There are two extreme points of view about the dangers of qigong practice that you may encounter as you look into this topic. Those who say that qigong is completely safe and there is absolutely no way that it could possibly harm you, and those who say it is extremely dangerous and should not be attempted without close expert supervision – if at all. As with most things in life, the truth falls somewhere in between, although considerably closer to the completely safe end of the spectrum than the extremely dangerous end.
In terms of comparable activities, I would say that practicing qigong is about as dangerous as going for a walk in the park – in some cases even safer. Going for a walk in the park is generally going to be healthy for most people, and is safe enough that it can be recommended without qualification or specific warnings. So you can see how some people would get the idea that there is no way that qigong could possibly harm you – but every activity has some risk attached to it, even going for a walk in the park, or qigong! And if you are going to go deep into any activity, it is well worth being aware of what those risks are so that you can avoid being one of the very few people that they affect, and know how to handle them if you ever do encounter them for yourself or others around you.
Brief Description of Qigong
If you are very new to qigong, you may not yet have a clear idea of what it is that we are describing when we use this term. So I will begin with a brief description of what qigong is, before going on to examine some of the possible dangers from its practice, as well as some tips to avoid those dangers.
Qi means energy, and gong means work or skill. So when we practice qigong we are working with our energy to develop skill with it. In practical terms this means using our mind, body, and breath together to tune into the natural functions of our bodies and influence them so that they come into balance – bringing health and vitality! For the most common qigong practices this will involve gentle movements combined with deep slow breathing while paying attention to the subtle sensations inside your body. You can see why it is generally so safe!
Working with qi or energy is a broad topic though, with many different types of practice, some of which go well beyond this simple description. If you want a more detailed description of what qigong is, there is a complete article on that here. There is also another article that you may find interesting about what this qi energy we talk about is, that you can find here.
How Can Qigong Possibly Be Dangerous?
From our description of qigong, you may be wondering just how such a simple and gentle practice could possibly be dangerous. Well… if something actually has an effect, no matter how gentle that effect is, there is potential for that effect to be either beneficial or detrimental. And qigong definitely has effects! You can read about some of the many positive beneficial effects of qigong here, so by definition there must also be some potential for harm.
If we refer to our initial comparison of the safety of qigong to walking, then you will get an idea of how this can occur. If someone has an existing injury to their foot or leg, walking could make it worse. If someone decides they are super keen on walking and set out to walk marathon distances straight away when they are only just starting – there are all sorts of dangers they could encounter, blisters on their feet being some of the most mild, right up to dehydration and death. If someone goes walking and wanders into a dangerous neighbourhood as part of their walk – well there are dangers there too. It is not so much that the walking itself is so dangerous, but there are unusual and extreme cases where dangers may result. And so it is with qigong.
I will refer to this analogy of walking from time to time in the rest of this article, if for no other reason that to add a little humour to what can be a serious subject.
Contraindications and General Precautions for Practicing Qigong
Qigong is generally considered so safe that there is really only one main contraindication for qigong practice, and that is if someone has a history of any kind of psychotic disorder. And even this is not a blanket restriction, but rather a situation which requires extra caution and supervision from skilled medical professionals. This contraindication arises from two things. One is that when we practice qigong and start to get our energy flowing more strongly and freely we sometimes experience some strange sensations in our bodies. These sensations are completely natural, but because they are unusual they have the potential to feed into any existing tendency to delusional thinking, making it even worse. Also, as that energy starts to move more freely, it will flow to every part of the body including the brain. If the chemistry of the brain is already out of balance, this can have a harmful effect. It can also have a very beneficial effect as well, so for almost all people there is no great danger from this, but for those with a pre-existing condition they need extra supervision to monitor how conditions either improve or deteriorate as they practice.
Other sensible precautions include not practicing if a sickness of injury make it unwise to do so. Again this is not a complete restriction, but simply a caution. Often practice can continue, sometimes with modifications to avoid aggravating any existing condition. There is a complete article on how you can decide for yourself whether it is a good idea for you to practice qigong or not, which you can read here.
Pregnancy is another condition which may require modification of some qigong practices, so it is always best to consult with a skilled qigong teacher if you are in that situation to make sure that they practices you choose to do during that time are appropriate for your condition, and as far as contraindications and precautions go, that is about it!
Other precautions that are sometimes mentioned are really more along the lines of common sense. Make sure you dress warmly enough for the conditions, don’t practice in a draft or breeze, don’t practice in direct sunlight when it is very hot, don’t practice immediately after eating a large meal, don’t combine qigong practice with recreational drug use… that sort of thing.
What Are the Dangers of Qigong Practice?
