Foundational Principles and Sayings

• The Power of Intent: "When the intent (yi) arrives, the qi [life force] arrives." This emphasizes that mental focus is critical for developing and controlling one's life force.

• Core Principles: The main active components in all qi gong practices are:

  • Breath: All inhalation and exhalation should be slow, silent, deep, and primarily through the nose.

  • Posture and Movement: Specific stances and movements (e.g., "Two hands upholding the sky," "Pulling the bow") guide energy flow.

  • Relaxation: A relaxed body and mind are necessary to allow qi to circulate freely.

  • Concentration/Visualization: Using the mind to guide energy (qi) through the body is a key aspect of the practice. 

Golden Rules for Practice

A common set of "golden rules" helps maintain the right mindset during a qi gong session:

• Don't Worry.

• Don't Intellectualize.

• Enjoy Your Practice. 

These rules remind practitioners to focus on the immediate, felt experience rather than getting caught up in performance anxiety or overthinking the movements.

Guidance on Specific Movements

Excerpts describing movements often highlight the synchronization of breath and action: 

• "inhale as one leg steps back exhale as arms come back down inhale as one leg steps forward exhale as you bend the knees gather the chi".

• In one simple exercise, the instruction is to "inhale, raise shoulders, exhale, relax; inhale, raise hands to chest, exhale, push palm out, turn head". 

For visual examples of these practices, numerous resources are available on platforms like YouTube, which offer guided routines for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.