Why is intention important in Qigong?

If you have attended my terms or classes before, it is likely that you have heard me talk about the importance of cultivating intention in your Qigong practice – and this really is the key to feeling success, lasting change and transformation.

Not just mentally, physically or spiritually but at a deeply embodied level. The kind of change that in time permeates your entire being, right to it’s very core.

For many people attending class, it is likely that you will leave feeling better than you arrived.  Whilst this is a wonderful experience to have, it is likely that the positive change you feel will fade away sooner than you would like it to.

Your mind and emotions will inevitably shift back to their habitual thought patterns, stories and ways of operating until you choose to practice again.

If you only relate to the practice in this way – you are essentially seeing it as a means to an end. A positive and supportive end, that is conducive to your overall health and wellbeing, but still and end. This will serve as a temporary break in the cycles of mental and emotional events that you experience daily but the change stops there.

There needs to be a higher reason why you practice Qigong in order to build real momentum. This, in time, can give rise to a greater commitment to the practice, a deepened trust in its effectiveness and helps you to see it’s potential to create deeper levels of positive change in your life.

In Qigong philosophy, your intention is known as your ‘Yi’. There is an ancient formula that describes how it works, that it is not just an esoteric or conceptual phenomenon, but a deeply embodied experience.

“The blood follows the Qi, the Qi follows your Yi. Where your Yi goes your Qi flows.”

There are different layers of understanding this wisdom.You can get a glimpse of this physically and emotionally anytime you do Qigong practice. In time, the more connected and attuned you become to your Qi, the more you can start to move beyond the physical body and focus & manifest your Yi in other areas of your life.

The key difference to other spiritual/esoteric understandings of working with intention here is the importance of your Yi being cultivated from the inside out, so that it literally runs through your blood and your Qi and then ripples out through your being into your life and the outside world. Also, the importance of the movements, breath and flow reinforcing your intention as you practice.

It is also important to note that your intention doesn’t need to be anything big, significant and that it is not the same thing as a goal. It is often helpful to start will a simple intention such as “ May i cultivate more ease in my life”,  “To raise my level of awareness” or “ To know myself more”. You may like to think of it as a heartfelt wish towards your own higher evolution.

You may like to commit to a particular intention for a period of time. You may like to be spontaneous on what you feel you need on a particular day. The important factor is that your intention is clear, concise and makes sense to you.

As the intention will run through your body, it is helpful to listen to your body in connecting with your intention. To feel a positive flow of energy emerge from it. You can then name your intention either verbally or aloud in your mind at the start of your Qigong practice.

Try it for yourself and let me know how you get on!

I have been practicing the same Qigong forms that i teach for 10 years and this is a wonderful way of bringing freshness and heartfelt connection into my practice.