Ok, so we are finally going to examine some of the more common dangers that can come from qigong practice. These dangers fall into two basic categories: physical injury and qi deviation. What a physical injury is should be self explanatory, but you may not be so familiar with the term ‘qi deviation’
Qi deviation refers to any unnatural or unhealthy pattern in the flow of energy through the body. The five main types of qi deviation are:
- Energy flowing in the wrong direction or outside of its normal path
- Energy becoming stagnant or blocked in areas of the body
- Excessive leakage or loss of energy
- Unhealthy energy entering the body
- Derangement or psychosis
The symptoms of these deviations can include things like dizziness, constricted breathing, tremors and twitches, localized pain, heaviness, soreness, distention, excessive weakness or tiredness, insomnia, loss of memory, sensations of excessive heat or cold, and of course delusion.
It is the last of these types of deviation that is the most extreme and has attracted the most attention. It is this that is most commonly referred to as ‘qi sickness’, or other names such as dragon sickness or qi psychosis. It is definitely a real thing, but incredibly rare and easily avoided by anyone who does not have a pre-existing history of such conditions.
Whether the deviation is major or minor, the way that they occur is as follows. Our energy has natural healthy patterns of flow. When we practice qigong we seek to balance and strengthen these natural patterns so that the energy will flow more freely and abundantly within us to bring us health and vitality. So, if within our practice we are indeed having an effect on this energy and how it flows, there is of course some possibility that we will affect it in a way that is unhealthy for us instead of healthy. We could cause our energy to flow outside of its natural pattern instead of with it. We could also build up too much energy in a part of the body, instead of the right healthy amount, and if we do not know how to cause the excess energy to drain away, this could cause problems, and so on.
Fortunately, for most people there is very little chance of a qi deviation occurring, as your energy will naturally want to flow in its natural pattern, and it will usually take a very strong stimulus to make it go outside of or against this. As a beginner it is simply unlikely that you will have that strong of an effect on your energy – even if you do the wrong thing. And with a few simple guidelines, which we will discuss later in this article, these possible qi deviations can usually be completely avoided even as you advance in your practice.
These kinds of problems with the energy can and do also occur sometimes as a result of different illnesses and injuries, quite outside of any qigong practice, so we should not immediately attribute any of the symptoms and conditions described above to being the result of qigong practice. In fact appropriate qigong practice is often excellent for correcting qi deviations when they do occur, but this should definitely be done with the advice and guidance of a skilled qigong teacher as there is a big difference between practicing qigong for general health and practicing qigong to remedy a specific condition.
What Causes These Dangers in Qigong?
In this section we will look at the main three factors that can lead to these dangers in qigong. This will help you to identify mistakes to avoid in your own qigong practice.
1. Obsessive Qigong Practice
As has been mentioned above, even something as simple and healthy as going for a walk can be harmful to you if you go about it in an obsessive way. Its an easy enough mentality to fall into – but if a little bit is good, more is not always better. This applies especially when you are new to any activity, and haven’t had time to learn the nuances of it and adjust to its effects. Any minor imperfections in how you are performing your practice will be magnified simply by doing so much of it. Just because going for a walk is healthy for you, it doesn’t mean you should go out and train for an Olympic walking race straight away…
This kind of mentality will also often lead people to ignoring warning signs from their body, thinking that the solution is to ‘power through’, or even misinterpreting signals of strain as something positive, which is kind of ironic as one of the main principles of qigong is to tune into and listen to your body.
This also applies not only to the physical movements of qigong, but also to the process of directing the energy. If you decide to enthusiastically ‘make’ your energy go where you think it should go, you run the risk of forcing it to go in the wrong direction, or to the wrong place, especially if you do not yet understand how the natural flows should function. When beginning qigong practice and specifically working with your energy, you should always start by simply noticing what is happening with your energy, observing first before trying to intervene. When you start to guide it, you should do so gently. If it doesn’t want to go where you think it should, maybe there is a good reason, you should never force it.
If you take a gentle observant approach to your qigong, it is highly unlikely that this will lead to any physical or energetic problems, as if any signs of discomfort arise, you will be able to pay attention to them and avoid this leading to a significant issue. Mild discomfort may occur sometimes, as blockages clear and flows open up, but should usually resolve by themselves quite quickly after practice. If discomfort is more than mild or persists, you may need to take a step back from your practice and either go gently or seek advice about what you may need to change.
2. Advanced Qigong Practices Without Suitable Preparation and Supervision
Advanced qigong practices are just as they are described – advanced! They should not be done by beginners at all, and not even by more experienced practitioners unless they have had suitable preparation and guidance. Advanced qigong practices include any of the sexual practices, some of the more vigorous martial practices, and some types of spontaneous qigong.
Just because it is quite safe for you to go for a walk in the park in your local neighbourhood, does not mean that it is also safe for you to walk across the bottom of the ocean holding onto a rock! At least not without adequate specialized preparation and safety precautions.
