14 qigong exercises that give you a mind-body energy boost in seconds

There’s a certain feeling you get after a good mind-body reset, the kind that takes you from stressed to stress-free. Here, your shoulders finally drop, your breath evens out, and your body feels like it’s in place.

There’s a palpable mental shift, too, where your usual frantic thoughts no longer consume you. And suddenly, the day feels a little more manageable than it did an hour ago.

If you’ve ever wished to be in that state on command, qigong exercises are often a great place to start. A handful of gentle movements can change how you feel in real time, taking you from scattered to centered without demanding much effort at all.

What is qigong?

Qigong is a centuries-old Chinese practice built around three things:

1. Gentle movement,
2. Steady breath, and
3. Focused awareness.

The word qi (like the “chee” in lychee) refers to your life force. Gong means skill. Put together, it refers to a practice of learning how to guide your energy so your body can function with more ease.

Want an even simpler way to remember what it’s about? Go for Lee Holden’s definition of it. “‘Qi’ simply means energy,” says the qigong, meditation, and tai chi expert in his Mindvalley program, Modern Gigong.

Now, traditional Chinese medicine teaches that this energy flows through pathways called meridians. When these pathways stay open, your body runs more smoothly. But when they stagnate, often from long periods of sitting, stress, or emotional buildup, you can bet on tension showing up in your body’s nooks and crannies, like your neck, shoulders, or lower back.

But where qigong becomes helpful is with the gentle movements to open your joints, wake up your breath, and give your energy room to move again. And in time, your body learns how to settle itself in the name of self-healing… even on days when your mind’s in overdrive.

“Qigong practice is a moving meditation,” Lee points out. “When you harmonize your own body’s energy, healing happens.”

What are qigong exercises?

Qigong exercises are individual movements, postures, and breath patterns that help your energy flow more easily. They are simple, repetitive sequences designed to relax your body, clear your mind, and strengthen the pathways where qi naturally moves.

According to Lee, the practice itself was considered “the art of preventing disease and prolonging life.” It taught people that, by hook or by crook, you’ve got to know how to work with your life force to stay alive and thriving.

Each of these qigong exercises, for beginners and experts alike, falls into one of the following categories:

• Flowing movements. Soft, wave-like motions that move qi through the spine, shoulders, and hips. They help you release tension while guiding your breath into a steadier rhythm.
• Rooting stances. Moves like Ma Bu (the horse stance) and Gong Bu (the bow stance) strengthen your legs and give your energy a stable base to move from.
• Energetic techniques. These help you tune into subtler sensations, from warm tingling to gentle magnetism, as you move energy between your hands or along your spine.
• Breath-led sequences. These combine inhaling, exhaling, and gentle motion to regulate your nervous system. (Fun fact: science shows that qigong-style breathwork reduces anxiety and improves emotional balance. No wonder these sequences are vital in every routine.)

Most of these movements look gentle from the outside. But internally, they create ripple effects that go the distance because, ultimately, they tap into nature’s inherent framework for energy healing. 

What’s more, they’re accessible to people of all ages and easy to weave into your day, even if you’ve never explored this practice. And, as Lee often reminds anyone exploring qigong for beginners, everything is energy. He adds, “You can always work with energy.”

These movements? They simply show you where it begins.

Here’s what Lee has to say about what they are:

5 key principles of qigong to know

Qigong sure appears simple on the surface. But the practice rests on a few guiding principles that shape how its movements affect your body and mind. These principles give the exercises their depth, as they paint a picture of why you’d feel shifts in your practice early on.

Qigong practice is a moving meditation. When you harmonize your own body’s energy, healing happens.

— Lee Holden, trainer of Modern Qigong on Mindvalley

Here are the foundations that hold the entire practice together:

1. Posture

Every movement starts with how you stand. Soft knees, relaxed shoulders, and a tall spine create the structure your qi relies on. 

Lee often reminds his students that stability is the starting point for everything. “When you feel stable in your body, your energy has a foundation to flow,” he says. 

And good posture acts as an open channel, helping the exercises land with more ease.

2. Breath

Your breath is the organizing force of the practice. Slow, steady inhales and exhales help you regulate your system and guide each movement. 

As Lee puts it, “Breathing is your entry point into the operating system.” Once your breath settles, your body follows. “The nice thing about breathing,” he adds, “is that you can control it.” 

It becomes your built-in anchor every time you practice.

3. Mindfulness

In qigong, you move, breathe, and notice—all at once. By centralizing mindful attention, it primes you to stay connected to what’s happening in your body, rather than slipping into autopilot. 

This awareness amplifies the effects of the practice, helping you sense warmth, ease, flow, and subtle shifts as they appear. 

