How Qigong Enhances Your Tai Chi Practice: The Missing Energy Training

Many Tai Chi practitioners may feel stuck memorizing forms because the movements are hard to remember or because they feel mechanical and boring. This often happens if Tai Chi is taught through a physical sequence of steps, without a foundation in energy awareness.

If your Tai Chi practice feels weak or empty, you may be missing a critical element or piece: Qigong energy cultivation.

Tai Chi and Qigong share the same root, but they are not the same. Understanding how Qigong supports Tai Chi can help transform your practice from a mechanical routine into a vibrant mind-body art form.

Why Tai Chi Can Feel Mechanical

When you practice Tai Chi, including forms such as Dahn Mu Do, Dahn Gong, and ChunBuShinGong, you should be careful not to think of it as only a physical practice. When Tai Chi students focus too much on the physical elements:

• The brain prioritizes memory over sense
• Postures can become “rigid positions” instead of flowing naturally
• It may be hard to relax and achieve the mental benefits of the practice
• Improving balance, strength, and flexibility may feel stressful and frustrating

This happens when we train our brains to judge (thinking first) rather than sense (feeling first).

Qigong Develops the Internal Energy System First

Qigong supports:

• Relaxation through the body
• Deepening your breath
• Developing your energy sense
• Increasing your internal awareness
• Building internal strength and balance through energy

Developing these senses is the foundation that allows Tai Chi to feel effortless and powerful.

A Body & Brain Approach to your Qigong & Tai Chi Practice

A balanced session has three phases:

1. Activate Your Energy (Qigong)
   This stage calms the mind and awakens your energy sense. This includes energy meridian stretching, body tapping, activating energy inside your body, and strengthening energy in your lower body
2. Self-Healing with Energy (Tai Chi Form i.e. Dahn Mu Do, DahnGong, ChunBuShinGong)
   Here, you’ll learn specific postures and movements while connecting with your internal energy awareness. As energy becomes active and balanced in the body, you will be able to understand how each posture works, guided by a clear internal sense of progress and development
3. Accumulate & Balancing Energy (Closing Qigong)
   We finish every session by relaxing and gathering energy in the lower energy centers. This helps you feel grounded and peaceful, maintaining an internal balance inside your body even after the class has ended.

The Science Behind Qigong and Tai Chi

There’s actually a lot of scientific research showing that Qigong and Tai Chi offer measurable benefits for both the body and brain. As far as exercise goes, these practices are unique because they combine gentle movement, breath, mindfulness, and energy awareness, producing effects that conventional exercise routines often miss.

1. Brain & Nervous System Benefits

• Better brain function: Improves memory, learning, focus, and coordination.
• Mind–body connection: Strengthens awareness of your body in space (balance, posture, and movement).
• Stress relief: Activates the relaxation response, lowers stress hormones, and improves emotional resilience.
• Sleep improvement: Promotes deeper, more restful sleep through slow breathing and relaxation.
  
  

2. Physical Health Benefits

• Balance & fall prevention: Strengthens legs and stabilizes the body, reducing falls, especially in older adults.
• Joint & muscle health: Gentle movements increase flexibility, range of motion, and ease stiffness.
• Heart and lung health: Improves circulation, oxygen delivery, and heart rate regulation.
• Immune support: Enhances immune function and overall resilience.
  
  

3. Cognitive & Aging Benefits

• Better thinking skills: Supports memory, attention, and problem-solving.
• Slows cognitive decline: May help prevent age-related memory loss.
• Faster reactions: Improves coordination and reflexes.
  
  

4. Mental & Emotional Well-being Benefits

• Boosts mood: Increases serotonin and endorphins to reduce stress and depression.
• Mindfulness practice: Helps you stay present and calm, reducing negative thoughts.
• Self-regulation: Strengthens control over emotions and impulses.
  
  

5. Benefits Unique from Other Exercises

• Slow, mindful movement: Trains the brain and body together
• Breathing coordination: Supports nervous system balance and oxygen flow.
• Energy awareness: While “Qi” is an Eastern concept, modern science shows subtle movement, and focus can influence heart rate variability, stress response, and nervous system coherence.
• Mindful meditation: Combining mindfulness with movement has synergistic effects on both body and mind, enhancing cognitive and emotional benefits beyond simple physical exercise.

These benefits are why integrating both Qigong (energy awareness and cultivation) and Tai Chi forms (specific applied movement) is highly effective for holistic brain-body wellness.

If you’d like to learn more or experience this practice for yourself, we recommend visiting a local Body & Brain studio or exploring our online classes.