Summary
Licensed therapist Chris McDonald interviews Qigong instructor Jennie Delich about how Qigong can serve as a self-care and therapeutic tool for mental health professionals and their clients. Jennie explains the origins of Qigong as an umbrella term for ancient Chinese movement practices that blend breath, gentle movement, and meditation. She distinguishes Qigong from yoga, noting that Qigong uses rounder, softer shapes rather than angular stretches, and from Tai Chi, which tends to be more martial in presentation. The conversation covers the five element system from traditional Chinese medicine and how it maps to different body systems and seasons. Jennie highlights the wood element's association with the nervous system and the triple burner system for addressing insomnia and nervous system triggering. She emphasizes that Qigong is not a religious practice, requires no special equipment, and can be done in as little as a few minutes. The Wuji standing posture is described as a foundational stance that builds strength through relaxation rather than effort.
Key Points
- Qigong is an umbrella term coined in the 1800s that codifies diverse ancient Chinese energy practices spanning martial, meditative, and medical styles
- Unlike yoga's angular stretches, Qigong uses rounder, softer shapes and emphasizes two-thirds effort -- softening away from edges rather than pushing into them
- The five element system (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) connects specific Qigong forms to body systems, seasons, and emotional states
- Wood element practices are particularly beneficial for the nervous system, helping with anxiety and stress regulation
- The triple burner system from traditional Chinese medicine addresses the balance of the three abdominal quadrants and can help with insomnia
- The Wuji standing posture is Qigong's foundational stance -- feet shoulder-width apart, bones stacked, weight distributed evenly across all four quadrants of the foot
- Qigong is not a religious practice; it draws from Taoist philosophy as a way of relating to the natural world, not as a belief system
- Regular practice builds a therapeutic conversation with yourself that extends the benefits of counseling sessions
Key Moments
Origins and definition of Qigong
Jennie explains that the term Qigong was coined in the 1800s as an umbrella for diverse ancient Chinese energy practices, and that Tai Chi is actually a form of Qigong with a more martial presentation.
"One of my favorite trick questions is, is Qigong an ancient practice or is it a modern practice? It's a trick question because the term Qigong actually didn't come into popular use until the 1900s. It was coined in the 1800s basically to create an umbrella to codify these disparate energy practices."
How Qigong differs from yoga
Jennie contrasts Qigong's rounder, softer shapes with yoga's angular stretches, and draws parallels between the three Dan Tien energy centers in Qigong and the chakra system in yoga.
"expansive stretching. And I feel like even overstretching sometimes with yoga where you're reaching to edges a lot and kind of lengthening things. Whereas with Qigong, the shapes you make are a lot more round."
Qigong for nervous system regulation and anxiety
Jennie discusses how Qigong helps shift the sympathetic nervous system response during anxiety, with wood element practices being particularly beneficial for nervous system health.
"If you find your sympathetic nervous system is getting overactivated by anxiety, by an acute situation, you're getting triggered. Turning into the breath if you can is step one. And if you find a little intentional movement to contribute to that, that can take it up to the next level."
The Wuji standing posture explained
Jennie walks through the foundational Wuji posture -- feet shoulder-width apart, bones stacked, pelvis slightly tucked -- and explains the principle of using skeletal alignment to reduce muscular effort.
"You've got this notion in Qigong of stacking your bones. This idea that if your alignment is well aligned between earth and sky, kind of take the pressure off your muscles by having your bones support you."