Some qigong practices are definitely much safer than others. Most qigong practices that you will encounter as a beginner, or even as a more advanced practitioner will be very gentle and quite safe to do. But there are practices that work with stronger aspects of the energy, or seek to direct them in more powerful ways. These can easily lead to adverse affects if not approached with respect and wisdom.
Sexual energy’s purpose is to create life! It is no wonder that working with this aspect of our energy can be so powerful. That power can be powerful good, or when directed poorly powerfully bad. Because of the strength of the type of energy you are working with in sexual practices the potential for harm when practiced incorrectly is much greater than for other times of qigong.
Some qigong practices are focused on developing extreme abilities with the body, such as the ability to receive or deliver large amounts of force without injury. In order to do this, the energy is directed through the body in powerful concentrated ways. Generally these practices can be done safely by most people – and there are actually many health benefits that come from this type of practice as well, but they need to be trained in an incremental you. You need to progress step by step, starting very gently and building up gradually so that the body is strengthened little by little to both handle the strong flows of energy and direct them correctly, and also deal with the physical forces involved as well. The potential for injury and deviation from this type of practice is very clear, but can be avoided with a sensible incremental approach to training, and good guidance when needed.
Spontaneous qigong is an interesting type of qigong where the practitioner allows the energy to flow freely and dictate the type of movement that occurs, including the speed and range of motion of the movements. The theory behind this kind of practice is to trust that nature will direct the energy to flow where it needs to in order to bring balance and health. This kind of practice can be very beneficial, but caution is needed for beginners. When the energy starts to flow freely, if there are existing detrimental patterns in the flow, or significant blockages, instead of clearing these the spontaneous practice can actually reinforce them and make them worse! So some preparation is required to ensure that the major flows of energy in the body are already flowing well before commencing this type of practice, and also so that the practitioner has some skill in being aware of their energy and if the flow that is occurring is healthy or harmful. One more gentle version of this type of practice is known as ‘freestyle qigong’ rather than ‘spontaneous qigong’. In freestyle qigong we follow the flow of energy and allow it to go anywhere within the body, but we maintain a level of conscious control of the flow to ensure that it flows smoothly and harmoniously. This is a great form of practice in its own right, and can also be great preparation for someone who wishes to progress on to spontaneous qigong, as it will give them the skills to observe their energy flow and retake conscious control of it more easily to smooth it out if the flow becomes disturbed or too erratic during spontaneous practice.
3. Seeking Wonders
You can truly have some wonderful and some might even say ‘magical’ experiences as a result of your qigong practice. Over time it will open up your perception to a whole new layer of awareness of yourself and the world around you as you become familiar with the flows of energy and develop skill with it. But problems can arise if you go seeking out these experiences rather than just letting them occur naturally. This is because you may not have quite the right idea of what it is that you are seeking, leading you to direct your practice and energy towards something that is not natural or healthy for you, or maybe something that you are not yet ready for.
This often goes hand in hand with some of the other causes of qigong dangers that we have described already. When someone seeks out the unusual or ‘magical’ they will often become obsessive in their pursuit of it. They will often both practice whatever they are doing to extreme lengths, and will ‘force’ their energy to do what they think it should to achieve the unusual rather than allowing it to do what is natural and healthy. They will often also engage in qigong practices that are advanced or too strong for them, sometimes even putting aside cautions not to, because they desire the unusual and ‘magical’ so much.
It is far healthier, and safer, to practice qigong without any expectation of unusual experiences, if they do come – notice them, and take them as part of your ongoing learning and development, but do not expect or seek them.
It should be noted that becoming aware of your own energy and noticing its sensations and patterns should not be considered unusual. This is completely natural and normal, and anyone who practices qigong for a period of time should expect this awareness to develop in due course. To work to tune into your own energy is natural and healthy, and quite different from seeking wonders.
Where Does The Extreme View of Qigong Danger Come From ?
While in this article we are discussing the nature and cause of some of the dangers that can come from qigong practice, it is important to remember that overall practicing qigong is extremely safe, and what dangers there are can be easily avoided with just a little bit of common sense in your approach to practice.
So, if qigong practice is so safe, where do some people come up with the idea of it being very dangerous?
I think there are a few possible sources of this belief. One comes from people who view qigong at its very heart as being something with a ‘supernatural’ purpose, rather than something which is a completely natural part of life. If that is their view of qigong – then they will encounter a far higher incidence of dangers as they immediately fall into the 3rd category of causes mentioned above – seeking wonders. They may do all sorts of strange things to try to achieve their ‘supernatural’ purposes, rather than simply tuning into and harmonizing with the natural processes of their body and the environment around them.
