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When given instructions in a qi gong class setting... do you prefer the sort of instruction that starts with 'imagine (a sphere below your belly button)' or do you prefer something more direct 'feel (a sphere below your belly button)'? If you're a teacher do you find that people new to such practices tend to have objections to the more direct approach? 'But how do I feel a ball there?'... 'But I don't know how'... 'But aren't I just imagining this?' etc. Is the 'imagine' approach ever the solution? I recently I came across an interesting variation to this sort of instruction. It was in the form of a question 'can you feel a sphere below your belly button?' Subtle, but imo profound difference. Generally I much prefer the direct approach - I think that placing imagination into practice can be problematic. However I find that newcomers often struggle with direct instructions 'move your awareness from the physical to the energetic' - that's such a tricky concept for someone new to this. Could direction in the form of a question be the answer? (See what I did there? ) or is imagination a good set of training wheels? Or is it best to stick to being direct and expect newbies to make the leap by themselves at some point?