What Is Qi Gong?

If you have ever walked through a Chinese park at dawn, you have probably seen it: a group of people standing in quiet rows, moving their arms in slow, synchronized arcs, breathing deeply, faces calm. The practice they are doing is most likely qi gong — one of the oldest movement traditions in the world, and one that has recently begun to attract the attention of medical researchers.

This guide explains what qi gong is, where it comes from, what it actually involves, and what modern research does and does not say about it.

The name tells you what it is

Qi gong (氣功, pronounced "chee-gong") is made of two Chinese words. The first is qi (氣) — the familiar Chinese concept of vital energy or life force, the animating energy that traditional Chinese thought says flows through every living body. You can read more about it in our introduction to qi. The second is gong (功) — work, effort, cultivated skill. It is the same character that appears in the word "kung fu," which at its root simply means skill developed through long practice.

Put together, qi gong means something like "the cultivated work of vital energy": a disciplined practice for nurturing and guiding the body's energy. The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) describes it as a practice developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine, using exercises to support health and well-being of body, mind, and spirit.

The three ingredients: breath, movement, and mind

Almost every form of qi gong combines the same three ingredients, and learning to coordinate them is really what the practice is about:

• Breath. Breathing is slow, long, and deep — often abdominal breathing, sometimes combined with soft speech sounds. The pace of the breath sets the pace of everything else.
• Movement. Movements are typically gentle and smooth, designed to encourage relaxation rather than exertion. There is no jumping, no straining, and no competition. Postures and arm movements may be simple and repetitive, or strung together into longer flowing sequences.
• Mind. The practitioner directs attention — to the breath, to a part of the body, or to a calm mental image. This focused awareness is what separates qi gong from ordinary stretching: movement without attention is just exercise, and attention without movement is sitting meditation. Qi gong deliberately joins the two.

Because each of these three ingredients can be adjusted, qi gong takes many different forms. Some sessions are done entirely standing; others can be practiced walking or sitting, which is one reason the practice is accessible to people of very different ages and fitness levels.

Active and quiet: two broad styles

Researchers and teachers usually divide qi gong into two broad families:

• Dynamic (active) qi gong focuses on body movements — whole-body sequences or coordinated arm and leg patterns, often repeated in a flowing rhythm.
• Meditative (passive) qi gong can be done in any posture that can be comfortably held, and involves breath and mental exercises with little or no body movement at all.

Most beginners start with the dynamic kind, because it is easier to keep the mind engaged when the body is doing something. But the two are parts of the same tradition, and many experienced practitioners do both.

Many forms, one family

There is no single set of qi gong exercises. Many different schools developed their own sequences over the centuries, and NCCIH notes that there are hundreds of forms. One of the best known is Ba Duan Jin, the Eight Brocades — a set of eight simple, elegant movements that has been practiced for centuries and is still taught in parks and clinics today.

Perhaps surprisingly, tai chi belongs to this family too. NCCIH explains that tai chi originated as an ancient martial art, but when it is performed slowly for health — as it almost always is today — it is considered a form of qi gong, combining the same integrated postures, focused attention, and controlled breathing. You can learn more in our guide to tai chi and traditional Chinese wellness.

Roots in an old tradition

Qi gong did not develop in isolation. It grew up inside the same world of ideas as the rest of traditional Chinese medicine: the concepts of qi, of yin and yang (陰陽) — complementary forces whose balance supports health — and of the human body as a small reflection of the larger natural world. These ideas were first organized into a coherent medical theory more than two thousand years ago in the Huangdi Neijing, the foundational text of Chinese medicine. Our beginner's guide to the Huangdi Neijing explains that history.

In traditional terms, qi gong is traditionally described as a way of cultivating qi so that it flows smoothly through the body. Where the flow is thought to stagnate, traditional teaching associates that stagnation with declining health — and the gentle, rhythmic movements of qi gong are traditionally understood as a way of encouraging the flow to move freely again.

What does modern research say?