4. Flow

Qigong exercises, for seniors and younglings alike, are unhurried and natural. The goal with it is to move with ease, not force. 

“Nature moves with effortless power,” Lee imparts in his program. When you mirror this quality, your joints loosen, your breath deepens, and your whole system softens. 

And the flow state becomes the state your body remembers.

5. The five elements

Many qigong traditions draw from the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each represents different emotional and physical qualities inside you. 

When you practice qigong exercises imbued with these elements, you’re supporting specific aspects of your internal balance. Their symbology helps you restore harmony across your body, mood, and energy.

Five tenets, one way forward

Together, these five principles form the backbone of qigong in supporting mind-body synergy. And science is catching up: researchers found that qigong, like many mindfulness-based practices, can improve emotional regulation, reduce stress, and enhance physical well-being.

It’s no wonder that Connie Akerley, a fitness instructor and a Mindvalley student, loves qigong. After years of surgeries, chronic pain, and even a Parkinsonism diagnosis, she wanted nothing more than gentle support for her body’s recovery.

What she found after signing up for Modern Qigong surprised her. She shares:

Since I have been practicing qigong, I’ve been able to positively improve my mobility and quality of life.

Thanks to Lee’s guidance, she’s more grounded and confident to lead her fitness classes again.

4 qigong exercises for beginners

The best qigong exercises for beginners are the ones that help you feel grounded, relaxed, and connected to your breath. You don’t need complex choreography at the start. Just a few simple movements that let your body soften up and your energy move with more ease.

Below are four beginner-friendly exercises that create a strong foundation for your practice.

1. Ma Bu (horse stance)

Ma Bu is a classic stance in many Asian movement traditions. It builds stability in your legs, opens the hips, and teaches your body how to root into the ground.

How to try it:

1. Take a wide, comfortable stance.
2. Lower your hips slightly while keeping your spine tall.
3. Turn your feet outward a bit.
4. Rest your hands in front of you, with your elbows slightly bent.
5. Hold the position for 10–30 seconds, then gradually increase the duration.

If it feels intense:

Try a Wall Ma Bu (with your back supported) or a Chair Ma Bu (sitting on the edge of a chair as you lower into the stance). As Lee says, this is where you begin developing “effortless power,” which is strength without strain.

2. Gong Bu (bow stance)

It’s essentially a soft forward lunge done in the name of balance, flexibility, and whole-body coordination. It trains your awareness of weight shifts and helps your breath move more naturally through your torso.

How to try it:

1. Step one foot forward.
2. Bend your front knee slightly.
3. Step your other foot back at a 45° angle.
4. Keep your back leg long and your spine lifted.
5. Hold for 10–30 seconds, then switch sides.

Adjust the depth until it feels natural. Do it enough times, and you’ll eventually establish steady lower-body strength.

3. Sitting qi flow

This is a favorite among beginners because it’s gentle, seated, and quickly helps you feel the “flow” of qigong.

How to try it:

1. Sit tall on the edge of a chair.
2. Inhale as you lift your arms to shoulder height.
3. Exhale as you lower them slowly back down.
4. Repeat with relaxed shoulders and slow, steady breath.

Lee sees this one as a physical form of an inner reset, through which “you transform stress into vitality.” The slower the motion, the more clearly you’ll feel your system shift.

4. Qi ball rolling

This is a soft, meditative movement that helps you feel the subtle space between your palms.

How to try it:

1. Sit or stand comfortably.
2. Hold one palm facing up near your belly, the other facing down above it.
3. Imagine a warm ball of energy between your hands.
4. Move your hands in slow circles, keeping the space steady.
5. Notice any warmth, tingling, or gentle resistance.

Beginners love this one because the sensations can feel surprisingly real. As Lee notes, the hands are “the ends of your meridians,” that is, the natural place for energy to activate. And once those pathways wake up, he says, “you ignite the fire.”

5 qigong breathing exercises

In qigong, breath acts as the switch that turns your whole system on and sets the tone for your movements. 

The slower and steadier it becomes, the more your energy organizes itself behind the scenes. And everything else, from your posture to your focus to your energy levels, falls into place. 

Below are simple, beginner-friendly qigong breathing exercises that help you tap into this inner shift quickly and naturally.

5. The 5-1-6 breath

This pattern is a qigong staple for grounding your qi and quieting your nervous system. The long exhale helps your energy settle downward into the lower belly, where your dantian—the body’s energetic center—lives. 

How to do it:

1. Inhale for five seconds.
2. Hold lightly for one.
3. Then exhale for six.
4. Continue the entire process for one to three minutes.

