I can see students going through the motions when doing qigong. They mimic the forms as best they can. Breathing deeply and completely when reminded. Earnest in their quest to learn.

We finish the set without any recognition of Qi. Why?

Qi is everywhere but they cannot feel it! Why?

Does a fish know that it is swimming in water?

The vast majority of people have never been exposed to the stillness, to the interior that is within every one of us. Instead they live totally engaged with the exterior, in full alliance with the five thieves of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

The Tao chapter 12:

The five colours blind the eye.

The five tones deafen the ear.

The five flavours dull the taste

Racing and hunting madden the mind.

Precious things lead one astray.

Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees.

He lets go of that and chooses this.

There is another world to be explored but one must first have an inclination that this interior world exists and also have the curiosity to search for it.

The teacher can speak of this subtle place and can share his map, but it’s the student that must walk there alone.

So, recognize the five thieves for what they are,

and realize that there is nothing to be done.

Tao chapter 38:

The master does nothing

Yet nothing is left undone