Can you teach yourself qigong

They look like they want to fight me! Relax your face! The intermediate phase of learning qi gong: It gets tough here guys because the progress is incredible but it is not like you get hit with lightening or something. I hit this phase twice and abandoned practice because I felt I hit a ceiling. It took a conversation in China with a venerated teacher to comprehend a bit of my foolishness and see what I was supposed to be doing.

In the intermediate phase many practitioners can:. So what should you be doing while learning qigong in the intermediate phase that I was not doing? You should be trying to extend the benefits of your practice to your entire life.

Sounds hippie-ish, right? Let me give you some concrete examples:. Tip for Qigong Intermediates : Keep practicing and spread the benefits of your wellness to other areas of your life. The greatest advice I can give you is to use the first few minutes after your set to plan your day. You will be thinking clearly and choosing activities that are really important without the fear-thinking or negative-thinking that may have you avoiding what you know you need to do.

If you do not meditate, consider learning a sitting meditation set like the Micro-Cosmic Orbit because at this point you will be able to experience some of the internal development they teach. How does an advanced practitioner continue to learn qigong? My friends, we have hit the end of my current journey but I can share what I am experiencing and what top experts Qigong medical practitioners say is the next level.

At the point that your energy is consistent and strong, you have the ability to positively affect others. Parents and grandparents are one example whose presence is strong due to the love and connection. But what about strangers? Can we get there? In discussions with doctors at a Chinese medical academy in my town, they shared it is healing others with your energy.

Wherever you are with your health and development, hopefully you see that the best way to learn qigong might be on your own and the best place to learn qigong might be at home! Up past where most of us culturally would have conceived of as even being possible before the science arrived to back it up.

Luckily we are at a place in time where technology makes it accessible and enables knowledgeable teachers to share. Skip to content. Check out the books we recommend Progress is possible from continued learning. Find out how. Here is where the hard part comes in: Anyone can learn qigong at home without a teacher as long as they find a course that has: Expert, experienced instructors A routine that is taught in segments and built upon, not all at once Written or video explanations A way to ask the instructor questions Great explanation of the movements with video examples from different angles Great progress usually demands 1 a great teacher and 2 an explanation of what progress looks and feels like so that we have a tangible sense of what changes are taking place.

This will stretch your legs and lower body. The cross-legged posture. Sit upright and cross your legs. Rest your hands in front of your stomach. This will help stretch your legs and relax you. Part 3. Learn about Qigong. Qigong is an ancient Chinese exercise and health system that uses physical exercise, breathing, and mental techniques to promote overall health.

Qigong dates back to at least BCE, and probably before. Over the last years, it has developed into a complete wellness regimen with a variety of derivations and practices. Qigong not only improves physical health but mental and spiritual as well, as it can reduce stress and increase your ability to focus mentally. Familiarize yourself with how you will practice Qigong. After learning about Qigong, you need to know exactly what Qigong practice entails. This will enable you to prepare for practice and to better commit yourself to the comprehensive health program that Qigong represents.

Know that when you practice Qigong, you will: Practice breathing techniques. Practice different postures. Engage yourself in guided imagery. This guided imagery will help you focus and help you put your mind on the goals you want to complete in life. Practicing Qigong could take as little as 30 minutes a day or much longer. Determine if Qigong is right for you. After you've learned about Qigong and know what it entails, you should think about whether Qigong is right for you.

In order to figure this out, you need to think about your goals and what you want to accomplish with Qigong or in your life in general. Think about the following: Are you solely interested in physical improvement? If so, Qigong might not be able to help you build substantial muscle tone or bulk up. However, it could be a great supplement for a larger exercise and weight-training regimen.

Do you have the time to practice Qigong? While you can practice Qigong in as little as 30 minutes a day, you'll have to commit a decent amount of time to really understand and perfect your form and figure out how to meditate if you have no previous experience.

In addition, Qigong has its best results if you commit to practicing it over the long-term — for years. Do you have patience? One of the most important things in determining if Qigong is right for you is your level of patience. With Qigong, results don't come instantaneously. Instead, you'll have to concentrate, focus, and practice in order to see results.

While some results might come quickly such as a feeling of relaxation after meditation , overall results will require work. Find a teacher. Seek out a skilled teacher—someone who can train you on a full system. While you can learn and succeed at Qigong, teachers are extremely helpful in making sure you are perfecting certain techniques and have the knowledge to advance and master new forms. The best teachers are those who strongly encourage individual practice.

They should also be able to offer exercises and meditations to develop the right state on being mentally and otherwise. What you want to avoid is someone who just has a form to show you, or even a few forms. Forms are just one piece of the whole and many are of limited use unless you've done the exercises to support them. Additionally, if the teacher spends too much time speaking about grand theory or what the form will eventually do for you, this is a negative mark.

The focus should be on the practice and where you are at now. Theory is good, but avoid those who rely too heavily on words. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Related wikiHows How to. How to. Expert Interview. More References 4. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: September 17, Categories: Meditation. Article Summary X Qigong is a popular Chinese form of mindfulness and exercise that can help you relax, focus your mind, and live a more spiritual life.

In other languages Deutsch: Qigong praktizieren. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 87, times. It has certainly helped me decide. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy.

Misha Maria Mar 21, In fact, more than 50 percent of the people who begin tai chi and qigong practice in China do so after the age of 60, when the realities of aging can no longer be ignored. Energy Arts practices are among the few proven methods that teach you how to heal the root cause of stress—over-burdened, taut and weak nerves. Learning how to progressively relax your nervous system will allow your chi to flow strongly and abundantly. Few Westerners have ever experienced deep relaxation.

They are psychologically unprepared for the fact that relaxation can become a norm in life rather than an aberration b ecause they feel stressed most of the time. It is even more difficult for people to realize that the more relaxed they are the more energy, stamina, awareness, clarity and strength they will have. Modern science is finding ways to extend the human lifespan, but who would wish to live longer without quality of life?

Energetic fitness through learning qigong enables the progressive release of tension and anxiety so that relaxation becomes a living reality, and you can open to the joy inside you.

This principle is at the core of all Energy Arts teachings. Taoist chi practices such as qigong and tai chi are miracle health practices, renowned for improving health and releasing pain in hundreds of millions of people.

Learning qigong and other energy arts practices teachs you how to:. When you start to learn qigong it is important that you first build a solid energetic foundation. In general, you first learn a specific internal component such as breathing techniques by itself, then you put it into a qigong move.

So, you might learn how to breathe with your belly and extend your breath. Then, the next step is to practice a qigong move while you breathe with your belly and extend your breath.

This is the starting point and method of learning to integrate all the internal components into your qigong, tai chi or internal martial arts practice. Then, you put aside what you have learned and repeat the process with another technique or component.

Once you have mastered both individually, only then do you combine the two internal movements into the qigong set. This is the principle of separate and combine. In this way, you prepare your body to do more with no strain or effort. Five of the six qigong sets we teach are linked to the five elements in the Chinese system: Wood, Fire, Water, Metal and Earth. As you learn qigong sets, you will also learn how the energies of the Five Elements flow through the human body.