These simple steps make it one of the easiest breathing patterns to start your qigong journey with. And there are so many perks; slower breathing, exemplified by this technique, activates your parasympathetic nervous system by reducing anxiety and improving emotional regulation. 

6. Slow abdominal breathing

According to Lee, savoring the breath is how you set the stage for mental clarity. “When you breathe slowly,” he explains, “you cultivate peace and contentment.”

How to do it:

1. Place a hand on your lower belly.
2. Inhale through your nose, letting the belly rise.
3. Exhale through your nose, letting it soften.
4. Keep your shoulders relaxed. 
5. Continue this whole process for 10 to 20 more rounds.

Over time, your breath drops naturally into the belly, which is your internal center of gravity. When this happens, your mind stops racing, your muscles loosen up, and your body settles into a calm baseline effortlessly.

7. Ocean wave breath

This one mirrors the feeling of a soft wave moving through your torso. Lee often uses versions of it in his flows to help students “connect breath and movement as one continuous rhythm.”

How to do it:

1. Inhale through your nose as if the breath is rising your spine.
2. Exhale as if it’s rolling softly down the front of your body.
3. Keep the cycle smooth, with no sharp edges.
4. Done for a minute or two, it leaves your body feeling open and your mind noticeably clearer.

8. Three-count cleansing breath

This pattern is great when you feel mentally cluttered or emotionally tight. It helps clear out energetic stagnation before moving into physical exercises.

How to do it:

1. Inhale for a count of three.
2. Exhale for a count of three.
3. Imagine releasing heaviness with every out-breath.

As the rhythm steadies, your system shifts from tension to clarity. It’s a simple way to clear negative energy, make room for positive energy, and prepare your whole body for whatever movement comes next in your qigong exercise sequence.

9. Gathering breath

This pattern helps you “gather” scattered energy back into your center. It’s simple, grounding, and steady enough that Lee teaches versions of it throughout Modern Qigong to help students calm the mind and reconnect with their inner strength.

How to do it:

1. Stand or sit tall with relaxed shoulders.
2. Inhale as you sweep your arms up in a soft arc.
3. Exhale as you draw your hands toward your lower belly.
4. Keep your breath smooth and your hands relaxed.
5. Repeat for one to two minutes.

After a minute or so, you’ll feel your whole system settle. Your breath evens out, your mind comes back online, and your center feels unmistakably present, like someone just flipped your internal “reset” switch.

Qigong exercises for energy

“Tension,” Lee explains, “blocks the flow.” Thankfully, qigong exercises can awaken your qi and increase your body’s natural vitality.

You’ll notice that the effect mirrors what pranic healing aims for as well: clearing stagnation, opening energetic pathways, and restoring balance. The difference here, though, is that qigong does so through gentle physical movements paired with steady breathing. 

This combo is what makes the exercises accessible, grounding, and easy to do whenever and wherever you feel your energy waning. And it’s done through these morale-boosting variations:

10. Shake and bounce

This classic warm-up wakes your system quickly. Lee often uses it to help students “loosen stagnation” and refresh the body.

Here are the steps:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Bounce lightly through your knees.
3. Let your arms hang and shake softly.
4. Keep your breath natural.
5. Continue for about a minute.

You may feel your hands warm up and your mind clear within seconds, which makes it such a great, easy pick-me-up.

11. Opening the gates

This movement focuses on the joints, which qigong views as the main gateways through which energy flows in the body. They are, as Lee points out, “the gateways of energy.”

Here are the steps:

1. Circle your wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
2. Then circle your hips, knees, and ankles.
3. Keep your motions smooth and relaxed all the way.

Once these gates open, your body will feel much lighter and more awake.

12. Spinal wave

This gentle wave-like motion helps free up the central channel along your spine. Lee teaches it as a way to build what he calls “effortless power,” which is strength without strain.

Here are the steps:

1. Stand tall with soft knees.
2. Let your spine round forward slowly.
3. Roll back up, stacking each vertebra one at a time.
4. Repeat for eight to ten rounds at a relaxed pace.

You will likely feel your breath deepen as the spine loosens, which naturally boosts your alertness and sense of internal space.

13. Tiger claws from the Wood element

This movement is inspired by the Wood element in qigong, which represents growth, drive, and upward-moving energy. As Lee explains, these practices help you move through resistance with more clarity and inner strength.

Here are the steps:

1. Stand comfortably with knees soft.
2. Inhale as you bend your knees slightly and curl your hands into light claw shapes.
3. Exhale as you extend your arms forward with controlled strength.
4. Repeat the entire sequence six to eight times.

Most people notice a palpable surge of focus and motivation after a few rounds, as if their system has switched from stagnation to momentum.

