If you can’t sense your qi, then you’re just spinning your tires in the mud.
The qi (氣, or energy) is everything in qigong and tai chi. It’s the main ingredient.
If you want to go somewhere with your qigong and tai chi, if you want to stop spinning your tires, then you absolutely need to learn how to sense your qi.
It’s not your fault. You probably weren’t taught the big secret to sensing qi.
That will change by the end of this article. I’ll teach you the secret, which means no more excuses for you!
Even beginners can learn to sense their qi. It doesn’t take years of practice. It just takes correct instruction, and correct practice.
Qi and Traditional Chinese Medicine
The concept of qi comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which is the oldest continuous medical system in the history of humanity.
Acupuncture, Chinese herbalism, Chinese massage (tui na), and Qigong are all branches of Traditional Chinese medicine.
All of them use the same concept of qi, or vital energy.
I went to acupuncture college because I wanted to understand the concept of qi on a deeper level. And I succeeded.
But here’s the thing: You don’t need to understand qi in order to sense it.
In fact, an intellectual understanding of qi might just make it harder to sense.
Science Says You Have a 6th Sense
What if I told you that — according to science — you have a sixth sense?
What if I told you that you have a seventh? And an eighth?
You’d probably call me crazy.
If you think that you’ve only got 5 senses, then I’m sorry to say that you’re the crazy one, my friend.
The theory of the 5 senses actually dates back to Aristotle (b. 384 BC). So yeah, it’s a wee bit outdated.
It turns out humans might have as many as 20 senses. Whether we have 8 senses or 20 depends on which scientist you ask.
The only thing agreed upon by the research is that there are definitely more than 5 senses.
And we already knew this, right?
For years, I’ve been asking my students to prove this to themselves as follows:
An Exercise To Prove That You Have a 6th Sense
- Sit or stand comfortably.
- Close your eyes.
- Keeping your eyes closed, touch your nose with the pinky of your left hand.
Which of the 5 traditional senses did you use to touch your nose?
It’s fun to watch skeptics start crossing things off the list:
“Sight? Nope. My eyes were closed. Hearing? Nope. I can’t hear my pinky! Smell? Nope. Taste? Nope. Touch! Aha! That’s it! Wait, no, I didn’t touch anything until the end.”
Another way to analyze this is to figure out which organ you used to touch your nose.
The answer is that you used a system, not an organ. That system is call the vestibular system. This is what allows you to not only touch your nose with your eyes closed, but balance on one leg.
Congratulations. You now have at least 6 senses!
Change Your Paradigm
A deeper discussion of the human sensory system is above my pay grade.
The takeaway lesson is this: You only thought that you had 5 senses.
Your entire life, you’ve had more than that, but your thoughts got in the way.
If you still believe that you only have 5 senses, if you still operate from that paradigm, then subconsciously, it is impossible for you to feel qi.
Once you change your paradigm, once you accept that there are more than 5 senses — then it is much easier to sense the qi.
The Zen Mind Is The Key
A central theme of my teaching is the importance of quieting the mind and Entering Zen.
Entering Zen is an ancient term to describe the process of going into a gentle, meditative state. We call that state the Zen Mind.
The Zen Mind can be achieved sitting or standing. With qigong and tai chi, it’s most often done standing.
If you’d like to experience a simple version of this state, then close your office door, turn off your phone, and follow this free 4-minute meditation right now:
The opposite of the Zen Mind is the Monkey Mind. You’re familiar with this state because you live it.
The Monkey Mind is the constant stream of thoughts in your head, the radio station that you can’t seem to turn off.
If you are trying to sense your qi, but subconsciously you’re wondering what sense you should use — that’s the Monkey Mind.
Or, if you are trying to sense your qi, but you’re second-guessing what you feel — that’s also the Monkey Mind.
Change your paradigm. Let go of the idea of the 5 senses. Let go of thoughts.
How I First “Heard” My Qi
I was able to sense my qi long before I could explain how I was doing it.
I was able to sense my energy was because I was in a Zen state of mind.
In that state there is no intellectual thought. The idea of the five senses dissolves.
I knew what I was sensing the qi, but I didn’t understand the mechanism.
Some people think that if you can’t explain the mechanism, then it’s not scientific.
That’s simply not true, even in Western Medicine. For example, we used aspirin for nearly 100 years before we understood the mechanism.
In other words we knew that aspirin worked even though we didn’t know how.
I was the same with my qi. I knew I could feel it, but I didn’t know how.
Maybe it’s because I was raised a classical violinist, but for years I actually swore that I could “hear” my qi.
Other people told me they could see it. That wasn’t my experience. Even after all these years, I still don’t “see” energy.
Others said they felt a tingling sensation in the hands and body. I did feel that.
But I also heard something, a vibration, or a sound. And yet, it wasn’t in my ears.
Hearing With Your Fingers
When I was in acupuncture college, I had a similar experience while learning what is known as Chinese Pulse Diagnosis.
With Chinese Pulse Diagnosis, you learn to sense dozens of different pulse qualities. If you get good at it, then you can be amazingly accurate at diagnosing patients. (We joke that my wife is a human MRI because she is so good at this kind of diagnosis.)
Once you get the hang of Chinese Pulse Diagnosis, you realize that you’re not just using your fingers. There are other senses involved, no question.
For me, I always felt like I was “listening” to the pulses.
But how can you listen with your fingers?
Words Suck
Students are always asking me what qi feels like.
This is a difficult question to answer, mainly because everyone uses different words to describe their own sensations.
If we stick with the paradigm of the 5 senses, then we’re stuck with only 5 words: see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.
The words people use to describe qi are almost always connected to the five traditional senses.
Some students describe feeling a tingling or a buzzing in the hands.
Some describe seeing energy moving through the body.
Others, like me, talk about hearing the energy.
Who is right?
I believe that people describe sensations of qi using words that relate to their dominant sense organs — usually sight, hearing, or touch.
