Ask Grand Master Lu: Qigong vs Physical Exercise

Question: What is the difference between Qigong and exercise?

Answer: Many people want to know the difference between Qigong practice and physical exercise. Generally speaking, exercise can only make your physical body change. It is impossible to go beyond the physical without adding an energy practice like Qigong. Exercise can certainly help you achieve some of your goals, but physical exercise—especially if strenuous—cannot sustain you for a lifetime.

Unlike physical exercise that focuses on the muscles and physical structure of the body, Qigong goes deeper to the level of energy. Qigong is about your Qi, or your life force—an invisible force that is every bit as real as gravity, wind, and more. As such, its power is limitless. By working from the inside out, Qigong helps improve your body’s function, balance your emotions, and sharpen your intuition. A steady and consistent Qigong practice helps you find a natural state of calm, and strengthens you in body, mind, and spirit.

Athletes who perform strenuous exercise or feats of physical endurance often work out at the gym or run religiously. They have built up their physical strength, but not their Qi, or life force. As such, these athletes often have a hard time holding our standing meditative posture, The Dragon Stands Between Heaven and Earth, for five minutes. Why? They simply do not have the depth to allow their body, mind, and spirit to function as a whole system.

Qigong is different. Every person has a unique inheritance locked away inside of them. The potential in each person is extraordinary, but most people have lost the code to access this gift. Qigong practice allows you to open your intuition and increase your Qi in order to discover this unlimited potential.

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