Another source of this view sometimes comes from people who want to restrict access to practices. They warn excessively about dangers from doing things ‘wrong’ so that people will be scared to try things by themselves, and this will keep them dependent on the person doing the ‘warning’ for teaching and guidance. There certainly is a lot of value in having good guidance and advice at every stage of your qigong journey, but there is no need to be fearful of trying things by yourself either. Unless you are wanting to try more advanced practices, or are prone to obsessive practice, then it is highly unlikely that any harm will come to you from trying different general qigong practices.
A last source of this view of qigong practices being very dangerous often comes from those who have very religious beliefs. In a way this is a variation of the first source of this view that has been mentioned. Because they have a predisposition to interpret things ‘religiously’ or in a ‘supernatural’ context in other areas of their lives, there can be a tendency to interpret anything that is unfamiliar and that they don’t understand in a supernatural context. So they can take things that are completely natural – such as simply being aware of and directly the natural flow of energy in your body, and interpret that as something ‘magical’ rather than natural. And if they don’t have a framework to understand that within, they can then interpret that as being against their religious beliefs and therefore ‘bad’ and dangerous.
In my experience, if someone seeks to actually understand the natural phenomena that we work with in qigong, they are not at all difficult to reconcile with almost any form of religious belief, as we are simply working with what is natural within creation – within most religions there is no restriction against that, and in fact to do so is a way to appreciate more deeply the creator who they worship.
Seven Guidelines to Avoid Dangers in Qigong
Even though overall qigong is extremely safe to practice, it is of course wise to do whatever you can to avoid the dangers that do exist, even if they are usually rare. So this section will look at some basic guidelines to help you to practice qigong safely.
1. Build Your Qigong Practice Slowly
Start slowly and gently with your qigong practice. Start with just a few simply exercises and allow yourself to get used to it before going further. This really applies to any new activity. Going slowly will allow your body to adapt, become stronger and more flexible, and prepare it before you ask it to do more. It will also show up any issues you have with new movements, and allow you to address them before practicing them repeatedly causes any problems.
This also applies to your energy. When we work with our energy, it is real work! It takes time for our energy to develop in strength and endurance. Pushing it too hard too quickly is not helpful.
2. Never ‘Force’ Your Energy
Never try to ‘force’ your energy to flow in a particular way that you think it should. It is much wiser to take the attitude of observing first, and then gently leading as appropriate as you begin to learn to direct your energy. This will help to avoid most instances of the energy flowing in ways that may be harmful or stagnating and blocking in the body as a result of practice.
3. Find a Good Teacher
A good and experienced teacher is always helpful on your qigong journey. They can help to guide you so that you understand the practices you are engaging in properly, and help you to avoid common mistakes. They can also be great to receive feedback from if you do encounter any difficulties within your practice, to help you to know how to resolve them and modify your practice if necessary.
This does not mean that you have to have the teacher present at all times, but having someone you can call on for feedback and advice when you need it is very valuable. In our Long White Cloud Qigong courses we have a mechanisms to allow students to ask questions and get feedback when needed, whether that be in a live setting or online.
4. Don’t Seek for Wonders
This is probably the most important guideline I can give you. View your qigong practice as something natural rather than as something supernatural, and you will be much more likely to practice in natural and healthy ways that will be good for you.
5. Take Heed of Good Advice
When your teacher gives you advice, listen to it… Unfortunately those prone to seeking out wonders are also often prone to not listening to advice when it is given. You can avoid a lot of potential issues by just listening to and following good advice when it is given.
6. Don’t Attempt Advanced Practices Without Proper Preparation
Advanced practices are… advanced! There are greater risks associated with them. They can be done safely, but part of that is being properly prepared before you try them, and also having good instruction and even supervision for some of them.
7. If Problems Occur – Stop and Seek Advice
If you do encounter any of the symptoms of qi deviation that were discussed above, or any other problems that you suspect might be related to your practice – stop, and seek advice about how to resolve them. This doesn’t mean that you need to assume the problem is coming from your practice, but if you have found yourself a good teacher from our 4th guideline, they will be able to advise you about whether what you are experiencing is likely to be coming from your qigong practice or something else, and also how you can resolve the issue and avoid it reoccurring in the future.
Conclusion
I hope that you have enjoyed this article about the dangers of qigong practice, and have also enjoyed the walking analogy included in parts of it. I have gone into a fair degree of detail on this topic, because if you are going to inform yourself about possible dangers, you might as well make sure that your understanding is reasonably comprehensive. The vast majority of people will encounter no issues as part of their qigong practice, but if you are one of the few who do, I hope that this article will help you understand how to resolve them and avoid them reoccurring, so that you can continue to practice qigong with confidence and receive the many benefits that regular practice can bring to your life.