14. Gathering the qi

This movement helps you collect and organize your energy, making it a great finishing practice. Lee often uses it to help students return to their center and integrate the session’s effects.

Here are the steps:

1. Stand relaxed with your feet grounded.
2. Inhale as you sweep your arms out and up in a soft arc.
3. Exhale as you draw your hands toward your lower belly.
4. Repeat for one to two minutes.

In short, it’s a simple way to close your practice and carry that clarity into the rest of your day. By the end of this move, your breath, attention span, and energy can feel much steadier. 

Bonus: Your simple 10-minute daily qigong routine

The best routine for qigong newbies is one that’s doable, calming, and, above all, easy to repeat. Ten minutes is all you’d need to shift your energy, clear your mind, and give your body a sense of lightness you can feel right away.

Here’s a “qigong for beginners”-esque sequence inspired by Lee’s teachings that you can follow anytime, anywhere. No equipment needed, only a bit of space and a readiness to tap into the calm you’ve had in you all along.

Minute 1: Settle your breath with the 5-1-6 pattern
Inhale for five, pause for one, exhale for six.

Minutes 2–3: Shake and bounce
Stand tall, soften your knees, and shake out your arms and hands.

Minutes 3–4: Open the “gateways”
Focus on all of your joints: your wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.

Minutes 4–6: Spinal wave
Roll your spine forward and back in a slow wave.

Minutes 6–8: Sitting or standing qi flow
Lift your arms on the inhale and lower them on the exhale.

Minutes 8–10: Gather your qi
Sweep your arms out and up, then exhale as your hands draw toward your lower belly.

By the time you finish, you will feel clearer, more grounded, and more awake inside your own body. It’s the kind of reset you can return to daily, especially on mornings when you want to ease into your flow.

Frequently asked questions

Are tai chi and qigong the same?

In short? No. They both come from the same lineage of Chinese mind-body practices, but they aren’t the same. Tai chi is typically a more extended sequence with precise choreography, while qigong is simpler, slower, and easier to pick up right away.

Between the two, qigong is usually more accessible because its movements are short, steady, and intuitive. As Lee puts it, “Slow movement organizes the energy system,” which explains why beginners often feel grounded even from the very first session.

Who should not practice qigong?

Qigong is gentle enough for most people, including seniors and people recovering from injuries. That said, if you have a medical condition that severely limits mobility or are recovering from a recent surgery, it’s best to check with your doctor first if it’s good for you.

Otherwise, the guideline is simple: just pay attention to how your body responds as you start practicing qigong exercises.

As Lee would say, “A little attention goes a long way.” So, go slow, adjust what feels too intense, and let comfort lead your journey.

What are the 10 movements of qigong?

Different qigong traditions have their own sets of “10 movements.” But the most commonly referenced sequence is Baduanjin, also known as the Eight Pieces of Brocade. Some teachers expand it to 10 by including warm-ups and closing movements.

The core Baduanjin set includes classics such as:

• Raising the sky
• Drawing the bow
• Separating heaven and earth
• Wise owl gazes back
• Swaying the head and shaking the tail
• Touching the toes
• Clenching fists
• Bouncing on the heels

These names may sound poetic or even mysterious when you first hear them. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to memorize any of these at all to start benefiting from them. In fact, consistency matters far more than quantity. 

“The body,” reminds Lee, “loves repetition.” So, practicing even one or two movements with steady breath will shift your energy more effectively than rushing through an entire set.

Awaken your spiritual superpower

A clear head and a calm, anchored presence—two signs of an inner awakening that begins the moment you learn how to work with your energy on purpose. That’s what qigong brings, and it’s why so many people describe their first real experience of it as a turning point.

If you want to experience this for yourself, you can start with Lee Holden’s free Modern Qigong masterclass on Mindvalley. It’s a great entry point into understanding how this ancient practice empowers clarity and groundedness with simple sophistication.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn inside:

• Unlock the age-defying vitality,
• Banish pain, stress, and lethargy,
• Strengthen your mind-body connection with the flow state,
• Tap into a truly holistic state of wellness, and
• So much more.

Actress Hayley Atwell, known for her role as Peggy Carter in Marvel’s The Avengers, would tell you firsthand the benefits of qigong. After discovering Lee’s program, she found balance in a fast-paced schedule where work and travel take center stage, back-to-back. She shares:

Lee’s qigong is the perfect tool to help refocus and energize the mind, body, and spirit. 

Like her, you too can tap into that inner reservoir of strength that’s been waiting for your attention. And when it comes alive, it reshapes how you move through the world: all present, empowered, and fully connected to yourself.

Welcome in.