicing regularly. I can identify with this very deeply. This led me to look more closely at the concept of the Three Treasures : Jing Qi Shen Many Taoist schools emphasize very clearly that without a solid Jing foundation, Qi work can easily become unstable. Jing — often associated with the kidneys — is the basis for: physical vitality inner calm nervous system stability Only when Jing is sufficiently developed does the body have the capacity to contain, integrate, and remain grounded in energetic experiences, instead of becoming overwhelmed or scattered. This feels like a key insight for me. I just started today to make grounding my main practice, because i want to protect Jing. I will take a break from qigong untill i feel some progress with being grounded. I collected some informations i want to use for my practice which you can read below. Please double check and ask people who have more experience with grounding if needed. I can not promise that everything i wrote is 100 percent correct so here it goes: 1. Grounding & Body Sense — Or like i would frame it " the "A" as the first letter of the Qi-Gong-“Alphabet” I like to think of grounding as the first letter of the Qigong “alphabet.” Just as children don’t start reading with complex words, Qigong practice doesn’t start with advanced energy work. The “A” means: learning posture learning relaxed, abdominal breathing learning how it feels to stand, move, and breathe calmly learning to sense the lower dantian simple standing practices or very slow movement (e.g. basic Eight Brocades) This basic “alphabet” allows the body and nervous system to feel safe enough for Qi to move without scattering. For me, grounding feels like learning the basic language of the body. Without this foundation, more advanced practices can feel confusing, shaky, or destabilizing. In practical terms, this includes: Even classical Chinese internal texts repeatedly emphasize: First ground and collect the body, then cultivate energy. Core Grounding Practices Zhan Zhuang (Standing Qigong) Frequently described as one of the most effective grounding practices. Standing still trains the connection between feet, legs, posture, breath, and mind, while building Jing and overall structural integrity Lower Dantian / Belly-Centered Breathing Almost all grounding discussions point back to this. Awareness sinks from the head into the belly, calming the mind and stabilizing the body. Foot Rooting & Earth Visualization Imagining roots growing from the feet into the earth. Simple, but very powerful for many practitioners. Slow, Relaxed Movement Forms like Ba Duan Jin or Five Animals Frolics gently integrate body, breath, and grounding. Whole-Body Awareness Systematically sensing the body from within — part by part — as a way of anchoring the mind in physical sensation. Jing cultivation is slow — but it doesn’t have to be boring. THIS WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME. therfore i add tai chi. But there are some key principles i would follow Tai Chi (simplified forms) Key safety principles: Move slowly — never rush Focus on the lower dantian, not hand sensations Let weight settle into legs and feet Breathe naturally and abdominally Optional: visualize energy sinking into the earth while moving Suitable Styles 🔹 Yang Style (Simplified 24 Form) slow, smooth, continuous strong emphasis on weight shifting and rooting 🔹 Chen Style Silk Reeling (slow versions only) spiral movement strengthens Jing in legs, waist, and torso avoid explosive fajin practices 🔹 Wu Style (short forms) very compact, small, and slow excellent for stability and foot rooting 🔹 Tai Chi–based Qigong Sets specifically designed for grounding and safe energy work here are some Signs of True Grounding emotional stability in daily life natural posture and balance Qi flows calmly, without jumping or scattering everyday life becomes the real test of practice the pushing test “When the earth beneath you is stable, the gate to heaven may open.”

Hey, your message was actually quite synchronictic for me. I was literally about to write that I think I unconsciously focus more on the Middle Dantian. A childhood experience came back to me that confirms this. When I grew up with a lot of violence at home, I remember going into a separate room, completely exhausted, and holding in mind that I would love everyone even if they continued harming. In that moment something opened — I felt the presence of something bigger. I felt respect for it, but also separation, and I had the sense that I might dissolve into it. There was also this feeling of being lifted up. It was powerful and graceful at the same time, but it scared me and make me feel ungrounded. (maybe because i was not centered in LDT?- At least this is my guess)The moment I mentally asked the experience to stop, it stopped. But afterward I felt irrationally joyful, and I knew that joy came directly from that experience. Later in life, when I started spiritual practice, I had similar experiences. This childhood memory explains a lot to me — it shows that my system naturally goes upward into the heart when things are overwhelming. Everytime i read or hear something awful sooner or later i focus on transcendence and surrender to get my burden lifted (that doesnt mean that i am always doing this instantly or that i am always succesful at it ) I think it was both part of my natural temperament(my two sisters doesnt responded the same way as me, while we did have some similiar experienced) and also a survival mechanism: my body instinctively opened the heart to cope with what was happening. That’s probably why I unconsciously put more effort into heart-based practices even now. i feel that in the heart i find meaning and purpose even in pain - that gives me a lot. without the LDT i cannot hold the force of the MDT and feel dissociation from the heart. Maybe the LDT is about being grounded in sensations, even pain, before i escape prematurly into the heart? maybe the LDT helps me to contain the experiences of MDT. I’m starting to see how important it is to build a stronger connection to the Lower Dantian. The heart can open, but without grounding it can become unstable or overwhelming. So I feel I need to consciously cultivate the LDT more, not to replace the heart focus, but to support it. This will be a difficult unlearning process for me Thank you for asking — your question made me reflect on this much more deeply than I would have on my own.

wow so beautiful - yes it comes with feeling unconditional compassion. for me it is not a constant state. but so grateful to have experienced it. i dont think unconditional love is an experience. i think this is my true self, but as long as i am identified with the ego it feels like an experience. the ego is an experience, still i identify with it and i forget that it is not the truth. kind of ironic

i heard it to, that people need to do some spiritual practice to feel the lower dantien. thought of doing more lower dantien breathing, but right now i focus on doing qigong for neck and back - so many energy blockages to release there

i come to this conclusion because of my qigong practice. in my qigong practice i always focus more on the lower dantien than on the middle dantien, still i feel my middle dantien way more often.. dont know why. i guess i have to just enjoy it. because it is such a nice experience

yes i do

Hi everyone, I wanted to share something that happened very naturally, and I’d appreciate hearing from those who have experienced something similar through their own cultivation. After a simple meditation where I just rested my attention in the heart — not visualizing, not guiding the breath — I fell asleep. In the middle of the night, I woke up because I felt a deep warmth radiating from my heart area. It was steady, peaceful, and so warm it felt like a small heater inside my chest. The feeling was filled with quiet love — not emotional or romantic, but very still and complete. It wasn’t something I tried to create. It just appeared by itself. I’m curious how other practitioners understand or relate to this kind of spontaneous heart warmth or energy — especially those who cultivate through stillness (neigong, qigong, or inner alchemy). I’m not looking for theories or chakra explanations — more interested in direct, lived experience: Have you felt warmth or radiance in the heart appear by itself? How did you relate to it in your practice? Did it deepen or change with time? Thank you for reading 🙏

Hello everyone, I’ve been practicing Spring Forest Qigong (SFQ) as taught by Master Chunyi Lin. The system emphasizes healing, transforming emotions, opening energy channels, and cultivating inner balance. I don’t know much about Neidan, but from what I understand it seems to be something related to Qigong and a valuable part of Taoist inner practice. My question: Do you think SFQ contains elements of Neidan? Does the focus on transforming emotions, refining Qi, and connecting to the heart/mind parallel the Neidan teaching . I would love to hear from practitioners who have studied both SFQ and Neidan, or who see overlaps and differences. Thank you! 🙏