Arirang Qigong: A 12-Step Qigong Form to Return to your True Self
Arirang is Korea's most beloved folk song.
It has been sung across generations — through separation, hardship, and the quiet persistence that has carried the Korean people through their deepest challenges. The melody holds a feeling many recognize on first hearing: a longing, and beneath it, a sense of return.
In Korea, the lyrics have often been interpreted as a love song. At Body & Brain, we embrace a deeper interpretation — a journey back home to one's true self.
Arirang Qigong, created by Body & Brain founder Ilchi Lee, was born from this longing and the joy of returning home to oneself. It is a 12-step form that guides you back to your body, your energy, and the part of yourself that remains steady across all of life's changes.
A Practice to Return Home
As you follow the form, your breath deepens, tension softens, and attention shifts from thinking into feeling your energy.
Qigong is one of the simplest ways to feel, circulate, and ground energy in the body. After practicing, you may notice warmth in the hands, openness in the chest, or a grounded heaviness in the lower body. These are signs that Ki energy is moving and becoming more balanced within you.
Your mind naturally becomes still, not by effort, but by relaxing your body.
The Intention Behind the 12 Steps
Each step of this form reflects a different stage of the inner journey.
As you move through the steps, you can feel energy drawing deeper into the body — opening the heart, reaching the hand forward to meet the true self, cutting through the ego, and even offering a thumbs up or an "okay" as a message of encouragement to keep moving through the highs and lows of life.
As you perform (or simply watch) each step, you can feel the full human experience of the journey home to oneself. Through trials and tribulations, as long as we stay connected to our true self, we have the power to keep moving forward toward the completion of our soul.
A Message the World Desperately Needs
At a time when both the world and the United States are experiencing deep unrest, Body & Brain Qi Masters from across the country came together to share the spirit and message of Arirang.
The beauty of the United States lies in its diversity. We are a nation of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and stories, who have come together from all over the world. We have the potential to embody true coexistence, and yet, in these times, many have become disconnected from their true selves and have begun to lose their sense of identity as a people.
As a tribute to our true identity as Americans, Body & Brain masters performed Arirang Qigong in distinctive locations across the country, each representing a unique part of this nation, coming together as one.
Through Arirang, as we reconnect to our true selves, we rediscover what it means to be whole. And when the United States finds that sense of wholeness, we become a source of hope for the world.
Who This Is For
You do not need Qigong experience. You do not need flexibility. Simply follow along at your own pace, and we hope you feel the power of returning home to yourself.
If you'd like to experience Qigong with us and learn the form for yourself, we invite you to find a location near you.