Wellness

What Is Qigong? A Beginner’s Guide to This Energetic Movement Practice

Lauren Bedosky
By Medically Reviewed by 
Reviewed:
Medically Reviewed
What do Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods have in common? They’re both fans of an ancient mind-body practice known as qigong (pronounced “chee-gong”).

The term “qigong” is a combination of two words: "qi," which means “subtle breath” or “vital energy,” and "gong," which translates to “skill cultivated through steady practice.”

Together, the words describe an age-old practice that harnesses the power of breath, movement, and intention setting to create health and balance within the body.

Read on to learn what qigong is, where it came from, its potential health and wellness benefits, and how to begin a practice.

History of Qigong

As a foundational component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), qigong dates back thousands of years and was first documented in Daoist (Taoist) writings around A.D. 600, though the term “qigong” we use today wasn’t formalized until the 1950s.

“Qigong is the deepest root of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as traditional Chinese martial art,” says Chris Bouguyon, a co-founder of SimplyAware Wellness and Training Center in Richardson, Texas, the president of the National Qigong Association (NQA), and a certified medical qigong therapist who specializes in trauma.

Most forms of qigong originated from Daoist practices focused on cultivating and maintaining personal health.

(Daoism is a religious and philosophical tradition that has been part of Chinese culture for more than 2,000 years.)

Included in those practices were exercises made up of postures, breathwork, and intention setting. The exercises initially mimicked the movements of animals and then evolved as people gained a deeper understanding of human anatomy and physiology.

“One of the earliest forms of qigong that we have knowledge of is the Five Animal Frolics,” Bouguyon says. After a day of labor, field workers would perform gentle movements to help ease tension in their bodies. They settled on the movements by observing the nearby animals and imitating their motions. Eventually, the practice evolved into an understanding of the TCM concept of meridians, or energy channels, within the body, according to Bouguyon.

Tai chi, a later practice that emerged from qigong, is slightly different in its roots. “Tai chi is the great-grandson to qigong,” Bouguyon says. Tai chi originated as a martial art, but modern forms tend to focus more on health and rehabilitation.

Today, people around the world turn to qigong and later iterations like tai chi for health, spiritual, and wellness benefits.

How Qigong Works

Qigong follows traditional Chinese medicine principles, which claim that qi flows through our bodies. According to TCM, people tend to feel their best when qi travels freely, but health problems can crop up if the energy becomes stagnant or blocked in a certain area of the body. Through simple poses and patterned breathwork, qigong is believed to remove obstacles to promote a healthy flow of qi.


Beginners first learn how to coordinate physical movements with breath through the repeated practice of exercises. Once they achieve proper form, students work on turning those exercises into moving meditation, or finding the change in energy within the postures, movements, breathing patterns, and transitions.

It may sound simple, but there’s a lot happening within the body and mind during a qigong practice.

For starters, the slow, gentle movements are believed to warm up your tendons, ligaments, and muscles; mobilize the joints; and promote the circulation of body fluids (like blood, synovial, and lymph).

Meanwhile, deep breathing, which plays a central role in qigong, calms the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system and activates the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) side of your autonomic nervous system, Bouguyon says. The autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary processes like breathing, heartbeat, and digestion.

By tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system, qigong can help reduce stress and anxiety, which has many implications for health. “Qigong offers the beautiful gift of working to quiet the mind, settle the emotions, and relax into the body,” Bouguyon says.

From the traditional Chinese medicine perspective, qigong optimizes the flow of energy in your body to help mitigate or attend to any number of conditions.

Take constipation, for example. It can be thought of in relation to the spleen, which regulates the primary digestive process in traditional Chinese medical thought, says Bernard Shannon, a doctor of TCM, the chair of the NQA, and the founder of the International Medical Qigong College in Bradyville, Tennessee. (Shannon notes that the spleen is similar to but conceptualized differently than the conventional medical understanding of the physical organ.)

As he explains, constipation often has one of two causes, according to TCM yin-yang theory, which looks at illness as an imbalance of yin energy (conceptualized as cold, soft, and passive) and yang energy (conceptualized as warm, hard, and active).

“If you have a yin deficiency, there’s not enough moisture, and so you’re constipated because it’s too dry. If there’s too much yin, it becomes stagnant and can’t move forward. It’s kind of like quicksand — you take a step forward, and it slides back,” Shannon says. (This is one view of constipation from TCM. Other theories and schools of thought that involve qi, blood, and other patterns share similarities to the yin-yang theory but have different approaches.)

A practitioner who specializes in using qigong for health purposes, like a licensed acupuncturist and TCM practitioner who also offers qigong, will help you determine potential qigong postures to help move more of that energy toward your spleen to relieve constipation, according to Shannon.