38 Comments. Leave new
Yes, Qigong can be perceived as a “magical experience”, when you really connect with yourself for the first time. Or in ways you never have before. Thank you for sharing this valuable information
Small edit needed, you have no. 5 in twice, missing no. 4 towards the end of the article, very interesting reading
Thanks Nuala – fixed now
Great article! Thank you for sharing –
Very helpful and balanced advice.
I have been asked by a liaison worker for a local community health practice if there are any ‘contra-indications’ for Qi Gong being included as a ‘social prescription’.
I wanted to check my own ideas about this and found this piece and others on your site helpful in composing my thoughts.
I’m wondering, are there any dangers – or benefits for that matter – to practicing Qigong in water?
The water can conduct the energy your generate away from you more easily. So… often people won’t feel sensations of external energy as much or as strongly when practicing in water. Care should also be taken to maintain your energy within you and not let it be depleted when practicing in water.
Interesting article, as I’ve been considering taking some Qigong classes lately, but I had a very strange experience with it in the past, so I’m hesitant. I hope you’ll indulge me by letting me ask you about it because it’s puzzled me for 25 years. Basically, in the mid-1990’s, I lived in the U.S. and dated someone who was starting to explore Qigong and Reiki. I’d never even heard of Qigong, but she convinced me to go to a class with her and check it out. Well, less than 2 minutes into the opening exercise, I felt tingly, began sweating, became light-headed, and passed out cold (I’d never fainted in my life until then). While I was out, I had a vivid dream of people dressed in white starting to surround me, then–when the instructor revived me by pressing an area of my foot (reflexology, I guess)–I felt like I was yanked away from these people and back into the classroom, where the instructor, my girlfriend, and the other people in the class were all staring down at me, worried. I was embarrassed and confused about what had happened. I left and never went to another Qigong class again. However, in the weeks, months, and years following that event, I found that I could feel energy in certain environments, such as history museums, antique shops, old buildings, etc. Anywhere there was an enclosed space and old, potentially energy-filled objects, I would start to feel pressure in my head, tingling in my limbs, and, sometimes, nausea. On two occasions in the first year after my experience, I had to leave museums because the sensations were too strong and I thought I was going to pass out again. These sensations have slowly faded over the years, but I still get light pressure in my head and tingling from time to time, particularly when I visit ancient buildings and churches around Europe (where I now live). I know this all sounds nuts. I had no idea what Qigong was until the day I took that class, and I was never a believer in the “magical” (as you put it) or the paranormal or whatever one wishes to call it. All I know is that doing just one exercise of Qigong flipped some sort of switch in me that has never been completely turned off. I didn’t ask for it, it just happened to me. Part of me wants to slowly, carefully begin practicing Qigong and learn more about the energy I felt all those years ago and that still follows me in some form to this day. Another part of me thinks maybe I should leave well enough alone and not go near it again. Can you offer any thoughts on what happened to me and if it would be advisable for me to begin properly practicing Qigong? (Sorry this is so long and weird, but I’ve never had the guts to ask anyone about it before and your article inspired me to finally do so.) Thanks.
Hi Rene
It sounds like there is a disturbance in your energy at Bai Hui – the point at the top of your head that relates to your connection to the energy of heaven. It would be helpful for you to open this point up fully so that your energy can flow through in a balanced way. The Between Heaven and Earth practice which you can find in the free qigong videos here: http://longwhitecloudqigong.com/free-qigong-videos/ can be quite useful for this.
You may also find it helpful to work your way through our free Introduction to Qigong Theory and Practice course to start to develop a good understanding of how qigong practices work. The course also contain several very simple qigong practices that would be good for you to work with: https://academy.longwhitecloudqigong.com/courses/introduction-to-qigong-theory-and-practice
Thank your for the article! I have a problem and I would really appreciate it if you would help me! So, I have for a long time been low in energy. There is an energy imbalance, ups and downs of energy, constant energy changes. Now I am practicing Semen Retention for almost a year consciously but looking backward I practiced it long before that unconciously. I just didn’t release for whatever reason. This can be one of the reasons for the imbalance. To give more information, I meditate for almost 10 years and there was a period where I did this very intensely, like 12 hours a day on retreat. I stopped meditating because it just really exhausted me and I was tired constantly. I tried meditating by just sitting, doing nothing, releasing the effort, but it seems energetically. There always come blockages (pain like pressure or stifness) in between my shoulderblades, shoulders and in my neck. Also the restless feeling, like I have been given an adrenaline-shot. Semen Retention seems like a natural meditation, I am aware of my body, feelings, thoughts and energy without putting in effort. This sometimes results in difficulty to sleep or tremos and body spasms. The spasms occur the most in the toes of my left foot. I can’t do any type of meditation or the spasms increase just as the pressure in my shoulderblades and the stifness in my neck. I practiced the 8 brocades of Qigong, beautiful practice. During this practice I feel good and no pain in my body, but after I often feel tired or too energised. These things I mentioned after meditation will sometimes also come after I did the 8 brocades of Qigong. A friend of mine who also experiences energies, told me that I should learn to lose the excess energy. I agree because I think I become tired because of the excess energy. So can you tell me how to lose the excess energy without becoming tired? And how do I clear the blockages in my shoulderblades, shoulders and neck? Thank you in advance!
