An open library in progress. Explanations are editorial drafts, with sources for further study. Translations await specialist review. How to read our labels.
A place to begin
Qigong is an umbrella for varied Chinese cultivation practices, rather than one school with a single doctrine. Some forms emphasize movement; others emphasize stillness. Baduanjin and Yijin Jing are examples of named systems. A particular teacher, form and setting tell us more than the umbrella term alone.
Reading source: Qigong: What You Need To Know ↗
An overview of varied movement, breath and attention practices, with research limitations. It does not establish qi as a measured substance or represent every lineage’s doctrine.
Movement, breath and attention
Moving forms bring attention to sequences of posture and movement. Still forms may involve sitting or standing with little external movement. “Qigong” alone does not specify a breathing method or the intensity of a session.
Named forms, different contexts
Baduanjin and Yijin Jing are among the systems discussed in the linked overview. Name the form when reading a study or a teaching: an observation about one program is not automatically an observation about all qigong.
Reading source: Qigong: What You Need To Know ↗
An overview of varied movement, breath and attention practices, with research limitations. It does not establish qi as a measured substance or represent every lineage’s doctrine.
Qigong and internal alchemy
This library treats qigong as a broad practice category. Daoist Neidan has more specific alchemical vocabularies and goals. An apparent resemblance in a diagram is a rough functional parallel, not evidence that the practices or their aims are identical.
Reading source: The Way of the Golden Elixir ↗
A scholarly introduction with translated primary material. Internal alchemy and modern qigong must be distinguished.
Read claims in context
Well-being, religious cultivation and a researcher’s measured outcome are different kinds of aim. A report of benefit does not demonstrate that qi is a measurable substance, and no practice here is presented as a guarantee of healing or longevity.
A distinction to carry with you
Qigong is not synonymous with Daoist Neidan, and health findings are not universal promises.
Reading about practice
This is an educational overview, not a movement or breathing prescription. The demands of a particular form and the teacher’s training matter. For intensive breathing or practices affecting consciousness, seek appropriately qualified guidance.
Read the practice safety and scope guidance.
Related background reading
Daoist Neidan provides a related Chinese vocabulary for comparison. Qigong and internal alchemy remain distinct categories.
- Daoist Neidan · Comparative background