Qigong instruction isn’t regulated by the federal government,

so do your research before consulting a practitioner. Many national and international qigong organizations offer training, certifications, and industry standards. You can find qualified qigong practitioners through the Red Thread International Qigong Institute, the International Medical Qigong College, and the NQA. It’s also essential to work in an integrative way with your primary doctor to make sure you are evaluating any symptoms and concerns via a conventional medical perspective alongside your visits with an acupuncturist and qigong practitioner.

Types of Qigong

There are likely thousands of qigong styles. However, each style has three components: breath, movement, and intention. “Within that, there are different ways that qigong can be used for one’s benefit,” Bouguyon says.

To avoid confusion, the Red Thread International Qigong Institute groups the many qigong styles into three basic categories.

Health and Medical Qigong

This category encompasses qigong styles that seek to boost overall health and well-being. Health qigong is the most widely available form of the practice today and is usually taught in group classes or one-on-one sessions. Medical qigong is the use of qigong to improve a disease or medical issue. This style should only be done under the direction of a trained and qualified medical qigong practitioner.

A less common form that is more of an alternative and fringe approach to medical qigong is known as external qigong, or qi emission, in which a qigong practitioner emits their qi to heal others.

This treatment is usually paired with prescribed qigong exercises for the patient to perform on their own.

Martial Qigong

This category includes practices that develop strength, agility, and endurance to improve your defensive and offensive martial skills.

Tai chi is one such practice.

Spiritual Qigong

This category is primarily focused on self-cultivation and awareness through spiritual practices. These types of qigong often use mantras, mudras (hand positions), seated meditations, and prayers.

Possible Health Benefits of Qigong

Like other mind-body practices, qigong offers a long list of potential physiological benefits. Here are a few notable ways that starting a qigong practice may help improve your health and wellness overall.

Lowers Blood Pressure

The deep breathing, meditation, and relaxation components of qigong may benefit your heart health.

One review and meta-analysis of seven studies (of 370 participants total) suggests that qigong may help reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or hypertension.

Together, systolic and diastolic blood pressure indicate how much pressure your heart exerts with every beat and at rest.

In one study included in the review, the blood-pressure-lowering effect of qigong was similar to that of a conventional exercise routine. The authors theorize that qigong’s benefits to the heart may be partly thanks to the repetitive movements, which boost blood flow and improve organ function, yet more studies would be needed to fully understand how qigong helps.

But while authors say that qigong may be used as a complementary therapy for hypertension, more studies with more people are needed to confirm the beneficial effects across various and larger groups.

Eases Pain from Knee Osteoarthritis

The gentle movements in qigong may help ease pain from joint conditions like wear-and-tear knee osteoarthritis, a condition in which the cartilage in the knee joint gradually deteriorates, due to overuse, injury, or both.

For example, clinical practice guidelines published in 2017 by the Ottawa Panel — an international group of research-method experts who provide evidence-based direction — recommend the tai chi style of qigong to boost quality of life, lower pain, and improve function in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Similarly, a review of seven studies (of 424 participants total) found that qigong improved knee osteoarthritis pain, stiffness, and physical function more than a control group or health education program. However, researchers warn that the evidence is weak, as only three of the studies were adequately designed. Therefore, more high-quality studies in people with knee osteoarthritis are needed.

Improves Well-Being in People With Cancer

Complementary therapies like qigong are often used to help people with cancer cope with the side effects and stress of cancer treatment.

A systematic review that included 22 studies of 1,751 people with various cancers found that qigong significantly improved psychological and physical symptoms related to cancer and cancer treatment. Still, the authors say that future research is needed to further verify these benefits.

Meanwhile, a randomized, controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of medical qigong compared with usual care in improving quality of life in 162 patients with breast cancer. Patients who took part in a medical qigong program twice a week for 10 weeks reported greater improvements in their quality of life than patients who received only usual care. Specifically, patients saw a greater reduction in tension, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. The authors' potential explanation is that qigong’s effectiveness is due to the stress-reducing benefits of deep breathing and the mood-boosting effects of movement and exercise.

Qigong Safety and Side Effects

Much research indicates that there are no commonly seen negative effects in people practicing qigong. However, there is limited research on the safety of qigong during pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women should check with their healthcare provider before starting a qigong practice.

In addition, “because the poses are standing, people with poor balance should be aware of fall risk,” says Yufang Lin, MD, an integrative medicine physician with the Center for Integrative Medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

There may also be risks to relying on videos for qigong instruction. For example, if you’re using qigong to help heal a physical injury, you may push too hard when practicing on your own and potentially make the injury worse. “It’s always best to take a class from a teacher who has the ability to check your posture and make sure you’re doing the exercises safely,” Dr. Lin says.

Still, online classes may help supplement your in-person practice, Bouguyon notes.

