Long White Cloud Qigong

You may have noticed in different qigong practices that sometimes different movements are performed specific numbers of times, or postures are held for specific counts.

Sometimes these numbers play a practical role – doing 10 repetitions of something will have a physical effect that is clearly different from doing just 1 repetition, and at other times the numbers are used in a more symbolic way – the difference between doing 4 or 5 repetitions of something may be small – but the meaning we attach to the number of repetitions may shape the way we use our energy in subtle ways.

This is why you may also notice the same numbers occurring regularly within different qigong practices – because of the cultural or psychological symbolism connected to them, and the way this contributes to the effect on the mind and energy within the practice.

Many people find that they have a natural instinctive understanding of the symbolism of colour and how it affects their energy. We often naturally associate colours with different emotions – which are clear expressions of qualities of our energy. You have probably heard of people being green with envy, seeing red when they are angry, or being ‘yellow’ when they are cowardly.

These colours connect to functions of our bodies, with organs, tissues, and nerves becoming more or less active as we experience different emotions, and as we move energy through our bodies they carry colours relating to those emotions and tissues of our body with them.

With an understanding of the patterns of how colours affect our emotions, body, and energy, we can use the symbolism of colour beneficially within our qigong practice. Instead of the colours ‘happening’ to us, we can guide and direct the process proactively.

If you find that you easily get out of breath when going upstairs, you can try this to make it easier.

Take a normal breath in, then breathe out until your belly naturally draws in. Keep your belly drawn in and then breathe in and out - naturally the expansion and contraction will move up into your ribs rather than your belly.

Try climbing the stairs again with the belly gently held in and breathing with your ribs, and it is likely that you will notice that it is significantly easier with less of a feeling of being out of breath! 🩻

You can learn more about this and other foundational aspects of your breath in our free course The Complete Natural Breath through the link in the bio.

One type of symbolism that is used extensively in qigong practice is that of the five elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. This symbolism is woven into the names and shapes of movements and postures, and also more subtly into the qualities of the practices and the texture and tone we give to the tissues of our bodies as we do them.

The elements are chosen as archetypes of deeper patterns of energy, fundamental phases that energy naturally cycles through. Condensing, rising, expanding, consolidating, and descending. When energy flows through each of these phases smoothly, there is balance and harmony.

We find relationships between the symbolism of the five elements and every aspect of our body, energy and experience of life. There are elemental relationships with organs, tissues, senses, emotions, environments, and so on. So working with the elements becomes a powerful way to bring balance to many aspects of our being at once.

An analogy I find useful for understanding the role of visualization in qigong is a heat map or thermal camera.

When we look at a thermal image, we often see bright colours—reds, yellows, greens, and blues—showing areas of different temperature. But if we look directly at the object itself, we don’t see these colours at all. The colours aren’t really “there.” But the camera or software creates them to represent something that is real: differences in temperature, shown in a way we can easily understand.

Visualization works in a similar way in qigong practice. The images or symbols we use often aren’t meant to be taken literally. Instead, they give us a simple and intuitive way to connect with aspects of our energy and functions of our body that are really present.

The visualization gives us a way to more easily observe, feel, and gently direct our energy within our practice.

When using symbolism or imagery in our qigong practice, it is helpful to be able to distinguish between visualization, imagination, and actually connecting to and directing our energy.

Our core purpose in qigong is to work with our energy in beneficial ways, and visualization or imagination can play a useful role in this, but are not an end in themselves. Our purpose in using them is to connect them to what is actually occurring within our body and energy so that we can use the imagery to guide and direct them in useful ways.

So when we use visualization or imagination in our qigong practice, we need to take care that we keep it connected to our felt experience of our body and energy, otherwise it can become a distraction from what is occurring, or even a delusion.

Imagery and symbolism often play a significant role in how we use our mind to affect our energy within qigong practice.

This is often used overtly within meditative practices, where bringing specific imagery or symbolism to mind may be the main part of the practice, and it often plays an important role in other practices where the symbolism is embedded more subtly into the practice as well.

Different movements and postures naturally evoke different types of action or emotions that may have a significant effect on the quality and flow of our energy, and even the names of movements or practices and their symbolic meaning can subtly affect how we direct our energy within a practice.

The symbolism can affect us whether we are aware of it or not, and consciously understanding the meaning of different symbols puts us in the best position to direct their effects skilfully towards our desired purposes.

The role of the eyes in qigong practice can be quite obvious at times, and more subtle at others. Sometimes we use our eyes to look in specific directions, helping to stretch muscles and nerves and directly influence energy flow. At other times, our eyes guide the overall direction of our awareness and energy more subtly.

For example, when we open our eyes and focus on something external, our awareness and energy naturally move outward. Or when we look at a specific part of our body, awareness increases there and energy follows. In contrast, when we close our eyes, our awareness and energy tends to turn inward.

With practice, we begin to appreciate how powerfully our eyes direct our energy. Unless a practice calls for a specific direction, we often seek balance by keeping our eyes open with a soft, unfocused gaze, allowing both internal and external awareness at the same time.