In the end, however, these are just words. And words suck because they encourage the Monkey Mind.
In the Zen tradition, this is the “finger pointing at the moon”. Words are the finger. They point to the moon.
Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory. (Yes, I just quoted Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon.)
How to Sense Qi
So what’s the big secret then?
My advice to students who want to sense the qi is simple: Learn to quiet your mind to the point where words are no longer necessary.
In the Zen Mind, we don’t need words like “sight” and “hearing”.
From that deep meditative state, we can just sense the energy directly — without any need for a description.
Resist the temptation to label it. Just feel it. Allow it.
However — a meditative state is not enough. You will also need some skill in qigong or tai chi.
This is why people who practice sitting meditation don’t always feel qi. They need to learn some qigong or tai chi.
On the other hand, and just doing chi gong or tai chi movements is not enough either. Real qigong and tai chi must be combined with a meditative mind.
A Guaranteed Way To Sense Your Qi
If you’ve struggled to sense your qi, if you want a guaranteed method for finally sensing it, then follow these steps:
A Guaranteed Method for Sensing Qi
- Learn to quiet the mind.
- Learn some good qigong.
- Go to a mountain retreat.
- Practice there daily for a week.
I’m half joking. Of course, you can learn to feel the qi without the mountain. But if you’ve been trying for years to sense the energy, and you’re still unsure — then you might need the mountain.
I say this because of my experience teaching a mountain retreat in Costa Rica every year. I’ve had students attend the retreat who were blown away by their ability to sense the qi up on the mountain.
Even people who had felt qi before suddenly felt it in a new way on the mountain.
Why? Because the amazingly beautiful mountain not only helps to quiet the mind, but also has lots more energy to play with. The feng shui, the energy of the environment is better on the mountain.
If you can’t make it to Costa Rica, and you want to feel the qi, then do yourself a favor and take one of my online workshops. My intro workshop will teach you a specific method for not only quieting the mind, but also getting the energy flowing.
When I first started teaching qigong 10 years ago, I had a funny slogan on my brochures: “No Qi, No Fee”.
It was meant to be funny. But I chose it because I kept meeting people who were struggling to feel the qi.
After taking my workshop, they were finally able to sense their qi. For some of them, it was the end of a years-long quest.
What is your experience with sensing the qi? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. From the heart, Sifu Anthony
When I do qi gong or meditation I kind of imagine a flow. I dont feel or hear or anything. Is that counted as qi?
Hi Joyri. Your experience is common. Unfortunately, it’s not the same as sensing qi. What you’re describing sounds like the Monkey Mind. Imagining the flow of qi is not the same as feeling it.
I’ll tell you this: when I feel qi, it is crystal clear. There is on doubt that I’m feeling energy, and there is no need for imagination.
Does that mean then that people who imagine that they are drawing energy into themselves are essentially feeding their monkey mind?
The words are tricky, Joel. Visualization is important in qigong, but the trick is to do it without the Monkey Mind. It’s possible to visualize from the Zen Mind, but it’s not easy to describe in words.
Hi Sifu Anthony. I have started to listen to your zen mind audio. But I kind of feel numb whenever I relax and try to quieten the mind. Will I ever be able to feel qi?
And another thing, is it possible for me to feel stagnation of qi even though I can’t actually feel qi? Sometimes when Iwake up, my body feels as though everything has stopped and Ifeel heavy but if I do sun salutations couple of times (its yoga) I feel lighter
Does this have anything to do with qi or is it some physical problem?
The thing is, ever since I knew about qi, I have become quite obsessed about it and I would like nothing better than to be able to feel it.
Hi Joyri. Yes, I think anyone can feel the qi with proper practice and proper instruction.
Grab the free Fatigue course while it’s available. https://flowingzen.mykajabi.com/store/CNe4WWGo
I think that might work better for you.
There’s a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) — where there is pain, there is stagnation.
So yes, if you feel pain, that’s a stagnation of blood and qi. The same can be true of that heaviness that you feel.
I do chi alot but I’m stuck now I’m told the chi is in the blood and others tell me the breath I know how to do chi but I’m trying to get farther and be able to do different things
Thank you, I really enjoyed the article.
To me the sensation of Qi is mostly a profound body sensation. When pushing mountains I often feel like a huge kind of “waterfront” is passing through me. I think I know what you could mean by hearing Qi, since when I’m in a state of “high vibration” or increased vital energy I have an intense fizzeling sizzeling in my ears, a really high note, kind of like taking a musical note and going higher and higher. Visually it’s also connected to that, sometimes differenct fields of very subtle colours opening up in the middle of my visual field, like a purple grid or a greenish sparkle
When overtraining I have the sensation of it “pouring and pressing” out of my forehead very like some kind of fever.
Greetings and Gratitude
What does it feel to breathe? Might it be a useful analogy?
Hi Sifu. I am doing Shaolin 8 treasures qi gong that i been thought by a Buddhist monk but never felt anything You mentioned in this article. I think it might be connected to what You called “monkey mind” – I have a problem with focusing my mind…
Hi Darius. Honestly, just take my workshop this Saturday. This Saturday’s theme is perfect for you (Calming the Mind and Healing the Body). Once you learn the secrets that I teach, you can apply them to your Shaolin 8 Treasures as well. Details are here: http://flowingzen.com/onlineworkshop
Great that it comes so quick :}
I’ll try to join in for tomorrow than. Hopefully I will be out of work at that time.
Thank You Sifu. You know what time will it be in UK when you’re online class will start?
Florida is UTC -4, and the UK is UTC +1, so it’s a 5 hour difference. I believe it will start at 5pm your time. It’s okay to come in a bit late, and you’ll have lifetime access to the replay as well.
Great article!!
I used to think that sensing energy might just be metaphorical. Then, I felt it myself, unequivocally. It was both a physical ‘touch’ sensation and a sense of inner seeing. I have always felt/seen energy flowing in patterns, I just didn’t recognize it. Whether it’s the same thing as qi is something I am trying to understand.
