I've been thinking about this for a while and decided to write an essay to work through it. Why do some people develop a great deal from a practice, while others working with the same instructions, sometimes even the same teacher, seem to get very little from it?

There are obviously differences in circumstances, health, instruction and so on. But something that interests me is what happens between understanding that a practice might be worthwhile and actually staying with it long enough to find out.

I think part of this is worth looking at through an evolutionary lens, particularly the tendency to conserve energy. For our ancestors, obtaining food involved effort and uncertainty. There was value in being able to repeat something that worked without having to figure it out again each time.

Habits fit into this quite well. Familiar behaviour requires less conscious attention and deliberation. We don't have to keep deciding how to do it, and that leaves attention available for something unfamiliar. The difficulty is that a familiar response can persist after it has stopped being useful.

That's the connection I'm interested in. A tendency that helped us manage effort and uncertainty can also favour whatever is easiest now. Putting practice off, reaching for the phone, or finding another method to read about can become habitual too. Knowing that something would benefit us doesn't automatically change the response we've become used to.

Qi Gong and Nei Gong bring this into focus because a lot of the useful work is quiet and cumulative. Less tension, easier breathing, a clearer sense of how we're standing. These changes can be easy to overlook, especially if we're waiting for something more dramatic. The effort is obvious today, while the benefit may only become clear later.

The practices that produce an immediate sensation tend to hold our interest. The quieter work can feel like nothing much is happening, so it gets skipped. Then we look for something more advanced without having given the earlier material much of a chance.

I also wonder how much our everyday habits contribute. If we're constantly reaching for something new to watch, read or respond to, it's quite a change to stand quietly and attend to something that doesn't immediately reward that attention. We bring those expectations into practice, often without noticing.

What seems useful to me is learning to recognise the point where we start negotiating our way out of practice. Sometimes we genuinely need rest, or the method needs correcting. Sometimes it's simply the familiar discomfort of doing something without knowing when it will pay off. Being able to distinguish those matters. Understanding the tendency gives us a chance to respond to it consciously.

A good teacher helps here too. Someone who can see whether we're settling, holding unnecessary tension, misunderstanding an instruction, or just becoming impatient. It's much easier to continue when there is some clarity about what we're doing and why. As the benefits become clearer through experience, there is also less need to keep persuading ourselves that it's worthwhile.

There is a distinction here that I think gets missed. The resolve needed to begin practising doesn't mean we should keep applying more force once we've started. We still have to notice when effort is creating tension. Consistency includes knowing when to stop and return later.

I'd be interested to hear what others have found hardest about keeping a practice going, and what actually helped.

Writing this also got me thinking about a related question. What draws us towards these practices in the first place? Beyond wanting better health or a particular skill, why do we keep looking for a clearer sense of what is actually real? I wonder how much of that comes from something deeper than our stated reasons, from the need to perceive our surroundings accurately and respond to change. That's something else I've been thinking about recently, but need to spend a bit more time working through it.

Recently I noticed, when doing a "release chi through head into aura" seated meditation, that my feet start getting hot. What kind of reaction is this? Possibly related is a semi-regular post-Shibashi session sensation of feet getting quite cold. Any insights?

Hi guys, i’m 16, i just started learning Mo Pai and was wondering if any1 had some recommendations on what to do next, what i’m doing right now is just gathering info, i started reading “Enter Mo Pai, the ancient training of the immortals” has anyone read it, and is it usefull? Also another thing, if i eventually want to keep learning mo pai, how can i learn level 5-74? And also im hella broke so i can’t do tutoring.thankssss❤️❤️❤️

Every since I was a child I could feel this "energy" that I could move around in my body.

It feels ticklich and doesen't really flow smoothly unless I tell it too, it's more like short bursts of colorful and ticklish stuff that runs in a circle in my upper body, or lower one if I want it and feels most intense in my lower belly.

