Sensing Qi: Exploring Qi

Through Movement and Awareness

A 5-Week Exploration

Sensing Qi is an exploration of what happens when we slow down enough to actually feel what is happening within us.

Through qigong, gentle movement, meditation, and principles drawn from Taiji and Five Element theory, we explore qi not simply as an idea, but as something we can notice and experience in the body.

This kind of awareness doesn't stop at the edge of the body. As we become more attentive to breath, movement, sensation, emotion, and thought, we may also begin to notice how we are affected by the people around us, the places we inhabit, the seasons, and the circumstances of our lives. The practice becomes less about turning inward and more about becoming aware of our relationship with the life we are already living.

Some sessions may explore the meridians and the Five Elements. Others may focus on the qualities of qi, the spirits associated with each Element, or what we can learn through a particular qigong or Taiji movement. The focus changes, but the underlying practice remains the same: becoming more aware of how we meet ourselves and the aliveness around us.

There is more to these practices than getting the movement right

Taijiquan and qigong can be physically demanding and wonderfully intricate. There is always something to refine: the alignment of the body, the mechanics of a movement, the sequence of a form, the coordination of breath and movement. And those things matter.

But it is easy to become so focused on doing the movement correctly that we miss the rich, rewarding layers beneath the art.

Sensing Qi is an invitation to slow down and explore those layers.

We might work with Baduanjin (Eight Brocades), individual qigong exercises, or movements drawn from Guang Ping Yang Taijiquan. We may explore meridians, the Five Elements, the qualities of qi, or the traditional Five Spirits. Sometimes the exploration is physical. Sometimes it is subtle. Sometimes it leads somewhere we didn't expect.

The point isn't to master another set of techniques. It is to become curious about what these practices have to teach us when we give ourselves enough time and attention to actually experience them.

What We Explore

Sensing Qi draws from a range of traditional practices and ideas, and each series takes a somewhat different path. Depending on the focus, we might explore:

Qigong and Baduanjin — using simple movements, breath, and attention to develop greater sensitivity to the body and qi.
Taiji movement — slowing down individual movements to discover what they can teach us about structure, connection, relaxation, and awareness.
Guang Ping Yang Taijiquan — exploring principles and movements from this traditional form beyond simply learning the choreography.
Meridians and the Five Elements — considering the body's energetic pathways and the different qualities of experience described through the Five Elements.
Qi and the Five Spirits — exploring traditional perspectives on the relationship between qi, consciousness, emotion, intention, and the spirit.
Meditation and stillness — creating space to notice what is present without needing to change or fix it.
The relationship among breath, movement, attention, and the body — noticing how these continually influence one another, both in practice and in everyday life.

The practices may change from one series to the next, but the invitation remains the same: slow down, pay attention, and discover what becomes available when you give yourself time to experience rather than simply understand.

How We Practice

Sensing Qi is a one-hour guided practice. We may move, meditate, explore a particular concept or movement, write or reflect, and share observations with one another. There is room for both structure and curiosity, and plenty of space to notice your own direct experience.

There’s nothing to achieve or get right. This is a practice of feeling more harmony with your inner landscape and the world around you.

Time to Explore

Whether you’re new to qigong and mindful movement or have practiced for years, Sensing Qi offers a place to explore what these practices have to teach us when we slow down and experience them directly.

All that’s needed is curiosity, presence, and a willingness to listen.