I can sense my Qi is growing. I can feel it pulsating through my body and see it when I’m practicing my Qigong and Tai Chi.
I have heard that emp from cell phones, wifi and other electronic devices greatly interfere with chi and our abilities to work with it. This could also explain why a mountain retreat far away from these things would make an excellent training ground.
Jordan, yes, the wifi is probably one factor, along with the stunning views, the fresh air, the isolation, and the amazing weather.
You might be interested in this article: http://flowingzen.com/16864/why-a-mindfulness-retreat-might-save-your-life/
i can even sense energy changes in my sparring partner during wing chun practice yesterday with my eyes closed, i don’t know why, but i can feel the energy changes in the air
And just now i can feel energy just moving around around my sore muscle when i follow your audio tutorial??
Is that normal for starters in sensing energy??
Good for you, Ikram. I would say that it’s “normal” in the sense that it’s natural, but no, it’s not common for beginners to be so sensitive. Usually it takes several years of practice.
I have been researching qi for a while now and have managed to feel qi balls and other sensations but during all this time I have been able to start feeling my surroundings, like the fan next to me and the heat within my computer… I don’t know if this is normal, I live in Australia halfway up a mountain and I always feel like the energy is abundant here, however, this is what I was wondering, is it normal to be able to put my hand above something and sense its presence through my senses or is it rare?
It’s normal. Anyone can do it with training. You just have a knack for it.
I can feel qi in my hands as tingling and at other times it feels like 2 magnets repelling each other but I am unsatisfied as I know that qi flows in the body but I cannot feel anywhere except in my hands after doing various qigong methods 2-4 times a day for the past 10 years and 42 years of daily Transcendental Meditation.
Steve, it sounds like you’re already sensing the qi. But it also sounds like a case of “seek it and you will not find it”. There’s such thing as trying to hard, especially with the soft arts of qigong and tai chi. Trying a different style of qigong may also help. Of course, I recommend mine, but whatever suits you.
Your comments are much appreciated Sifu but I have tried about 30 different qigong methods since first learning the 8 Brocades in the early 1980’s. And I use a medical clairvoyant to help me find the ones that are most powerful for me. I currently started to work with a qigong therapist who is also clairvoyant and Rx certain qigong methods as remedies so this might perhaps remove whatever blocks are going. I have also done the qigong method, Shaolin Qigong from Marcus Santer in the past. Please let me know what your qigong method is as I do believe learning via online is the wave of the future to promote qigong in a much bigger way.
Steve
Steve, 30 different methods is a lot! What’s the problem actually? You just can’t feel qi as well as you would like?
FYI, Marcus is an old friend of mine. My method is similar to his, but still different enough that it might be worth trying. There will be some new online options coming soon.
Hi Steve,
Sit under a tree or stand whichever suits.
Open yourself to the idea of communicating with that tree.
That’s all think of communicating with that tree.
A positive response will soon quiet the mind.
Any old physical injuries will have a healing sensation.
This is healing tree chi.
Here my approach.
1. Stand/ sit in a desired position
2.stretch the spine and in Chigong positions learn to stretch all joints in the intended direction of movement.
2.1 acompany this later on mentaly to increase the stretch and give the qi a personality that makes it able to put intention in the energy.
3. Relax the bodyweight, all feelings and thoughts into the stretch down to the ground along the stretched structure. As if the feelings and thoughts could be subject to gravity.
(the muscles hang around a stretched structure which is your joints, spine)
Additionally,
Feeling the qi is breath independent, so don’t make yourself depended on it.
You can start to practice this by doing the steps above but focusing on your hands to create a ball. Later also here, don’t depend on it and expand your mental space into your body and around it. The more space you can occupie mentaly the stronger the energy you can experience is.
Finaly, release all energy after practicing. Keeping in to much qi deteriorates the physical body if it is not trained properly. To increase the amount of qi one can safely hold, learn how to encourage wholebody tendon, fascia, lingaments growth additionally. One example would be Chigong under weights, where one focuses on floating the weight by making it subject to the qi.
Excuse me Sifu, but i would just like to know if qi can be used to increase striking power, or battle fatigue, as i do know it gradually heals, but i would like to know more. I have been doing martial arts for 8 years, and I’ve been looking for ways to use qi in a wider variety than just the typical healing.
Sincerely,
Alexander
Of course! This article may be of interest: http://flowingzen.com/8599/internal-strength-what-it-is-and-isnt/
Excellent, one of your best. I always loved stretching and playing with the energy, before I really understood what qi was. I’ve never been able to hear or see it, but I can definitely feel and sense it, especially when it gets blocked and causes discomfort and working the blockage out and the release and freedom and peace that produces.
I dont know Tai Chi and Qi Gong very well yet, but these are high on my list along with learning Spanish and visiting Costa Rica. Kind of my over 60 pre-retirement health and longevity list.
Many years ago before I had children , I experienced a lot of pain in my stomach. I went to the doctors who sent me for a scan and I was diagnosed with benign lumps. I was told they were not serious but I may struggle to have children. Some time later I found my self reading a falun dafa book and started to mediate. After about six months I reached a level of zen not reached before. In my minds eye a bright colour starting at the top of my head moved down to my lower stomach. My stomach and groin started to giggle for about five mins. After witch all the pain had gone. I had no problem having children but have been unable to reach a zen state near that level since. Any ideas joe
Hi Joe. Did you try the same technique again and fail to reach the same level of Zen?
Have you tried any of my free audios?
I’m so thankful to have found you. Can you tell me what this is……..
I can send vibrations through my hand into a handshake and the other person can feel it.
What is that? Is in jing or chi?
I’ve always had this, it’s natural.
Thank you so much.
Hi Kathy. Sounds like qi to me. It also sounds like you could benefit from learning to control and cultivate your qi!
Hi Anthony I am so pleased I found your site. I have only been doing Qigong for about 8 months.