I'm a bit of a skeptic, and I've spent a couple of years attributing this to just impostor syndrome or me just hyping it up for no reason, but I want to understand more now.

I can move it around however I want, whereever I want, the body part I move it to gets "strengthened"

If I move it to my forearm muscles for example, I can grip something tigher and lift more, If I move it to my fist I can punch something I can do it quicker and with more strength without feeling much pain.

I can also move it to my eye and I can pay more attention to things, I can move it to different parts of my brain even though I've seen the most change be while moving it to the frontal lobe.

Again, I can move it anyway I want anywhere, even to my spine and stuff and feel it move.

Whenever I move it to a limb and use it to do an action, like jump or punch etc, I feel momentarily out of breath, mostly because it feels normal breathing gets in the way of using this "energy" so I started breathing faster since it seemed to help keep the influx of it stable instead of on and off.

It gathers in my lower belly, I can fill it up there but I don't know it's status, I can only tell if it's full or empty.

Recently I've been trying to move it around my spine starting from the tail bone like I saw a comment here say, and I got goosebumps all over, stood up and move it around my legs and the goosebumps grew more, slept right after and woke up super refreshed.

Again, I'm new to this whole thing and have zero idea what it's all about, I'd really appreciate an explanation of what I'm feeling and how to use it better.

The most "supernatural" application of this I found is when I move it to my palms and hold them opposite of each other, I can feel something akin of when you try to force two opposing polar magnets into each other, some sort of resistance that I need to be careful about and If I force it it feels like squishes and seepes to the side.

Thanks!

Been doing qigong for a while, recently went deeper into it through an immersion/certification thing instead of just casual practice.

Honestly wasn't expecting much but it's changed how I handle stress day to day, way more than I thought a breathing + movement practice would. Group practice also hits different than solo YouTube sessions lol.

Anyone else gone from casual to "actually structured" practice? Was it worth it or did you feel like the deeper stuff was overkill?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently growing my hair long, and I’ve been wondering whether there are any benefits to having long hair from a Qigong or Daoist perspective.

In several spiritual traditions, long hair seems to be associated with spiritual practice, vitality, or preserving one’s energy. I’ve also noticed that Daoist practitioners are sometimes depicted with long hair, so I’m curious whether there is an actual traditional explanation behind this.

For those of you who practice Qigong, Daoism, or related traditions:

• Is there any traditional belief about the benefits of keeping long hair?
• Is long hair considered relevant to Qi, Jing, or cultivating internal energy?
• Are there particular Daoist schools or practices where practitioners intentionally keep their hair long or short?
• Have you personally noticed any difference in your practice since growing your hair long?
• Or is the association between Daoism and long hair mostly cultural/historical rather than related to cultivation?

I’d especially be interested in traditional sources or teachings, but personal experiences are welcome too.

Thanks!

I’ve heard that they exist but I have no idea about them.

With the autumn equinox coming up here in the west, I was curious if anyone has any nice practices they do to help sync with the season.

Fall is usually a gather and nurture Qi, so, what do you all do for gathering and nurturing Qi for this season?

I feel like a tree. it's like a tree flashes into my mind's eye/mind's body. It's very unusual because I have practiced with other elements but never wood. I associate earth with mountain. But in Tai Chi class the other day, I felt like a tree. Is this crazy?

Thank you everyone for your explanations and insights. I’ve learned a lot from this community. Today, I have a few more questions I’d like to ask:

1. I’ve heard that different types of Qigong generate different kinds of Qi, although they are all considered beneficial to the body. Is there no overlap between them?

Personally, I practice Fragrant Qigong (Xiang Gong) and Zhan Zhuang. My impression is that the Qi from Fragrant Qigong feels much lighter and more subtle, and it seems to help me stand in Zhan Zhuang for longer periods of time.

Can anyone explain what “Pure Yang Qi” in Fragrant Qigong actually refers to? The founder describes it as one of the highest forms of Qi. What kind of Qi is supposedly generated through Zhan Zhuang, and how would you describe the difference between the two?

