15 minute Qi Gong sequence to practice Daily, for All Levels (including Beginners)
We had the pleasure of meeting Ursula, a yoga teacher based in the charming town of Morzine, who shared with us her 15-Minute Qi Gong Sequence that is perfect for daily practice.
Our simple yet powerful Qi Gong sequence is suitable for all levels, including beginners.
By following along with our guided video, you can learn to cultivate a deep sense of inner peace and balance.
You’ll be surrounded by breathtaking views of the French Alps, while moving your body and connecting with your breath.
Initial Grounding
Begin by bringing your feet as wide as your hips and turning them slightly out. Bounce a few times on your knees to make sure your joints are soft. This is called the Wuji stance, which we use in most Qigong practices.
Tuck your tailbone ever so slightly and imagine you have an egg in your armpit and a grape in between every finger so there’s space in your body. Close your eyes for a couple of moments and feel into your feet, grounding from the top of your head all the way down through your feet.
Start taking some deep breaths, noticing the connection between your feet and the ground.
Feel into the area around your body, not just in your body. Be very mindful of your inhale and your exhale. Your breath should be soft.
Joint Mobilisation
Let’s begin with some joint mobilization. Bring your arms up in front of you and start opening and closing your hands quickly to energize all the meridians. Move through your wrists in one direction and then the other.
Move on to your elbows, isolating the movement just at the elbows, in and out. Involve your shoulders and bounce gently on your knees, making big circles and changing the direction.
Then bring your hands to your hips and initiate circles through your hips in one direction, being mindful not to rush any movements. Change the direction. Mobilize your knees in one direction and then the other.
Challenge your balance by balancing yourself on one leg and bringing the other leg up into the air, making gentle circles through the hip joint in one direction and then changing the direction.
Lastly, mobilize your ankles and feet by balancing on one foot and circling through the ankles. Spend some time on your feet to bring a little bit of mobility to the ankle joint. Switch sides and shake it off.
Knocking on the Door of Life
In this Qi Gong movement, you swing your body from side to side while keeping your arms loose. Then, you tap with a soft fist at the top of your chest on one side and your lower back and sacrum on the other side.
It’s important to breathe while practicing and not withhold the breath. This movement creates a vibration that energizes the internal organs and helps to smooth out the energy flow.
Finally, you bring your arms underneath the breast line and move into the stomach, spleen, and top of the kidneys before winding down to stillness.
The Drinking Bird
Begin with a full-body stretch on the inhale, reaching up with the hands and rounding through the back like diving into water.
Then, come into a squat and reach the arms round and down as if picking up energy from the ground.
Lift the energy up and move it through your system, opening up and continuing with your own breath. It’s important to be soft on your knees and not lock out any joints during this movement.
Pulling Down the Heavens
Open your arms up on the inhale and imagine that your hands have magnets in them, pulling the energy up from the earth.
Then, lift your arms up and run the energy down through the front of your body on the exhale, as if you are pressing a cloud down.
Remember to do this movement slowly and with intention, focusing on the energy flow.
Soaring Crane
The Soaring Crane is a balancing pose in Qi Gong that helps to train the ankles for stability.
To do this pose, balance on one foot and bring the toes of the other foot to the floor. With the inhale, lift the arms up and imagine a bird flying with its wings open. Then, softly touch down on the exhale.
For those who want to make it more challenging, lift the foot off the floor on the inhale, but it’s perfectly fine to keep the toes on the floor for support.
The movement should be fluid, feeling into every section of the inhale and exhale.
Compressing the Ball of Qi
To perform Compressing the Ball of Qi movement in Qi Gong, start by bringing your hands in front of you with palms facing each other. Close your eyes and focus on the space between your hands.
Concentrate on feeling the energy field around you and compress it into a ball in a playful way. While doing this, keep a gentle smile on your face.
This movement helps to change the frequency and vibration in your body.
Finally, bring that energy ball into your lower belly, which is also called the lower dantian, to feed the energy back into your body’s vitality lock.
The Golden Ball
Begin by standing in a wide stance and bouncing a few times in your knees to soften your body.
Open your arms out to the sides and inhale to gather energy. Exhale to lift the energy up, inhale to open, and exhale to compress. Inhale to bring the energy into your body, exhale to push it out, inhale to press it down, and exhale to disperse.
Repeat this sequence a few times, keeping the eight movements fluid and meditative.
Body Tapping and Brushing Off
First relax your arms and shake through your feet. Open up your arm with a soft hand and begin tapping the outer and inner line of your arm, making your way down to your chest and collarbones.
Tap your shoulders, belly, top of your kidneys, and lower back with flat hands. Then tap the outer line of your legs and come up on the inner.
Brush off any energy that doesn’t serve you anymore by brushing your face, top of your head, and body. Notice how your body received this practice and feel the energy flow.