I went on a 3 day workshop on primordial with Kenneth Cohen and began to really understand Qigong. I love practicing and doing the meditation.
I feel tingling in my hands and sometimes a feeling in my lower dan tien. At times it feels like butterflies – you know that lovely feeling when you are in love or look at your baby – is this chi energy? I also experience an orange colour and when I do I feel a sort of movement inside.
Any comments would be appreciated
Hi Pauline. So glad you’re enjoying your qigong journey! Yes, it think that is one manifestation of qi.
Eventually, you’ll feel qi so clearly and have no doubts, no confusion, and no worries. That’s part of the journey!
Mine activated along time ago, once the pineal gland started to function in the waking state allot became more clear. I have most of my life kept a clear mind and let creative thought take action. One draw back is most of my memories are not all there or they are I just don’t access it. Lately like in the past few months I have been getting stronger with using Qi in my daily life, I have more then I was able to control at first I am seeing the energy all around my life in the air it comes to me and touches my body makes the area it touches get all tingly like cloth touching the skin. Things like heat that normally burns the skin is still protected when the palms vibrate its an amazing feeling you can almost loose yourself in this feeling from time to time. I see others energy field around there bodies when its in low light. I also can feel when one of them is sitting on top of the head. I know how it sounds makes me seem nuts but the energy is there and it means no harm. Others beg to differ but really its life. We all have this life force that keeps us safe from harm well not always but it does as best job as it can do. Your article is very good and all this should be taught to everyone as it is very important that others know to respect it. There is a more spooky side to this as the energy with enough connection of our can bump things in rear circumstances. Its not a ghost but it is like a helper some call it magic but its not. Creative thought is what magic is and its the best tool one can have.
I am 75 and have recovered from prostate cancer they now believe was due to agent orange from the Viet Nam war.
I have be practicing the 8 brocades with Homer Nottingham for about 8mos now and have yet to feel the energy of qi.
My Monkey Mind is most likely the reason and probably need more time with the Zen Mind? Try some meditation?
Also struggle with ptsd and other side effects from intensive radiation.
Suggestions other than a trip to Costa Rica or signing up for one of your programs?
Thanks for all,
Andy
Hi Andy. Sorry to hear about the cancer, but congrats on your recovery! My wife is a cancer survivor, and I’ve seen how hard that battle can be.
If this free article didn’t help, then try my free workshop (which will disappear on Friday Nov 17th): https://flowingzen.mykajabi.com/p/the-art-of-self-healing-workshop
If that doesn’t work, then yes, I recommend my Qigong 101 program. We have an entire module dedicated to sensing the qi: https://flowingzen.mykajabi.com/p/qigong-101-the-art-of-healing-for-busy-people
Most of my students can sense qi well before 8 months — assuming that they practice.
Best of luck to you!
Hi Sifu! Thank you. This is what I have been looking for. If I understand you correctly, zen mind is not enough; qigong movement not enough. But, zen mind + qigong movements -> ability to sense qi. Somehow I have discovered zen mind, on my own, without calling it zen mind. Now I will add practice of qigong under your guidance. Kind of things I say to friends:
“Feeling love within the heart and crown,
touch into boundless ocean of peace
Monkey mind drops its desperate search
when feeling causeless well-being within.”
I will bring this energy to our qigong practice. Than you. When will your book be available?
Hi,
I started doing your “Lifting the sky” last week and I have been doing it a couple times a day. I definitely sense the qi. It is a tingling feeling that starts in my hands and goes through my body. Now I am finding it distracting. Is there any way to mute it? Also, I taught it to my son and he was traumatized the first (and so far only) time he tried it. He said he felt like his legs were chained together and he couldn’t pull them apart. I am curious to hear your thoughts on what that is about.
Thank you.
Miriam
Hi Miriam. Regarding your own sensations, you’ll learn to relax into the sensations. Try focusing on your breathing instead.
As for your son, I’m sorry to hear that he had a negative experience. How old is he? Is “traumatized” the best word? How did he learn the exercise exactly? How is he doing now?
Hello anthony,
I know this is only about sensing qi, but i wish to put some other things down for your opinion. To start things off, I’ve been doing a lot of research on spiritual things like how to have a strong spirit and ect. So i have been meditating. I have also been looking into ki(qi, chi, prana) and aura as well. Through some years of doing this myself with having my third eye awakened i found that there’s two things that happens when im at peace in mind or just sitting still. I can “feel” my body vibrating from ,what i think, is me controlling my ki so that im not wonderlessly using it. That comes from both my legs and arms. I also have been having “dreams” about it too. That i have some type of power that allows me to change my vibration and shoot “vibrational energy” from my hands and feet. Even at times i swear i can “see” electricity around my arms. I also had this one dream where i “heard” and “saw” “electricity” moving in my house. I feel like im controlling and sensing my ki though i would like to hear what you have to say and if there is any other way to improve it.
Hi Johari. I don’t know if I see the question in there. Yes, it sounds like you are sensing qi. The way to improve your sensation and control over qi is to learn qigong! Why wander aimlessly when there is already a map and a guide?
I have been doing qi gong shibashi for 6 months in a weekly class and have recently started taoist 8 brocades at home to supplement that because it is easier to remember. Is there any problem with doing both?
Hi Pedro. Sorry for the late answer. It depends who you ask. Many teachers would say no, don’t do both. I would say that it’s probably find to do both, or to simply practice the one that you enjoy more. If you enjoy it more, you’ll practice more. Easy!
In my tai chi class today I was very relaxed (had a couple of days off work) and at the end of each move my hand seemed to vibrate / shake, I assume this was chi its never happened before, to build chi up in the body you need to relax and let go, and its hard to describe but ill try, you rock your body from weight on you left foot to weigh on your right foot this movement in the set is what transfers push-pulls the chi around, plus you need to have a great teacher who knows what there doing, or you could be messing about for years.
ps when I do repulse monkey I have a monkey mind hasn’t stopped me feeling chi
Excellent, one of your best. I always loved stretching and playing with the energy, before I really understood what qi was. I’ve never been able to hear or see it, but I can definitely feel and sense it, especially when it gets blocked and causes discomfort and working the blockage out and the release and freedom and peace that produces.