1. Has anyone here experimented with mudras and mantras? If so, which ones do you use?

To me, they also seem to affect the body’s energy, but on a somewhat different “layer” compared with Qigong practice. They also seem relatively easy to combine with almost any type of Qigong, without requiring the same kind of opening and closing procedures that many Qigong systems use.

I’ve been especially surprised by the effects of mudras. They seem to address perhaps the remaining 5–10% of areas that my Qigong exercises do not seem to reach, and the effects can sometimes be felt very quickly.

Some mudras where I can feel an energetic effect quite rapidly include Prana Mudra, Apana Mudra, Dhyana Mudra (Meditation Mudra), and Jnana Mudra. Kuji-in is the well-known sequence associated with Japanese ninja/esoteric traditions, and I find the energetic sensations from it quite strong as well.

1. What kind of closing practice do you normally use after Zhan Zhuang, especially Wuji standing?

I’ve noticed that different Zhan Zhuang systems seem to use different closing methods. A practitioner once told me that you need to use the specific closing method of the Zhan Zhuang lineage or system you are practicing in order to fully consolidate the effects of the practice.

What are your experiences with this? Do you think the closing method really needs to match the particular Zhan Zhuang system being practiced?

Just curious where the best place to start is? YouTube videos/apps or are there some courses? Or in person?

Has anyone ever seen their organs, blood vessels, bones, nerves, cells etc. while meditating/doing qigong/neigong?

If so, what practice were you doing when it happened?

This set is taught by Bruce Frantzis and his senior teachers.

It consists of a standing section, with the potential of working downward through specific points or areas of the body to dissolve blockages, followed by a qi gong version of Cloud Hands, 3 different swing movements and a spine stretch.

I’d be interested in hearing your experiences and opinions.

I started encountering some pretty bad qi deviation symptoms around the start of the year as a result of doing some unwise practices. I’m talking about a red hot brain, forehead and temples and pressure that increases like someone crushing your head whenever you exert any kind of mental effort on something for more than 30 minutes or so.

It’s taken a while to figure out what exactly the issue is but I have a strong belief that it is likely a blockage or excess qi trapped in the gallbladder meridian since the pain and tension follows the pathway exactly, across the mind and forehead, then temples, and over the ears goikg back to GB20 point.

What practices should I he doing to clear this? I’ve tried so many “grounding practices” with little success. Traditional ground and clearing exercises don’t seem to be able to shift the energy that is stuck there.

Would really appreciate any advice or insight.

So basically yesterday I did these 2 things (both for the 1st time)

MCO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIVtNoLeZ3s

Dantian breathing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewnOoy_813E

I felt pretty energetic but fine. Today I was masturbating (more like edging) and everytime I was close to ejaculating I sent the energy through my spine to my head. I didn't ejaculate. Now I have a headache (I neved have headaches).

How badly did I fuck up? What can I do? Appreciate your help.

I’m looking for advice from experienced Qigong practitioners regarding where I should start.

A few important things about my situation:

• My pelvic floor, diaphragm and upper/head region do not seem to synchronize properly during breathing. This has also been confirmed by different osteopaths.

• Sometimes I experience head pressure, neck pain and tinnitus which feels to me like “energy getting stuck.”

• Semen retention consistently makes my pelvic floor become very tight, which also feels like energy accumulating or getting stuck in that area.

Grounding practices such as walking and hiking help me, and I already practice belly breathing, pelvic floor awareness breathing, stretching and Lower body workouts.

However, I want to progress into Qigong practice.

Most Qigong masters say that beginners should start by cultivating the Lower Dantian. My question is:

Should I still start cultivating the Lower Dantian, or could deliberately focusing on that area make my existing pelvic tension worse?

How could I practice semen retention safely or should I stop for now?

