Qi Gong Practice: Regulating the Body, Breath, and Mind

Qi Gong is a uniquely Chinese practice that dates back hundreds of years and incorporates countless methods. Regardless of the method used, there are three fundamental components to Qi Gong practice. These are Diao Shen – Regulating the Body, Diao Xi – Regulating the Breathing, and Diao Xin – Regulating the Mind. Each component will be discussed separately.

Diao Shen (調息) – Regulating the Body

Regardless of whether you practice Standing or Sitting Qi Gong, Regulating the Body is essential. While Shen (息) translates to “body,” we are primarily concerned with fixing the posture. A correct posture is a starting point and prepares you for the next stage.

You must hold your head erect, relax your shoulders, and lengthen your back. Close your eyes partially (usually 70%) and observe your posture. If standing, bend your knees slightly and tilt the pelvis slightly so that the sacrum region is plumb. Plumbing the sacrum is also required if doing sitting practice.

Some Zhan Zhuang Gong, Post Standing Qi Gong, can be quite demanding and require the practitioner to have developed strong legs and a resilient mind. These are beyond the scope of this post.

There are two types of Sitting Qi Gong: Dan Pan Xi Zuo, the Single Crossed-Leg Sitting posture, and Shuang Pan Xi Zuo, the Double Crossed-Leg Sitting posture. Both require a great deal of flexibility of the legs and hips, especially the Double Crossed-Leg position.

Personally, I prefer Post Standing QI Gong because it is best related to martial arts.

Diao Xi (調身)- Regulating the Breathing

After Regulating the Posture, you next focus on Regulating the Breathing. Begin by gently closing your mouth and be mindful not to tighten the lips. Bring your teeth softly together and place the tip of your tongue on the upper palate toward the cavity above your gums. Your eyes should be closed 70% so that the gaze falls a few feet in front of you. Some methods advocate closing the eyes completely. This is matter of your preference and the goal of your practice.

Draw the breath in through the nose and sustain a gentle pause before exhaling. Make the breath soft, long, and even. Sink the breath to the Dantian (the area just below the navel) and exhale slowly. Ideally, one breath cycle should consist of 15 seconds, so you will take four breaths in one minute. If this is difficult at first, shorten the breath cycle to 10 seconds. Your breathing should not be laborious or raspy, but soft and smooth. (Refer to the Post on Xiao Zhou Tian for more advanced breathing practice.)

Diao Xin (調心) – Regulating the Mind

The most difficult aspect of all Qi Gong practice is Diao Xin, fixing the mind. The mind will wander if you let it. When this happens, and it will, bring your mind to bear on the work at hand. Start the exercise anew and begin again with Diao Shen, Regulating the Body, then proceed to Regulating the Breath. The practice of Diao Shen and Diao Xi combined will lead to Regulating the Mind.

Note: Xin is a complex term in Chinese Qi Gong and martial arts. For this post it will suffice to refer to it as mind.