How do you know if a Qigong form truly fits you?

[Master Logray]

On 2/16/2026 at 8:51 AM, Kati said:

At the same time, there’s this question that keeps coming up for me:

Is this really the Qigong form that fits me best?

 

 

Be frank, nothing in this world fits you perfectly.  Even if you find something best fit today, the environment or yourself will change tomorrow.  The easiest way is just enroll into different courses and find the suitable one.   And you practise the one in your arsenal which helps you most at that very moment in time.

[Kati]

On 16.2.2026 at 11:40 PM, ChiDragon said:

Did you do any breathing exercise during your Qigong practice? If you did, you are all set and there is nothing to be worry about. Qigong is about learning to breathe better to enhance the metabolism in your body. It has a healing effect on the body. There should be no side effect if it was done properly. BTW Any qigong has the same positive effect. The name given to Qigong is immaterial. What it mounts to is mainly improving your breathing. Thus if the health of your body doesn't improve from the practice, that means you have not done the breathing exercise correctly.

this is interesting . thank you fir asking about the breath. i have some blockages in my lungs. they slowly sart to dissolve since i do zhing qigong. and with that i sense that my breathing is a bit deeper. it will take some time to heal this

[Kati]

On 21.2.2026 at 7:38 PM, Taomeow said:

Qigong needs to "hit the spot."  

 

Real life examples from my experience.

 

Person A.  An accomplished taiji practitioner for many years.  Disciplined, dedicated, talented, competitive.  Had a falling out with the teacher.  Stopped practicing taiji altogether, which at the time struck me as cutting off her nose to spite her face.  Found a different teacher, who only teaches qigong, meditation and a bit of related subjects ("feng shui light," very light.)  A few years down the road, completely satisfied with her practice.  I don't know what she's doing with the competitive side of her personality, but the rest of it has just flown naturally into the new practice.

 

Person B.  Has never been interested in anything Asian, and physical engagement with movement has been limited to an occasional game of tennis.  An accomplished professional (medical doctor).  Started having problems with her lower back later in life, which turned severe.  Had surgery which made things worse.  Lived in nonstop pain for several years.  Was shown a few qigong exercises by a friend.  Reluctantly gave it a try, mostly to humor the friend.  Being also a naturally disciplined person, decided to give it a trial period of some length.  Until then anything and everything she tried made things only worse, but this time at first she noticed her back doesn't feel worse from qigong, then, that it feels a bit better.  Chalked it up to placebo yet kept practicing.  Three years later, still practices, her back feels 90% better, she's able to go on long hikes now and is off pain medication.  Still looking for an allopathic explanation.  

 

Person C.  An accomplished taiji practitioner, with all-around taoist interests for many years.  Has been taught many qigongs by her great teacher and at various workshops and seminars by other masters.  Taught qigong to various audiences.  Profoundly dislikes practicing it.  Why?  She has never been able to answer this question.  She absolutely loves taiji and many taoist practices, she's an experienced meditator, and there was a time she would sit in full lotus for two hours with reverse breathing going on autopilot if her practice required it.  Qigong?  Please...  no qigong.  Why?  Who knows.  Doesn't hit the spot.  

hmm i wish i would get the message of this

[Kati]

5 hours ago, Master Logray said:

 

Be frank, nothing in this world fits you perfectly.  Even if you find something best fit today, the environment or yourself will change tomorrow.  The easiest way is just enroll into different courses and find the suitable one.   And you practise the one in your arsenal which helps you most at that very moment in time.

yes rings true... i look right now into zhineng qigong and i feel that this qigong form is a better fit for me.. at least for now. 
certainly i was not ready for this qigong form some years ago. i will focus on this form for now  i will be guided to a different form, if it is needed. untill then i practice to not go qigong-window-shopping

[Taomeow]

28 minutes ago, Kati said:

hmm i wish i would get the message of this

 

I was aiming for three messages (although a longer post could aim for more.)

 

1) Any practice falls on the foundation of who you are.  If you are a person with a sense of responsibility to yourself, aka self discipline, you are likely to transfer this attitude onto how you go about practicing qigong.  That's the message I derive from Person A's experience.

