Introduction to Qi Gong
12-Weeks Introduction Course
Learn Yeung San Chi Kung (Qi Gong) Set I in a 12-week small-group course
This twelve-week course offers an introduction to Yeung San Chi Kung (meaning Qi Gong for wellbeing) Set I, a traditional standing Qi Gong practice created by Master John Ding, my Tai Chi teacher and a lineage holder within traditional Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan.
Through a sequence of eight standing postures, you will develop a regular practice for calm attention, body awareness, relaxation, lower-body strength and internal wellbeing.
The course also provides an accessible introduction to some of the foundational ways that Qi, intention, grounding and connection are understood within traditional Tai Chi.
Classes are limited to four students, allowing time for individual guidance, questions and careful progression.
The course is delivered in two six-week terms, with a two-week practice break between them.
Mondays, 10:00–10:45am
Term 1: 27 July–31 August
Term 2: 21 September–26 October 2026
Greenwich, SE10
£200 for the complete 12-week course
Maximum four students
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This course may be especially suitable for:
people looking for a gentle and structured wellbeing practice;
therapists, counsellors, healers and wellbeing practitioners;
people wanting to feel calmer, stronger and more connected to their body;
beginners curious about Qi Gong, Tai Chi or internal practice;
people who find highly active exercise unsuitable or unappealing;
existing practitioners who want to explore traditional standing practice;
those who prefer learning in a very small and supportive group.
You do not need to be physically fit, flexible or familiar with energetic practices. The postures can be adapted, although the course is primarily practised standing.
A simple practice with considerable depth
Yeung San Chi Kung Set I consists of eight static standing postures. Because there is no complicated choreography to remember, students can focus more closely on what is happening within the body and mind: how they stand, where they hold tension, how their weight is organised, and how attention affects their physical experience.
The intensity of each posture can be adjusted according to the individual. This makes the practice accessible to a wide range of people, including complete beginners and those looking for a gentle but meaningful wellbeing practice.
No previous experience of Tai Chi, Qi Gong or energy work is required.
Accessible wellbeing rooted in traditional Tai Chi
Although this course is designed to be accessible, the practice itself is not a simplified imitation of Tai Chi. Yeung San Chi Kung Set I is part of the foundational training used within my Tai Chi lineage to develop the mind, condition the body and begin cultivating the internal qualities required for traditional Tai Chi practice.
The same standing postures can therefore be approached at different levels. For one person, they may offer a quiet and structured practice for relaxation, strength and wellbeing. For another, they may become the beginning of a deeper exploration of Qi Gong, Tai Chi or the internal martial arts.
The course is non-combative and does not teach self-defence.
Supporting strength and wellbeing
Standing practice may appear physically simple, but holding and adjusting the postures creates a gentle and sustained challenge for the body.
Over time, the practice can support:
functional lower-body strength and stability;
greater awareness of posture and weight distribution;
improved body awareness and mind–body connection;
the gradual release of unnecessary muscular tension;
greater ease and softness around the joints;
calm attention and mental stillness;
stress and anxiety management;
a regular and sustainable personal wellbeing practice.
The aim is not fitness performance. The focus is on developing strength without excessive tension, movement without unnecessary effort, and a more settled relationship with the body.
Training the mind through standing practice
Standing still gives the mind fewer external tasks to follow.
Without a sequence of movements to remember, students can begin to notice effort, restlessness, tension, balance and internal sensation more clearly.
As attention gradually settles, the practice becomes more than a physical exercise. It offers a way to reconnect with the body and explore how the mind, posture, breath and intention influence one another.
This is one of the reasons standing Qi Gong plays such an important role within traditional internal training.
What you will learn
An introduction to Qi and internal practice
Qi is commonly translated as life energy or vital energy. It is related to the Japanese concept of Ki, familiar to practitioners of Reiki and other Japanese healing traditions.
Qi is understood and practised in many different ways across Chinese medicine, Qi Gong and the internal martial arts. This course introduces Qi specifically through the framework of my traditional Yang-style Tai Chi lineage.
Students are not required to adopt a particular belief about the nature of Qi. Instead, the course offers a traditional framework through which internal qualities can be explored through direct physical experience.
You will be introduced to:
the Dan Tian system and its role in internal practice;
foundational ways of cultivating and working with Qi;
the relationship between Yi—attention or intention—and energy;
grounding and rooting;
sinking and releasing unnecessary tension;
internal expansion and projection;
energetic and structural connection.
This is an introductory exploration. Students who wish to focus more deeply on Qi practice and its application within healing work may later progress to the Tai Chi for Healers course.
Additionally, we introduce partnered practice, an introduction to the partnered practice of Qi.
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Partnered practice is an important part of traditional Tai Chi and one of the distinctive elements of this course.
Simple, non-combative exercises will allow students to explore how grounding, relaxation, alignment, intention and connection affect interaction with another person.
Partner work provides direct feedback. It can help students notice when they are relying on muscular tension, losing their grounding or becoming disconnected from their body.
It also offers a practical way to explore how whole-body organisation, relaxation and intention can create effects that do not depend on obvious muscular force.
All partnered exercises will be introduced gradually. Physical contact will always be consensual, clearly explained and appropriate to the learning environment.
Course details
Duration: 12 weeks delivered across two six-week terms
Term 1 - Qi Gong fundation: 27th Jul to 31st Aug
Term 2 - correction and introduction of Qi concepts: 21st Sep to 26th Oct
Location: Greenwich: 15a Nelson Road, London, SE10 9JB
Frequency: every Monday 10am-10:45am
Class size: Maximum of four students
Course fee: £200 pilot-course price
Experience required: None
Because each week builds upon the previous classes, this is offered as a complete twelve-week course rather than as a drop-in class.
A doorway into deeper practice
For some students, this course may become a complete personal practice for strength, calm and wellbeing.
For others, it may open the door to:
continued Qi Gong practice;
learning a traditional Tai Chi form;
deeper internal energy work;
Tai Chi for Healers;
further exploration of the internal martial arts.
The course is therefore both a self-contained introduction and a genuine foundation for those who later wish to progress.
What this course does not cover
Qi practice is highly diverse, and different traditions use different maps, language and training methods.
This course focuses on the framework taught within my Tai Chi lineage. It does not teach Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture theory, meridian pathways, pressure points or medical Qi Gong.
These systems may be historically or conceptually connected, but they are not required for the practice taught here.