I dont know Tai Chi and Qi Gong very well yet, but these are high on my list along with learning Spanish and visiting Costa Rica. Kind of my over 60 pre-retirement health and longevity list.
Hi Sifu. When I tried the the 4-minute meditation, I felt this little tingle in my hand. Does that count as feeling your qi?
Sure. It’s a start!
Hey! I just don’t seem to be able to ‘enter’ into a Zen state of mind. I followed your guided meditation, and I don’t know why but I can’t seem to relax my upper body, and I seem to feel my the pain in my neck a lot more clearly. And I also get stuck at “Smile from the Heart”, I don’t get how I should ‘let go’ of my worries.
Hi Jack. How many times have you tried the guided meditation? And have you taken an entire course, or are you just working off the freebies?
There is the sense of being stared at and Dr. Rupert Sheldrake wrote books about it and made a lot of experiments which proves that it really works.
Then there is the sense of an imminent danger. I experienced this a few time and once it saved my life. A similar sense is that of events which will happen in a near future. Sometimes one can tell when the phone will ring, just a few seconds (4 to 20 seconds) before it rings. Dejavu makes also part of this kind of sense.
Also a crazy sense, that of a invisible person staying with you in your room. Well, this does only happen if one is spiritually weak and has a grudge on someone. This attracts this kind of lower beings, like excrement attracts flies. In the Bible is a (positive) occurrence which is very interesting, read it in Daniel chapter 10.
Atmospheric changes can be sensed too and few people are able to predict rain exactly on the minute for a few hours in advance.
All of this is very new to me. But one thing is very sure: by trying to enter zen, smiling from the heart, and holding that energy while doing the qigong movements, I get really “high”. I feel like to could float away. My wife can see it. Sometimes I feel a tingle in my perineum. I don’t know if people can feel chi while not being in a loving zen heart space, but doing it the way you are teaching makes me feel like doing everything with love, washing a dish or spoon. Everything becomes dear. It is sort of like: instead of “doing” things, it is more like “purring” through the basic little activities of everyday life. The other day, I began to “see” (internally) all these symetrical patterns in my mind’s eye, sort of like oriental paintings. I was quite surprised. It’s always different. Like right now (I was just doing so qigong), I feel a mild orgasmic feeling in the area of my heart. The more I tune to it, the more it expands. I just want to cultivate the ability to live my life in this vibration. Very far out. So many years feelings so many inauspicious moods and feelings. Maybe I just wasn’t ready for this yet. No willpower required. I just want more. At the moment there is a sweet feeling in both the perimeum and the heart. Incredible. I was thinking, “Other people can sense this stuff, but I kind doubt that I ever could”. I love it. Thanks, Ishan
After my sister saw a color around me I wanted to see if I could also spot color around her. I read about it and found out that I was seeing energy. Then I myself started to see this smoke…like a spirit smoke I call it because its soft like an auras, which looks like steam coming off the body or object. All by accident and curiosity. Now one day when I was messing around stretching and breathing with my palms out I decided to face them towards each other and thats when I felt the magnetic force of my hands. Then I started to play with it and spread my hands further apart, putting them back together but they were repelling with an intensity I couldn’t explain. It fascinated me. I tested it more and more to see how far away I could part my hands and still feel the repelling force. I then decided to reaearch it, found out it was energy and decided to then use imagery, imagining the energy in a ball like it said online or really how I felt in my hands and then imagine energy flowing from below and above and out through my hands. When I decided to face palms downward, the pull was great as well. And boy, did I experiment. I did this thing where I push my hands together with little force,relaxing on the way down and the energy pushed back hard! It made my eyes water a bit. It felt like a yawn. Sometimes I have to squeeze my eyes hard when I start into sensing the emergy because it’s just so much. Like when you get a muscle strain. And sqieeze your eyes to calm the pain down. I love doing it for fun. Its never hard for me. So it amazes me seeing that people go years without sensing it. I’m just really sensitive.
Hi Khadijah. It sounds like you are very sensitive. That’s wonderful. But it also sounds like you need training. I hope that you find a teacher who you resonate with.
Hi Anthony,
After a very challenging time in my marriage & watching the desperate return to “normality” in my country, post-CV19 lockdown, I grew deeply disappointed, realising as I did, that insufficient, meaningful & positive change had not had enough time to emerge despite all the suffering. Unlike too many others, I could only see the positive potential in the pandemic. So I found myself on the brink of falling into depression which was something beyond that which I & most women experience pre-menstrually or in the decades approaching the menopause. I realised that I needed to pull back somehow & following that realisation, I saw a post about healing according to the Essenes. The information came from Lars Muhl, a Dane who has an incredible story. Apart from addressing the very damaging & utterly distorted characterisation of Christ by “the Roman Church”, in which too many modern Christians believe & upon which economies have been built, Muhl also discusses the Energy Yeshua (Jesus) was fully immersed in & used so effectively as we know from those parts of the story which are true. Yeshua was one of us, a Nazarene, & very close to the Essenes – his parents Joseph & Mary were Essenes. Christians are familiar with His claims that “… this and a lot more, you too will be able to do ..” in response to followers’ incredulity at the time that they were unable to perform miracles as he did. Yeshua was able to use this Energy you & many other commentators on this thread are beginning to realise that they can ‘sense’ or experience between their hands or in various other body locations. This is truly wonderful to see happening & when you can take the phenomenon further by explaining that this Energy is what is ‘powering’ the Universe & emanates from Source or God, that is when we will understand how we are all connected & a part of the Quantum Field. @NassimHaramein is a Quantum Physicist who, I think, is the only Scientist who understands how this Field is constructed & operates, (but understandibly, suffers in equal measure, both the praise & derision of his peers) & how humans fit into it & influence it. We are all co-creators without limits to our capabilities, with Source ( God) provided we learn about the existence of this Qi or Quantum Energy, & how it operates in a never-ending circuit or loop from each one of us & back into the Field. So if we choose to think, speak & act from Love, (positivity, harmlessness) we will send Love (etc) into the Field & receive Love in return. If we operate from Fear (hatred, anger, wanting to harm etc) then that’s what we send into the Field & that’s what we get back. For some reason, Haramein’s discussion of this Field clicked for me, supported by the more esoteric discussions of Lars Muhl. It’s all about this Energy, the existence of which was known of by ancient Asian & Middle Eastern Masters who disseminayed the principles to tgeir communities, but knowledge of which, having been accumulated in the great Library at Alexandria, was wiped out in a fire ignited by groups of hate-filled, early, misogynistic, paternalistic Christians at the time, who went on to establish the Roman Church & so many of our problems, reaching their zenith today. Muhl believes as I do that Yeshua was crucified for attempting to impart the rules or pre-conditions that we each need in order to access this energy for Good purpose & personal Spiritual benefits.