It’s also essential to work with a qualified medical qigong practitioner when using qigong as a complementary therapy for a medical condition. Medical qigong is a highly specialized practice that requires significant training to be able to provide exercises tailored to your particular diagnosis.

Who Should Potentially Try (or Avoid) Qigong

Overall, qigong is generally believed to be a safe and gentle practice that helps engage the parasympathetic side of your autonomic nervous system, which can lower stress and blood pressure, according to Bouguyon. Qigong also boosts circulation and introduces gentle movement to the muscles and joints.

Therefore, qigong may be a worthwhile practice for almost anyone seeking health and wellness benefits.

Risks during qigong may come from working with an inexperienced instructor with limited training or trying to push beyond your body’s boundaries. People using qigong as a complementary therapy for a medical condition should be especially picky when choosing a qigong practitioner. Use directories offered by the Red Thread International Qigong Institute, the International Medical Qigong College, and the NQA to help you find a qualified medical qigong practitioner.

To be safe, pregnant women and anyone with a chronic medical condition that could have restrictions on certain exercises and body movements should check with their healthcare provider before starting a qigong practice.

Tips for Getting Started With Qigong

Thanks to its ever-growing popularity, there are many options for trying qigong. Here are a few tips for beginning your practice.

Define Your Goals

“Identifying why you want to try qigong will help inform what type of practice is best for you,” says Michael Sweeney, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, a doctor of medical qigong, the deputy chair of the NQA, and the director of academics at the Red Thread International Qigong Institute in Carbondale, Colorado.

If you’re interested in becoming stronger, faster, and more agile, you may want to check out martial forms of qigong. If you’re simply looking for general health benefits, aim for wellness-focused classes in your area. Intrigued by the spiritual side of qigong? Opt for classes that advertise a spiritual practice. And if you want to see how qigong might improve a chronic or acute condition, search for a qualified medical qigong practitioner and have a discussion with your primary care or integrative medicine provider.

Verify the Credentials of Your Teacher

Once you find an online or in-person qigong class you’d like to try, take a peek at the instructor’s credentials.

“Qigong is exploding in popularity right now, and in this day and age, it’s becoming more and more difficult to separate celebrity status from actual authority,” Sweeney says.

On that note, if someone claims to practice medical qigong, ensure that they’ve had traditional Chinese medical training. This may not be as critical if you’re taking qigong for general health, wellness, and fitness, but it may lead to a better experience overall.

“There can be a significant difference in the capabilities and knowledge of a teacher with 100 hours of training and someone with thousands of hours of training experience,” Sweeney notes.

Be Open to the Practice

Lin recommends going into your qigong sessions with curiosity and an open mind. Observe any sensations and changes you experience throughout the practice and be prepared to ask questions.

“Learn about the postures, practice them at home [as recommended by your teacher], and know that it will take time to become comfortable with the postures and breathing patterns,” Lin says.

What to Expect Before, During, and After Qigong

Your experience with qigong can vary greatly depending on the style, instructor, and purpose of use. A medical qigong session, for example, can be done in a clinical setting.

Qigong classes for general health and wellness are offered in community centers, martial arts studios, and some fitness centers, Yin says.

At Bouguyon’s training center, instructors begin a typical class with a discussion of one of the eight foundational principles of qigong as Bouguyon has interpreted them over years of his own practice. “Basically, it gives students a point of focus for the class,” he says.

For example, Bouguyon teaches a principle he refers to as “minding the breath,” which is essentially learning to manage and maximize inhales and exhales during practice. Another principle concerns finding healthy boundaries within the movements to open the joints and increase circulation, without overreaching in the body. Each principle is designed to deepen your understanding of qigong. After a discussion of a specific principle, the instructor leads the class through a set of slow, gentle movements, offering feedback and corrections as needed.

Other qigong instructors and classes may have their own approach.

When done for general health and well-being, the effects of qigong are, for many, immediately noticeable.

“After class, I would say the majority of students feel relaxed but energized,” Bouguyon says. This mellow but uplifted state is generally due to qigong’s focus on the breath. “Any time you do deep-breathing work for 20 minutes or more, hormones are released in the body that relax the muscles and open up the blood vessels to increase deep tissue circulation,” he believes.

However, benefits also may increase with repetition. “Over time, you should [in general] see improvement in strength, balance, and flexibility, and also a greater state of calm and overall reduced stress response,” Lin says.

If you’re using qigong for a medical purpose, such as injury recovery or pain or symptom management, it may take longer to see significant improvements. “Generally, the more acute the condition, the quicker the results. The more chronic the condition, the longer it may take to see results,” Sweeney says.

How long it takes to feel results will ultimately depend on the condition being addressed, how often you practice qigong, how knowledgeable your practitioner is, and what other medications or therapies you’re using as part of an integrative healthcare plan, approved by your doctor.

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