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

[Kati]

Hi everyone,

 

I’ve been practicing Spring Forest Qigong for over two years now, and overall it has helped me a lot., I feel calmer, more regulated, and in many ways it has really supported my healing process. So I’m genuinely grateful for that.

 

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

Is this really the Qigong form that fits me best?

 

What has been bothering me is that in the courses I attended, certain topics were never really addressed — especially things like Qi deviation or how to deal with intense or unusual experiences (including what some people might call “paranormal” phenomena). I’ve had some experiences during practice — seeing or feeling things that were quite strong — and I honestly felt a bit scared at times because I didn’t have any framework for understanding them.

 

I had to research everything on my own. There was nothing in the books or teachings I received that openly talked about potential side effects, energetic imbalances, or how to handle them. That felt too superficial for me. Almost like only the positive, healing aspects were emphasized, but not the possible challenges.

 

I also want to say that I find Chunyi Lin, the founder of Spring Forest Qigong, very inspiring. His story, his presence, and what he has built are impressive to me. I genuinely respect him and what he represents. So this is not about criticizing him as a person or teacher.

 

But even with that respect and inspiration, I still notice that the form itself — the way Spring Forest Qigong is structured and taught — doesn’t fully give me the feeling that this is 100% what I need. Something in me still feels uncertain or not completely aligned.

 

Recently, I’ve looked into other forms like Zhineng Qigong, and there it seems that these kinds of intense or unusual experiences are at least acknowledged and sometimes even described as part of the path that can be integrated consciously. That made me reflect even more on what I’m actually looking for in a practice.

 

So now I’m really asking myself:

 

What are the markers that tell you a Qigong form truly fits you?

 

Is it about physical results?

Emotional stability?

Feeling grounded and safe? ( maybe the most important?)

How transparent the teachers are about risks and intense experiences?

An inner sense of alignment?

And in what way could my own viewpoint be the problem?

What can i expect from a good qigong form?

 

I’m considering committing to one form for 100 days straight to really test it — and then honestly evaluate how my nervous system feels, whether I feel more stable and clear, or whether something feels off.

 

I’d really appreciate hearing from long-term practitioners:

How did you know your form was right for you?

What are healthy signs — and what are red flags?

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

[Gerard]

4 hours ago, Kati said:

A. How did you know your form was right for you?

B. What are healthy signs — and what are red flags?

 

A. Wisdom, intuition.

 

B. Internal changes from basically after 6 months of practice. Opening of the mind, loosening of the entire energetic and body, connecting with Taoist principles and also the entire body of TCM medical knowledge. 
 

About paranormal? Please define it as from my experience most of it is a direct result of being ungrounded. 

Edited yesterday at 05:26 AM by Gerard

[Kati]

16 hours ago, Gerard said:

. Wisdom, intuition.

give me some of that  please
here the snake bits its own tail. i get better at intuition/wisdom because of qigong


 

 

16 hours ago, Gerard said:

Internal changes from basically after 6 months of practice. Opening of the mind, loosening of the entire energetic and body, connecting with Taoist principles and also the entire body of TCM medical knowledge. 

I find this really interesting. So, can you really say that after six months of practice, these effects apply to everyone? I find that hard to imagine, because everyone probably starts at a different point. And honestly, I don’t fully understand everything you’re saying. So what do you mean by “opening the mind” and “relaxing the whole energetic body and the physical body”? I have to admit, I think I was too blocked for that—like, I haven’t really managed to do all of that even once in six months of practice, doing half an hour a day.

I also have to admit that routine is really my enemy. But it does actually feel a little better. So maybe you mean that it doesn’t happen automatically after six months, but that over time, through consistent practice, these things develop.

Also, where do you get this information from? Is it your own experience, or something you’ve heard from other Qigong practitioners? I’ve also told myself, because I’ve read it several times, that a good Qigong form helps you become calmer internally, improves sleep, and generally makes you feel more resilient and grounded—which seems to be one of the most important things.

 

Thank you Gerard!

[Gerard]

The practice I do did it to me and my two teachers can verify that because they experienced the same. 
 

Some methods are a lot better than others. I hope you are aware of this principle.

 

You need to find the ONE that works for YOU the BEST. 

[Krenx]

It is heavily dependent on the teacher. A good teacher or system will understand what you are going through, will be able to give you an answer to what is happening.

 

And these answers are "consistent" among good teachers. And it also clarifies teachings you might have heard in the past, but overlooked as insignificant, but are quite important. 

 

Pursue this journey gradually, and constantly ask these questions you are asking. Manage your expectations when you commit large portions of your time. Be honest what you gained, and what you did not achieve relative to time spent. 

 

Many practitioners I have met, who has good skills, are lazy. Lazy in a sense where they only practiced things that produced results, and applied only what was instructed, did nothing more, nothing less. Extremely picky. A highly precise kind of laziness. And you will realize they all did not so different things. 

 

And the lazy me will only pick the practice that is the common denominator of all these lazy people, and only practice those few things they all practice. Not more, Not less. To be the laziest one of all.  

Edited 17 hours ago by Krenx

[ChiDragon]

21 hours ago, Kati said:

So now I’m really asking myself:

 

What are the markers that tell you a Qigong form truly fits you?

 

Is it about physical results?

Emotional stability?

Feeling grounded and safe? ( maybe the most important?)

How transparent the teachers are about risks and intense experiences?

An inner sense of alignment?

And in what way could my own viewpoint be the problem?

What can i expect from a good qigong form?

 

I’m considering committing to one form for 100 days straight to really test it — and then honestly evaluate how my nervous system feels, whether I feel more stable and clear, or whether something feels off.

 

I’d really appreciate hearing from long-term practitioners:

How did you know your form was right for you?

What are healthy signs — and what are red flags?

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.

Edited 17 hours ago by ChiDragon

[Cobie]

Slow breathing seems to be good for you https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5709795/

[ChiDragon]

7 minutes ago, Cobie said:

Slow breathing seems to be good for you https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5709795/

 

Yes, many modern people do not realize that is Qigong(氣功).

Edited 16 hours ago by ChiDragon

[Kati]

11 hours ago, Gerard said:

 

You need to find the ONE that works for YOU the BEST. 

word ! yes i will try out some methods each for 100 days and check what works best for me

 

thank you a lot

[cake1234566]

There are a lot of different goals within qigong, some focusing on healing, some on martial power, some on spiritual expansion (this is often in preparation for alchemic work)

Imo you should follow your intuition to find one that aligns best with your personal goals (remember there is not a single right choice)

Within 100 days you should be able to judge whether the form is helping you to achieve those goals
Examples, you'll often feel more youthful and have a higher baseline energy if working with a healing qigong, with martial development you'll get aches in places you didn't know existed, spiritual stuff you'll start to experience the various energetic phenomena leading to expansion of consciousness

If you find a really good system it should cause all three

Obviously real life isn't so black and white but this is a rough outline of what I've experienced with various systems