 

2) You don't have to "believe" in it -- just give it a fair trial period and your results (or lack thereof) will speak louder than any pre-conceived ideas.  Positive ones are likely to keep you coming back.  Like Person B.

 

3) Different strokes.  Some like rock, some can't stand it and only want opera, which rock aficionados might find extremely annoying.  Many people have to watch their diet because they want to lose weight -- but I, for instance, have to watch my diet so as to avoid losing weight.  Qigong can be "metabolized" (or not) in a similar vein -- individual preferences (ideally reasonable and sensible rather than whimsical) are allowed a say in what we seek and what we avoid.  Person C in my example practices taiji neigong, which makes qigong very optional, and not wanting to practice it, quite reasonable.  

[Kati]

On 16.2.2026 at 11:40 PM, ChiDragon said:

Did you do any breathing exercise during your Qigong practice? If you did, you are all set and there is nothing to be worry about. Qigong is about learning to breathe better to enhance the metabolism in your body. It has a healing effect on the body. There should be no side effect if it was done properly. BTW Any qigong has the same positive effect. The name given to Qigong is immaterial. What it mounts to is mainly improving your breathing. Thus if the health of your body doesn't improve from the practice, that means you have not done the breathing exercise correctly.

no brother i dont 
i guess this is one of the things i have to do more. but when do i know that i did enough of that in one qigong session. for example when i practice for one hour a day. how much should be with doing breathing exercise and what would be signs of progress?


also i found this in a book which i read right now- i thought you might like this. it is from roger jahnke - "the healing promise of qi"

"It is worthwhile to note that one of the definitions of the Chinese character for Qi is "breath," and Qigong is often translated as "breath practice" or "breath exercise." However, beginning students can become overwhelmed by detailed Qi cultivation instructions that include extensive suggestions for the breath. While many teachers insist breath focus is central, others insist it is not. After many years of investigating all of these perspectives my response has been to develop this guideline: In the beginning the breath is not important, in the middle the breath is very important, and at the end the breath is not important. This means that, when you begin to practice Qigong you should keep it simple; just breathe naturally. Whenever you remember to, take a full relaxed breath. AB your skill progresses you will enter a stage of your practice, the middle, where the breath is very important. In many of the classics of Qigong it is noted that "the breath is the handle." How do you use a door or a hammer without a handle? The breath is the handle that makes the tool of Qigong more effective and more influential. AB you advance, much of the particular detail of breath practice becomes second nature and no longer requires conscious attention. At this point Qi cultivation effects can be achieved without thinking about the breath. AB your practice matures, breath focus will become less important; the breath is naturally integrated. While many teachers insist that the benefits of Qigong are attained with the mind, Dr. Felix Chang, a physician from New York, opposes this view. "Stop breathing and focus the mind for three minutes." He challenges, "What happens? You die or pass out. That doesn't really suggest that the mind has a more powerful effect than the breath; in fact it is the opposite. Now, breathe in deeply; it makes you strong. We do this when we lift things. In Kung Fu we deliver the punch with the exhalation. Now, breathe out completely, and hold the breath out-feel how quickly you start to get weak and need to breathe. The breath is a master key in Qigong." This is a very insightful lesson from a sincere Qi cultivation practitioner and instructor."

Edited yesterday at 06:52 PM by Kati

[ChiDragon]

On 2/25/2026 at 12:04 PM, Kati said:

this is interesting . thank you fir asking about the breath. i have some blockages in my lungs. they slowly sart to dissolve since i do zhing qigong. and with that i sense that my breathing is a bit deeper. it will take some time to heal this

 

You are making progress, just continue with what you are doing. Your breathing will be much deeper and deeper. It will become your natural breathing habit. Just breathe like that normally, then, you won't have to be concerned with breathing as you would have before you practiced qigong. Best of all, your body will carry out all the biological functions to keep your body in tune. FYI The metabolism is the healing system. It will repair any damage to the body cells to keep your body in tip top shape. That is progress from the long time practice of qigong. Progress is not accomplished by the hours practice per day. Rather it is by the diligent practice every day for many years to come. 

Edited 18 hours ago by ChiDragon