We’ve been fed a lot of damaging misinformation about all of it, the results of which seem to be gearing up for a final showdown, if we dont wake up & change. We are in danger of self-destructing on a grand scale, if it hasn’t already begun. To all those who are now feeling this Energy, or trying to connect with it, realise what you are working with & choose to use it for your own & others’ Spiritual prosperity rather than purely to gain materially from other very desperate people . Lift your depression, along with that of others, heal illnesses, achieve inner peace, whatever – as long as your goal is Love. Humans are distinguished from other life forms on Earth by the capacity for ‘free will’. “Free will” means each of us can choose to think, speak & act in positive ways that benefit everyone, OR they can choose to operate from a place of hate, envy, jealousy, resentment, cruelty, greed & self-obsession. Looking at where we are today & thus what we’ve inadvertently fed into the Quantum Field, it’s no wonder at all, that misery, suffering & more, prevails. Start in this very moment then, with your own Self & how you have related or do relate to others. Of course, every one of us arrived here as an innocent vulnerable baby, & what you received by way of nurturing, or what passed for nurturing, has coloured your perspective ever since. Im hoping that Qigong has a routine to clear out the horror of bad parenting, if you survived it & if Qigong does, we all need to learn it & pass it on to our suffering communities. If your patenting was good, then you must resolve to cultivate your Energy connection & use it only positively. Then I do believe this world will become a better place. And Anthony, you should offer many more routines for free on YouTube & you know the reasons why. Especially if you have a sequence that can help us all shift out the festering sores of bad parenting & negative life experiences that keep us from forgiveness & soaring into better lives with supportive, joy-filled spirits.🙏☯️💚
Decide to do a Tai Chi movement but don’t move .. Let’s say commencement or opening posture. Decide to do it, in your minds eye do it but don’t physically do anything. Before and below the muscular effort , you will feel a sensation. Subtle at first but not at all subtle after some time.. It has been my experience that the mind moves and the body experiences the Qi..
I like this approach. Thanks Brian.
I can hear qi I found this article while searching for similar experience I do not have too much experience with qiqung but has a bit in yoga.
I “hear” qi too. That’s just how my brain interprets it.
You can try qigong here for free: https://flowingzen.mykajabi.com/p/learn-the-best-qigong-exercise-ever
Anthony, you know those vibrating platforms you can buy? When the body is shalen like that, does that increase energy flow, or not change it? thanks
I’ve only tried them a few times at the gym. I found it interesting, but I can’t speak to the long-term effects.
Are there proven benefits of the vibration therapy? For example, is it proven to increase lymph drainage? If so, then we can call that an increase in qi flow.
Personally the way I found the feeling of Qi, even after my acupuncture studying training (which I am still doing even now) and listening to the 12 pulses, was to put one’s hands together as though in prayer, keep them about a 3cm apart and move them slightly up and down. The sensation comes between the hands. Then I found after that I could put an index finger on an acupuncture Source or Lou point and actually feel the change in the meridinal energy in the pulses.
So many people can’t relax even when they try. As a hypnotherapist I often had to use methods to break through those barriers to get patients to reach those deeper levels, because they were naturally living above their normal stress levels all the time. They thought they were relaxed even with eastern methods, but they weren’t and didn’t realise it until they were taken deeper with aid the hypnotist. Once they had experienced it they could put themselves in that state.
Finally so many people complain about not being able to relax, and worry again even after trying to achieve the medative state. That usually boils down to ‘DISCONTENT’ in life, the mind is trying to go in two directions at once. It is a pretty normal condition in this day and age. So once again you can continue progressing, but to also learn to be content with what you have. Then you will achieve the state of alpha and even theta more easily.
Actually I suddenly became psychic at the age of 12, that was over 70years ago. So I have a little knowledge of the subject.
I recently began attempting to learn tai chi via you-tube instructional videos.
I’m not at all good at it yet, but now, when I stand up, before I even start, with my arms at the side, I could feel a definite “welcome” in the air around me. Then, I move my legs slightly apart, and may arms somewhat bent supporting a “ball” by the dantien, before I even begin moving my arms up to “open the door”, the anticipation is literally tangible. Its like static collecting all around me. I feel shimmers of excitement up and down my spine, and it bounces from area to area of my skin like goosebumbs without forming any goosebumps. Then, when I finally move my arms up, I can feel the air like being in a pool of water, the whirlpool swirls that form in the air around me like an ore in the water while canoeing, I can feel them and almost “see” them around me. I was so surprised by this energy that I googled whether or not people are supposed to “feel” chi. (I don’t personally know anyone who actually does chi exercises, so I don’t have anyone I can ask who would know). And, that led me to this article.