I would suggest putting aside all and any qigong practices you are currently doing and just let your energy operate naturally without your conscious intervention. Some practices – in particular practices like semen retention can lead to blockages and disturbances when not practiced correctly or in moderation. I would then suggest focusing on some simple ‘normal’ exercise – walking, running, swimming etc, and eating and sleeping well to activate your energy and normalize its flow.
Try this first – give it a few months to see how things change for you.
Then if you are still having issues it would be best if you can find someone in your area skilled in qigong healing who can give you further assistance if needed.
Thank you for answering my question about practicing in water. In gratitude, Stephanie
Wow this is fascinating, thank you for writing this article its made me realize something. Long story short I had a brief psychosis about 14 years ago, were once it was gone it left me with massive anxiety and I felt less stable in how I felt overall. I was very sick back then, and after about 2-3 years I did a single qigong exercise, where you make a qi ball by clapping your hands and then following it with a hand movement, and it made a magnetic feeling between my hands. It worked and I felt the qi but immediately after the exercise I felt beyond terrible, I was full of anxiety and the first night my head felt like it was frozen (also hard to think any thoughts) and my left eye felt like it had a shocking sensation in it and felt pretty bad. It took me literally 4 or 5 months to recover. The energy in my body simply healed itself completely over that time withought me doing anything(I had consulted with a qigong person I found online who told me to stop practicing qigong and just wait to get better). Now, fast forward 10 years, to 3 years ago, my condition was improved, I had much much less anxiety and I could function. I cautiously tried qigong again and found it was ok, if I did feel a adverse reaction it was very light and usually went away. I then learned qigong from a teacher that teaches a very gentle and safe version of spontaneous qigong, I found I had great results with it and the way it is taught, even more so because I was told this particular practice was also used to *correct* qi deviations if you had any. Finally, fast forward to today right now, there is another form of qigong or neigong I would like to practice that I have tried before. I find that when I practice it, I feel great at first, sometimes for days im ok, but then it gets hard to sleep, and I feel mentally “off”(like thinking of weird things that are hard to explain), but only when I go to bed. If I’m not laying down trying to sleep I usually don’t feel too badly. I take a few meds for anxiety and so on also, so that could like you said, affect the balance in the brain. The neigong I would love to practice is more intense and of course the energy does go to the brain, but its nothing like kundalini or anything(which was specified). However the qigong Ive practiced for the past 3 years, the gentle spontaneous one, has had almost no side effects or any issues, i sleep fine and feel good during/after practice 98% of the time. I know this was a long post, but here is my question…once I get myself even healthier, and get my brain in top shape(I feel good but there is still some residual symptoms of negative anxiety and not feeling 100% stable every day.) do you think its possible to be ok to practice more kinds of qigong, regardless of my medical history, specifically the neigong I would love to do? The truth is this neigong is super fun, feels great, has incredible benefits but like I said it eventually makes me feel really bad at nighttime. At the moment I’m sticking to my usual gentle qigong spontaneous practice along with very beginner/basic exercises with it(with no side effects), and not doing the neigong at all since it just doesn’t seem to agree with me long term. Thank you for you’re input.
Hi Alex, it sounds like you have done really well recovering from the issues that you had earlier and continuing to manage them. It sounds like you have also developed some sensitivity to what is going on with your body and energy, which is a good basis for monitoring yourself as you work with different qigong practices.
I do think it is possible for you to be ok to do other types of qigong, with your history you just need to exercise a little more caution and make sure you always have a health practitioner that you can check in with about how you are doing, so that they can guide you if anything starts to go off track.
It sounds like learning a little bit more about practices to discharge and release excess energy would also be beneficial to you to help you manage the energy you will activate with qigong practices that you may do. You can find some very simple movements for discharging energy at the end of the Waking the Qi practice which there is a video of in the “Free Qigong Videos” page under Courses on the website menu. You can also find other helpful practices on the Long White Cloud Qigong Youtube page.
Interesting article, thanks. Is chi gong safe for someone with schizophrenia and if so does it help and how?
