Visualizing and Energy in both Dynamic and Static Qigong Practice

“I have come to believe that the visualizations are the most important part of Qigong.” From Heal Yourself With Qigong by Suzanne Friedman

Qigong is performed in two ways, dynamic and static. Static means no motion. Dynamic refers to motion. When performing dynamic qigong, the movement of the body and the appendages are obviously important but perhaps the beginner does not comprehend the importance of the inner movement. To get the most out of your practice it is imperative to comprehend and utilize the teaching of “the Qi follows the Yi” which means the energy follows the mind/intent.

TCM (Tradition Chinese Medicine) states that all disease can be traced back to stagnant or blocked qi circulation. It will be easy for a westerner to relate this qi flow concept to blood circulation. Just think what would happen if you developed a partial clot within your circulatory system? Or what would happen if blood stopped flowing to your index finger? Nothing good right?

So one of the concepts that the above quote by Friedman relates to is, the practitioner should learn to flow their intent throughout the body. I teach my students to think of a golden ball of energy flowing along specific paths within the body (macrocosmic and microcosmic orbits as well as others). This is a visualization technique that will result in the qi following along the same path as the energy ball. This in turn will clean out the energetic system just as a pipe cleaner does when pushed through a pipe. (Important note - One should never force energy to push through any perceived blockage)

Meditative visualization during static qigong can also be used effectively as a co-factor for stress reduction as well as emotional and mental balance. What most people don’t realize is that emotions are not just a mental concept.

Emotions have both energetic and physical properties as well. E-motion = energy in motion. An example is when certain people get angry they will yell, scream, punch a wall or throw something. This is one way to discharge unwanted energy from your system.

If on the other hand you swallow that energy and bury it inside then you have the start of a problem because people are habitual. Meaning that you will probably continue the eating of negative energy only to find that one day an organ like your liver or gallbladder blows up, as according to Five Element Theory, certain energies are held within certain organs of the body.

Physically, the energy of emotions actually manifest within the body as specific protein peptides produced by the hypothalamus gland. These protein peptides are then circulated throughout the body and cells that have the proper interceptor will allow the peptide to connect to it in a lock and key type fashion. This is why one can feel “angry to the bone.” The important thing to understand here is that the more you internalize specific emotions, the more customized receptor cells the body produces (because you have created a need for them) and you end up craving that specific emotion and will subconsciously promote activities or circumstances that result in the production of those certain peptides. That’s why there are adrenaline junkies and drama queens.  These people are just feeding themselves what they crave.

Balance is the key. Creating a harmonized physical, emotional, mental and spiritual existence is one of the primary goals of an intelligent internal arts qigong practice.

Qigong teaches us to relax and balance our bodies, establish our root and clear our minds. When we can accomplish this within the framework of a practice session we soon find that we take the same lessons out into the real world. We find ourselves less stressed, happier or at least more content with the way things are and we are much less likely to loose our balance emotionally, mentally and yes, physically. This is a long term, healthy and pro-active approach to taking care of yourself as opposed to popping a pill every time you get frustrated, angry or have an anxiety attack.


(Note – I have just touched on a few of the benefits attached to the energy work and visualization techniques of qigong. A complete list of benefits is beyond the scope of this blog)

Part 3 to follow