At first I figured it was a mental response to doing the visualizations that are described in the videos, but I don’t actively visualize, and these feelings were significantly stronger than what I’d expect from imagination “echos”. Also, I was curious so I tried it out in different places, like at work in the conference room, vs my basement, or my living room … and different rooms, different times of day … can be more or less “intense”.
Just writing this up and reflecting back on the experience has me resonating with excited “readyness”. A week ago I wouldn’t have believed someone who told me they felt what I’m feeling when I do this stuff. Its definitely not just imagination.
Hi, when i practice belly breathing in sleeping position, there are times when i suddenly feeling like i’m lost (like i dont feel my body or even my mind), its like falling sensation in a really slow motion. Usually when i felt that, i stopped because i think maybe i dont get enough oxygen from belly breathing. Now its been a month since i start practicing belly breathing, and is doing that unconciously now.
The question is:
is that sensation normal, and whenever i’m trying to meditate (release any thought, worry, and enjoy the moment), i feel like my hair is raising or moving (only on head, shoulder, and arms area), is that qi?
Thank you
-Megan-
Hi Megan. I don’t teach belly breathing in a prone position except as a way to learn the mechanics. Where did you learn to practice it this way?
Preparative Exercise #1 – Book Breathing
Lie down and place a heavy book on your lower belly, just below your belly button. Breathe naturally, but gradually allow your breathing to come from your lower belly. The book should rise as your breathe in, and fall as you breathe out.
Actually i was trying to follow your instruction from 7 secrets of the small universe.
by sleeping position i mean i lie down with my back on a matress
and the lost feeling is like feeling myself as 3rd person but i see nothing, and lose feeling to my arms and legs
Note:
i’m still continuing the practice as i feel better (no more shoulder/neck pain/stiffness), and the lower back pain that i usually feel (like after hours of gardening) is gone. But i’m still afraid about that lost feeling, as it feels unnatural to me (is that feeling normal when trying meditate with your method belly breathing in lie down position?)
So are you using a book then? I’m confused.
Anyway, I would stop practicing belly breathing like that. What I call “book breathing” is simply a tool to help you learn proper belly breathing, which would then be utilized in a sitting or standing position. I do not teach any prone qigong breathing techniques.
additional note:
i’ve heard about qi, dan tian, and belly breathing years before, and tried several time to use belly breathing, but don’t lack the determination to do it, so i kinda ignore what i’ve read and learn. Then a while ago i googled dan tian, and found your website which i found really interesting and encourage me to feel and cultivate qi for health and healing.
sorry for my broken english. i hope the message doesnt get lost in translation
It’s fine to practice, but do it standing rather than lying down.
But there are better ways to cultivate qi for health and healing.
This is the best course I’ve ever offered: https://flowingzen.mykajabi.com/p/qigong-101-the-art-of-healing-for-busy-people
hi again, sifu
I believe i have sensed my qi, its like something cool moving (or i better say its like someone is caressing me) on and above my skin on my head, back, and arms (but it has never reach the legs). And for several days, i feel like my head and hand is having some sort of warm blanket or bubble wrapping them. It always happened when i meditate, i also think that i’ve quietted my monkey mind, ignoring it whenever dialogs in my head starts, or images appearing.
But recently i start having problem, Maybe its the monkey mind craving, i got too focused on my breathing, even during normal activity, and especially when i’m doing nothing. Sometimes it make me forgot how to breathe naturally, to the point where i find it hard to breathe (not rythmic, uncomfortable, and not bringing qi/oxygen; not sure which is right).
So, what is meditation, is it about focus, or is it about not thinking about anything? Now i can describe the “lost” feeling where i can’t feel anything, its my consciousnes still active, but my body fell asleep kind of sensation, which when i try to follow it, its getting away, and need some more time to reach it again.
Not sure if you can understand my words, because i kinda think i don’t know what i’m saying as well.
Sorry and thank you for your guidance
Hi Anthony,
It sounds like Chi is another name for the “Life Force” “The Flow” “The Truth” & so on.
I know it !
I’ve been aware,
I’ve found it only presents itself when all past conditioning & the layers of shit in our minds is cleared.
Are you aware or do you just know all about it ?
I find that for example a lot of people know all & everything about “God” but they don’t actually experience “God” They are not consciously aware.
They say this & that but they’ve no idea !
Thank you for your time
Jimmy Dioguardi
I don’t think we can translate “Qi” to “the truth” or “the flow”. Those are too vague, and also have spiritual connotations that are incorrect.
Qi is energy. You can read more here: https://flowingzen.com/15937/the-15-most-frequently-asked-questions-about-qigong/
And yes, I can feel qi, as can most of my students. These articles may help:
https://flowingzen.com/8599/internal-strength-what-it-is-and-isnt/
https://flowingzen.com/9450/real-experiences-of-internal-strength-part-i/
Hi sifu
Ive been experiencing warming hands when doing flowing movements..and like hairs on the back of my neck rising…extending to my arms etc..
is this qi
Hello there I just started trying out chi and meditating for a new experience and I don’t know if I’m doing it right but whenever I try to sense chi I can feel an Icey tingling in my fingers in an almost relaxing way is this what chi is supposed to be ?
hi sifu anytime i try to meditate my palms feels like they are thingling and beating very fast is this chi?
Hi, your website is awesome so I wanted to leave a comment. I’ll probably try out one of your courses after I’m further along because I appreciate your efforts writing this stuff.
I am new to metaphysics, including qigong. I understand the POV of people who don’t believe in it, but I do. It definitely seems real some of the time.
Do you try to integrate your understanding of qigong with Indian mysticism such as chakras? I read online someone’s opinion that chakras are connected to the meridian system. I don’t remember the site but it made sense to me because it seems more parsimonious than the alternative.
Thank you for this site. I’m a student with schizophrenia – I’m trying to use mysticism to heal my 3rd eye, or to bolster it. So, I’m basically the same as others trying to use this to heal myself while also exploring spirituality.
Hi Pedro.
Chakra theory is Indian, whereas Meridian theory is Chinese. I use Meridian Theory in my teachings and my practice.
