16/04/2026
First twenty years in the internal arts I had never built any Qi.
That is up to me.
But frankly: I don’t think any of my teachers had Qi either.
They were energetic, for sure! They were all living healthily. They stretched, moved and massaged, and they made sure they relaxed plenty. They all had great humour. Their minds were sharp and above all they were fabulous story tellers.
I was fascinated by their talks on the spirit and practice of Daoïsm. Social, medical, psychological, magical and ethical matters all related to the arts. They helped expand my mind and made me feel like I was working my way into the deeper layers of Neigong. Only I wasn’t.
And I am pretty sure we weren’t.
In the last seven years (training with LNG) I have come to see, learn and experience Qi as something far more real. Tangible. And also much harder to generate.
I am not talking about qi as in general energy. I don’t mean a tickling of nerves, heat or other sensations. I am not talking about the qi of Chinese Medicine either. I am talking about Qi as a substance that transforms your internal structure. It accumulates to a thick magnetic paste that stretches your tissues and wrangles your guts. It moves your body and it can knock you straight out.
It is not generated through imagination. It is not built in soft flowing movement nor an inner smile. And I hate to break it to some of you, but fondling yourself is not going to cut it either.
Building Qi takes careful structuring of the body, but mostly the mind. Not through intention (visualisation, guiding, dreaming) but through attention, which is much harder than you might think.
Seven years in, and it took me a mad amount of practice. I had to undo 20 years of wrong patterning. I really had to reorganise my mind and my body. And only slowly things have shifted.
Now, looking at my former teachers I can see they are not building, nor moving Qi. Their practice and their instructions are quite clear. (Inside is not in the mind.)
I am tremendously grateful for all of my teachers and for what they have given me. I learned a lot about structure, movement, health and so much more. They were great folk - I love some of them! - and those stories were gold!
And so it does feel a little awkward, posting this. But when I encountered an actual proper Qigong practice it hit me in the face. Hard!
And I feel such a fire that I want everybody to know. I spent too many years chasing butterflies. I want those with curiosity for the arts and for Daoïsm to actually get a chance to grab the bull by the horns!
Still a rookie myself, but with discernment and a pinch of Qi, I am dedicated to sharing my experience. This summer I will be offering Neigong foundations in the Hague and I would love to invite you there.
Info and registration:
studiomeng.nl/en/products/classes