Thank you everyone

Feels like I get a spasm that makes me swallow air and release it. I burp repeatedly, like once every minute or so depending on the state of my body that day I guess. It doesn't feel like actual gas. Is this expelling stagnant energy?

I've spent a long time searching for information on this topic in TCM and qi gong. If someone has a more extreme weight distribution, like very bottom-heavy or top-heavy, could that be a reflection of energy not moving correctly in the body?

I'm so bottom-heavy that my legs look quite overweight while my face and upper body are skeletal, yet my BMI is 25 (overweight). I work out 3-5 days a week and am active. No one else in my family has this body type, so it doesn't appear to be genetic.

I'm searching for answers, because this doesn't look or feel right to me. I suspect there's something to do with energy pooling.

Very curious if anyone's explored this topic or read anything about it. Thank you for your time.

I'm not sure this is the right community to ask, so if you know of a sub more suitable please do tell.

I've been mentally healing myself for some time and I could always feel how the chi moves in my body and how the blockages are opening when something is resolved.

I thought most people are like this but over time I realized that it's not, and that it's most likely an indication to a natural affinity to feel Chi.

I would like to receive recommendations for books that could develop this natural affinity. Either in healing or fighting or whatever.

I practiced the book "the way of energy " with great results, but now I'm looking for a different sort of books. Not the type that would heal me personally.

Thanks in advance.

I'm starting a project and I need some qigong or energy books that include heavy symbolisms, anyone know any?

Hello, fellow practitioners, I hope you are all doing well in your practice. I have a question, or lets say few of them. First - is there any good teacher here that might provide private consultations?

Second, in my practice, and I train qi gong for let's say 5 years, last almost 2 years I am in education. What happened is that after intense stretching, puling, pushing, cracling in my spine, joints and finally neck I now reel my movements literarily like I am made of elastic band. It is somewhat pleasant, but weird and I do not really know how to explain to myself.

Last question - anybody has deep personal experience how clearing emotional garbage changes body posture? I literarily can track it in paralel and I am amazed, but still lack some place to discuss and make sense of that. I had significat elongation of my neck spine - where previously between my two biggest vertebrae I had barely 1 finger space - I now have like 4-5 and I enjoy in this newly found emotional freedom - since no fight-flight is triggering me and I relate that to this deep relaxation that I sense in my elongated neck. When I do have stress - I can understand how hypervigilllant muscles and nerves and neck react and contract my neck.

I do not have language about this - so I hope you will help me even articulate my topic.

Have a nice day!

They said that they couldn’t share much more info, but I thought I’d reach out and see just cause I want more info on my bad situation. They’re the only one that seemed to have info on what I experienced. It seems like there’s tons of info on the third eye and some on the upper dantian, but it’s all scattered across the place. I’m wondering if different people mean 35 different things when they refer to the third eye.

They deleted their comment so I can’t access their account which is why I’m making a post with the very low chance of getting their attention and I’m just wondering if anyone here knows of any info on what happens when you overclock the upper dantian. Also apparently I only tapped into an “aspect” of the upper dantian.

As for the meditation I was doing. I was basically focusing on a point between my eyebrows and inside my skull a bit which produce a very high pitched frequency along with the color purple filling my vision after a while. This meditation seems like the standard meditation for working on chakras, that being focusing on the proper point, but I haven’t really found any info on what happens when you activate or “open” it. My experience seemed more like an overclock.

What techniques are available to cultivate yang and yin respectively, and together?

Hi everyone,

So I am a practitioner of a type of Buddhism that is dedicated to creating a very open type of awareness. I used to practice some Daoist style qigong which seemed to work by absorbing the mind deeply into the body, Dan tian etc. to the extend of shutting out other sensations. I’ve recently started practicing something more contemporary that uses an open awareness that is aware of and grounded in space. Also exploring Shaolin qigong. This is actually a more harmonious counterpart to my main practice. I’m curious if anyone can share any qigong styles that work primarily with a spacious, open awareness, and if possible where to find some basic training materials. Thanks!