Please be very careful with qigong. Although it can be incredibly healing for those battling schizophrenia, it can also cause problems. I think that healing your 3rd eye is a bad idea. You should focus on the lower dantian, not the 3rd eye.
Thank you! I finally found a good enough solution by spending time to form a filter for my mind from my qi – such as from the qi in my lower dantien. Basically the same concept as reiki – form it with healing intentions into white light energy and let that energy do what you ask it to do with its own intelligence. The unwanted outside voice that speaks into my head and messes with me is more quiet. Faith also played a part in this to let me trust the white light energy, but I charge the filter with my own qi (starting today). Your website was very helpful!
Hey I have never learnt Qigong or Taichi but when I focus on feeling my qi I feel like my hands are two magnets repeling each other so is that qi
Sometimes I feel warmth and tingle on my hands does this count as feeling qi
Hi Sakura. This article will help answer your questions: https://flowingzen.com/17279/what-qi-really-feels-like/
Hi! I’m new to your site and thought you might be able to answer my question… the first time I did qigong I left a deep imprint in the grass and my feet were HOT…. what’s that!? 😂
Thanks for your insight, I completely agree with you and to put it into words is no easy feat. Especially, because of the jargon that goes with the whole culture of chi cultivation it is easy to get lost . I myself experience similar things when placing my hands on people the sensation of energetic vibration and the perception through your senses sometimes one, sometimes more and just being in the moment actively listening to the rythym . I like to play with fire when the chi is flowing through strongly into my fingers, it is fun to sense the interaction of the flame and the chi emanating from the fingers and at a flick the flame is cut and flickers out . A trick that i learnt from martial arts.
hello, i once stumbled across an artifical means of boosting chi to the point i sucked it up my back to the back of my head and have had some pretty extreme effects and attracted an entity that fed off me…
Hey guys, great article!
I wanted to share my own beginners experience of qi.
It has happened to me several times, when i am in a very relaxed state, meditating, i have felt strong sensations close to “tingling” in my hands, i also have hade the buzzing sensation, almost electrical, combine these the the feeling and sensation i would belive its a sense closely related to “electro-magnetism” or perhaps booth of them.
I have just briefly tried qigong and tai chi before, i have always felt like a piece was missing from my puzzle, ive tried yoga and i like it, tho it aint enough.
Qi and the energy arts is what i have been looking for, atleast thats how it feels like now.
Thanks for the site and all the great material!
I like to sit in my wood workshop in the dark and play the sound of silence, I dont listen so much to it but it helps calm my mind to where the vocals become another instrument. I’m not sure if I’m sending qi or what not but it’s as if the universe unfolds in my minds eye kinda like watching a movie without words the images tell me the story and because I’m not consciously thinking it’s like I’m seeing the world in lightspeed I see everything I need to no matter if it’s a years worth or a 100 years. At that moment everything is connected the unexplainable makes perfect sense. Tho explaining it in words is usually always beyond me. I understand it all but it’s hard to describe I dont see it feel it physically but I sense the flow of all creation. Like seeing the truth from the all seeing eye, i guess, I dont care bout how what or why when I’m done but I feel centered and everything at that moment makes sense good and evil right wrong. It’s all part of a never ending cycle. “Just as there is a light at night and darkness in the day, there will always be darkness in the world. At the same time, the world will never be engulfed by the darkness. In that mix of ambiguous colors, everything moves on: our fates determined.”
I have been practicing chi gong for a few months now. I notice that when I lie down to go to bed, some sensation happens in the palm center of my left hand and from there the sensation travels along my forearm and upper arm. It feels like very tiny thread like rivulets flowing. I am confused and don’t know what to make of it. Is it energy O am sensing or the begining of some kind of a nerve problem. Could u kindly please explain and guide..
Hi Sophie. What you’re experiencing sounds normal to me. You just need some qigong training. You’re in the right place.
Thank you, this information is so helpful. For me “hearing qi” used to be like, hearing a badminton racquet swipe through the air, with each movement. I always found this funny because my actual hearing, isn’t the greatest
I have just rewatched your Costa Rican video on “What Qi feels like” and reread the above article. I did so because I am pretty certain I am now feeling my Qi. It has made practice quite fascinating!!
I have felt tingling in my hands for quite a while now – even before I started doing your 5 phase routine. I now do the 2 sessions of 5 phase routine per day and the feelings have intensified to a surprising level. The feeling in my hands has become very strong and I feel a lot of trembling/vibration in my legs -sometimes to mid thigh – but usually up to my knee. The sensation varies with the depth and speed of my breathing and sometimes it feels like I am just filling up. It feels like it enters my hands and legs when I breath in (especially deep and slowly) and spreads when I breathe out. It is particularly noticeable in Phase 3 but can also be very strong in Phase 2 with Pushing Mountains or Plucking Stars.
I was surprised by the feeling in my legs (apparently it isn’t usual to feel it in your legs after comparatively little practice) but wonder whether it is a manifestation of healing energy as I have peripheral neuropathy which leaves my feet slightly numb. I haven’t noticed any improvement but I suspect it is a long standing condition.
I am also judging by results as my back is much much better than it has been for years. Not right yet but so much more comfortable and I am starting to do stuff without thinking which in the past would have caused degrees of backache. I have so much more energy these days and am much more flexible. To cap it all, I am enjoying the qigong for itself and am fascinated to see what turns lie ahead in this journey.
I feel it as buzzing and I lose time of what I am doing!
Is it normal for your body to sweat and be hot after qigong practice? I did practice today and my body was warm and sweaty. Also, while practicing some moves, my hands were tingling and a little heavy as it felt like a light magnet on my hands. Is that normal too? Also its been about 45 minutes since last time I practice. My hands are still tingly. Are all these after effects like tingly hands, magnet feeling, is this qi?
Hi Jaskaran. What kind of qigong are you doing? Flowing Zen Qigong?