Mind training The Basic Principles of Qigong

This training deals with our thoughts. When practising Qigong, the mind is very important. You should not be thinking of other things, but should concentrate on what you are doing. This is particularly important during meditation, when you should be concentrating on your Dantien to ensure that the Qi will be stored there. However, this can be difficult for the beginner. You may find yourself easily distracted by your thoughts. If this is the case, start off by just concentrating on relaxing and then slowly bring your mind to the Dantien.

Some Qigong exercises require you to concentrate on special areas of the body -for example on the Yongquan point, an acupuncture point on the sole of your foot. This point is connected to your kidneys and can benefit hypertension and kidney disease. Other exercises might concentrate on the Laogong point, the acupuncture point on the palm, which is related to the heart, circulation and to releasing negative Qi. Some might concentrate on the Shangzhong point for the heart and lungs. The main thing is always to make sure that your mind is clear and calm during your practice; slowly come to concentration and aim eventually to achieve 'emptiness of mind' when you can become one with the universe, when 'heaven and man become one'. Remember that any direction of Qi through the mind could easily cause a problem which would then be hard to get rid of.