Modern science approaches qi gong very differently: it does not try to measure qi, but tests whether regular practice is associated with measurable changes in health. Most studies so far are small, and many reviews call for larger, higher-quality trials. Here is what the evidence looks like today, as summarized by NCCIH:

• Balance and falls. A 2019 survey of reviews found enough evidence to support qi gong for balance training and fall prevention, with effects similar to — and sometimes better than — more conventional balance programs. This is one of the more consistent findings in the literature.
• Lung conditions. A 2020 review of 31 studies (3,045 participants) found that adding qi gong to standard treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) helped improve lung function, quality of life, and the ability to exercise. Other reviews found it reduced self-ratings of depression and anxiety in people with COPD when combined with standard care.
• Parkinson's disease. A 2020 review of 7 studies (325 participants) suggested that qi gong-based exercise helped improve movement, walking ability, and balance; the improvements in balance were greater than those seen with other forms of exercise such as walking or stationary cycling.
• Heart failure rehabilitation. A 2020 review of 33 studies (2,465 participants) on tai chi and qi gong added to routine management found improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, walking distance, and quality of life compared with routine management alone.
• Fibromyalgia. Small studies suggest that frequent, consistent qi gong practice may be associated with less pain and better sleep and physical and mental function — though the research base is still small.
• Knee osteoarthritis. Only a small amount of research exists; one review found weak evidence of benefit, and authors caution that more high-quality studies are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
• Cancer-related symptoms. A 2019 review of 7 studies (915 participants) found that qi gong significantly improved fatigue and sleep quality in people with various cancers, with possible positive effects on anxiety and stress.
• Cognition. A 2020 review of 13 studies (893 people with mild cognitive impairment) suggested that regular practice was associated with improved cognition and memory after three to six months.

On pain in general, NCCIH describes the research as conflicting: some small reviews suggested qi gong may help decrease pain in older adults and people with neck or musculoskeletal pain, while others found conflicting results. More and better studies are needed.

Two ways of looking at the same practice

It is worth pausing on the gap between these two perspectives. Traditional teaching describes qi gong as cultivating and harmonizing qi. Modern research describes slow movement, deep breathing, and focused attention, and measures outcomes like balance scores and sleep quality. The first language is the language of a two-thousand-year-old healing tradition; the second is the language of clinical trials.

These two perspectives do not need to be in conflict, but they should not be confused either. A trial showing improved balance does not prove anything about qi, and the traditional account of qi does not substitute for medical evidence. Understanding both — and keeping them clearly separate — is the honest way to approach the practice. For more on how breath is understood in this tradition, see our guide to breathing practices in traditional Chinese wellness.

Is qi gong safe? How to begin

According to NCCIH, qi gong appears to be a safe form of activity. Many studies have reported no negative side effects in people practicing qi gong, including older adults and people with chronic diseases. In a review of adults with neck pain, side effects in the qi gong and exercise groups were similar — occurring in fewer than 10 percent of participants — and consisted of minor complaints such as muscle pain, soreness, and headache.

If you are curious to try it, a few sensible guidelines apply:

• Start gently. Choose a beginner class or a short, simple sequence, and keep sessions brief at first. Qi gong is not supposed to be strenuous.
• Talk with your health care provider first if you have a health condition, a recent injury, or balance problems. Movements can often be adapted — practiced seated or with support — but a professional can help you decide what is appropriate.
• Pregnant women should consult their health care providers before starting, since some movements may need to be avoided or modified.
• Learn the basics from a qualified teacher if you can. A few in-person sessions on posture and breathing will take you further than months of guessing from videos.

Qi gong is not a quick technique but a practice in the old sense of the word: something cultivated over time. Its traditional promise was never a sudden transformation, but the quiet, cumulative effect of showing up, breathing slowly, and moving with attention — day after day, year after year.

This article is educational and is not medical advice. The traditional concepts described here are presented as part of a historical perspective, not as guidance for treating any condition. Consult a qualified professional before beginning a new exercise or wellness practice.

References

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health — "Qigong: What You Need To Know"
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health — "Tai Chi and Qi Gong" (fact sheet PDF)
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health — "Osteoarthritis: In Depth"
• Wikipedia contributors — "Qigong"