Qigong can be beneficial to someone with schizophrenia as it can help to stabilize their energy which will then have a flow on effect to their psychological state. Extra care needs to be taken in this situation though, because some practices will cause increased energy flow through parts of the brain, and may also cause unusual sensations which can feed into any delusional states. So to practice qigong safely, someone with a recent history of schizophrenia should find an experienced qigong teacher to supervise them in their practice and help them to avoid or recognize early any issues that may arise. They should also make sure to discuss their practice with any medical professionals they are under the supervision of.
Hi, I have epilepsy and was wondering if this is something I shouldn’t do again? I had done some in the past, I felt the energy and wondering if that perhaps messes with the brain waves? Many thanks.
You should be fine to continue practicing qigong. Gentle qigong practices are likely to be quite helpful in calming and smoothing your energy. You may need to be more careful with any particularly intense practices – which you should consult a skilled practitioner about before you try them, but gentle qigong practice should be fine for you.
Thank you for this information. I have been in chiro & acupuncture treatment for chronic pain, scoliosis, arthritis in hips/hands, hernia surgery recovery leaving digestive blocks. Doing so well added acupressure points from gi-gong master on YouTube. One day added a slow routine that ended by sealing up energy from groin to around mouth/nose area. I followed the instructor’s pattern, twisting a bit to lock in. Somewhere there was something about releasing qi by flowing out from point behind the belly button. I defintely connected with this energy but couldn’t seem to release or have anything flow outward from the belly area. Within 1 hour I felt septic, pain explosion in body and joints, hardly walk and again, couldn’t get it out of me. In 2 hrs vision blurred and I felt emotional and spacey in a bad way, feathered pain burst in back from waist to shoulders. It felt like this energy found every internal problem and activated the issues as it flowed. I was diagnosed with gall stones but never really major symptoms as i have a very low fat diet; also yrs ago learned skin condition on arm was herpes simplex. Fortunately only ever exploded on my right forearm but was told it travels through the body. Been years since an eruption on the arm, but now the arm was itching like it does before manifesting, along with the sick septic flu like feelings. Also, had a concussion 7 years ago and here I was in that old fog trying to get my thoughts to move back into my head again. This was only 7 days ago & still trying to reverse this. Had acupuncture. Body pain is subsiding slowly, still have white knob of arthritis on some joints. I meditate and am mobile enough to do slow physical exercises and can rid a bike. Any suggestions for me right now are appreciated. Pls do not include my full name publicly in this note. Thank you for the information everyone.
I think continuing with your acupuncture is a good idea to help to bring your energy back into balance. You might also like to do some very gentle qigong practices to harmonize your energy. Something like Five Waves Qigong which you can find on the practices page of the website could be suitable.
I invited someone to a beginners Qigong class who has had pain in their shoulder/upper arm since then. Your article makes me wonder if it the cause could be energetic; otherwise, are stretches advised before practicing Qigong?
It could be energetic – but look for the most simple explanation first – it may be that they strained something in their shoulder doing movements that are unfamiliar to them. Generally when doing qigong this will not be an issue – but depending on how vigorous the practices are (I don’t know what kind of qigong they were doing – and there are many kinds of qigong, some of which are quite strenuous) it can happen. Even gentle movements can lead to strains when they are unusual for the person doing them. In this case stretching may be quite helpful in resolving the issue – so I would start with that before looking further for energetic causes.
Hi, nice and informative article!
I have had bad experiences with qigong, when I overdid it. It threw off my yin-yang balance and created counterflow qi in my system, which caused me muscle convulsions and insomnia. I managed to reverse it with treating my kidneys (filling it with water energy), but unfortunately, this issue comes again when I practice, especially when the full moon drains my yin. I would like to advance in my practice, but this is a reoccurring issue whenever my energy balance gets thrown off. Do you have any tips for this problem?
It sounds like you would be best to engage with an experienced practitioner who can guide you in dealing with the specific issues you are dealing with.
I found Long White Cloud through a Google search – exploring the benefits of qigong for my recently diagnosed atrial fibrilation. There was a wonderful, albeit anecdotal account in one of the comments sections by someone who had seemed to reverse this condition. I practiced gentle qigong for a couple of years until a year ago. Then, a danger you have not mentioned in this article beset me – which is that I just stopped practice! Laziness, lack of motivation maybe. Or the upset of the pandemic. So really I have this heart arrhythmia to thank for returning to practice! Aside from beginning very gently, as advised, and not getting caught up looking for a “cure” or confusing the allopathic approach I take medically with the role of the heart in qi energy system (eg shen) I wondered if you have any words of advice. I have had an echosound and the structure of my heart is sound. No obvious causes, but our health care system here in UK highlights “age” which I refuse to accept! I do find the condition quite debilitating as I’m very uncomfortable with the clunky and fluttery sensations I get in my chest when the AF is active and I have to work quite hard to reduce anxiety, especially at night. With lots of meditation and relaxation I am keeping heart rate normal and not getting palpitations. I’m told I can exercise normally but to avoid strenuous activity such as barrelling compost around the fruit bushes on my vegetable patch for the time being.
I realise you can’t make detailed advice on such scant information, but would appreciate any suggestions and also if you have details of any research in this area.
Thank you so much for reading.
Yes – for dealing with the specifics of your situation it would probably be best to engage with an experienced practitioner who can spend time getting to understand your specific issues better and make recommendations based on that. Overall – simply making your energy flow ‘smoother’ will be helpful though. A simple practice live Five Waves, which you can find videos of amongst the free videos under ‘Courses’ on the website – could be beneficial as gently opens the area around the heart and encourages smooth breathing and exertion. Some specific breathwork could also be beneficial – but would be best look at in consultation with a practitioner.
I know next to nothing about qigong at this time, but before I go off and dig into what the practice entails, I am very curious:
Do you think it is possible for someone to unintentionally/spontaneously practice qigong without knowing that they are in fact engaging in actual qigong exercises?
..And because of such actions, they end up bringing on a qi deviation that results in inducing a psychotic episode (to which they are susceptible to in the first place?)
Hello, I have been practising Qigong for about 8 months by myself. I also practice Zazen. I mainly started Qigong becasue of consistent tension headaches and fatigue (which has now been diagnosed as ME). However, not only has it not helped these symptoms, I appear to feel even worse. Not only this, but I now have constant involuntary muscle contractions and movements in my head/ neck/ shoulder area, to the point that it’s embarrassing.
I feel that there’s a lot of energy in my body but it just doesn’t go past the neck into the head. Should i discontinue practice?
Thank you
Yes I think it would be a good idea to discontinue practice for now. Your symptoms may be coming from something else, and quite unrelated to your qigong practice. But it is better to be on the safe side to avoid aggravating your condition unnecessarily. I would suggest finding someone skilled in qigong healing in your area who can help you to identify if there is a blockage and help to get your energy flowing more freely. If you can’t find a qigong healer, you might be able to find a skilled acupuncturist who can help you with this.
Ok thank you very much for responding.
Take care.
Thank you for an interesting article. Would you say that exercises like Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow or Bamboo in the Wind would be dangerous since I often hear them categorized as Spontaneous QiGong? These seem so gentle to me.
It’s disappointing to come back and see that my comment didn’t receive a reply. I really would like to hear your thoughts on this exercise.
I have replied now 🙂
Hi Ron
Generally gentle practices have a low risk of any harm. The issue with spontaneous forms of qigong is that they can become quite strong, and if you do not have a good awareness of your energy and understanding of its healthy flow, you can allow it to flow strongly within spontaneous practices in a way that reinforces existing dysfunctional patterns of energy flow. With a gentle type of spontaneous practice this is much less likely to happen, and if it were to happen it is likely that you would notice before any real harm is done so you can easily take corrective action.
Spontaneous practices can be very beneficial – but they are safest when there is a level of energy awareness to be able to observe what is going on and redirect the ‘spontaneous’ activity if necessary.
I’m very late to reply but wanted to thank you for the response!
I ❤️ your article. ? I recently made a commitment to practicing soaring crane medical qigong on a regular basis. I was trained In the lineage brought to the US by Prof. Chen, but I slacked a bit in maintaining it. I’ve performed two sessions this week and woke from a nap yesterday seeing an astral tarantula walk across the ceiling then disappear. This morning around 3:30 am awoke with a kicking headache which has resolved. I specifically looked for an article to learn if I was doing too much too soon or this is just how my body expels toxic energy. I work in the healing arts, doing a lot of hands-on healing and want to be sure I cleanse and rejuvenate myself from those activities. Your article is very well written and thank you for the educational links. Wondering what your thoughts are? Is it better that I stay with soaring crane for now and not intermix other qigong forms so as to not confuse the qi flows, and let the strange side efx works themselves out? Or do you suggest I move to a more simple qigong style for awhile and build up to doing soaring crane more regularly? Many thanks ?
Hi Regina
There are lots of things that could have lead to your headache and the other things that you have experienced, so it is helpful to not immediately attribute them to your qigong practice, but rather to consider broadly all the things that might have contributed. By doing this you are less likely to avoid something important that you might need to consider and possibly make changes to within your life.
Having said that, it is possible that your qigong practice may have stirred things up. As you have mentioned – maybe a bit too strong too soon. It does sound like it might be a good idea to take a bit of a break from your practice, and maybe work with simpler/gentler practices for a little while to help things settle down ?.
White Cloud, very, very good article. It is an important article in many respects — Author of “Grounding Schizophrenia through Tai Chi” and “Healing Asperger’s through Qigong.”