Course Content
Welcome
Welcome to "An Introduction to Qi Cultivation: The Fundamentals of Qigong and Internal Alchemy"! In this section, I'll share my personal journey into Qi and introduce you to the lineage from which this wisdom originates. We'll also go over the course structure and what you can expect. Let's embark on this journey of internal alchemy together!
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Qigong Warm Ups
Qigong practice has its own unique forms of warm up, including exercises which focus on joint rotations to improve the flow of energy, and the practice of shaking.
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Posture Notes & Balancing Exercises
This section contains preparatory posture guidance and post-practice balancing tools. The posture notes for standing and seated exercises are designed to improve alignment, balance, and energy flow, and the post-practice balancing tools are designed to ensure that any stored tension that may have occurred during practice is alleviated.
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Enlivening the Organs with Energy
In Taoist practice, the internal organs are regarded as particularly important places to focus Qi, because they are places in the body where key internal processes take place, as well as the place where our emotions are stored.
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Earth and Sky Breathing
The following meditations use the mind to extend the energy body beyond the confines of the physical body. As you do this, you open yourself to a whole palate of feelings that go beyond normal experience.
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Generating the Qi Ball
The Qi ball is a foundational concept in energy work: the idea that we can generate a quantum of energy which then is, and has, a force of its own which we can direct as we will.
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Working with the Qi Ball
Once we have generated the feeling of a Qi ball in the body, we open up a series of practices that, utilising the quantum of energy represented by the Qi ball, serve to further enhance the ability of the body to attract, store and command energy.
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The Microcosmic Orbit
This is a foundational Taoist exercise for health and wellbeing, otherwise called “circulating the light”.
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Working with Qi pressure & “Cooking” Qi
This set of exercises involves compressing and refining energy within the lower tan tien, transforming it into a more potent and concentrated form for enhanced vitality, resilience, and internal power.
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Inner Alchemy
By working with light, breath, and focused intention, we engage in the ancient art of inner transformation, taking a step closer toward our highest potential as beings of energy and consciousness.
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Absorbing Qi from Nature
External Qi absorption techniques harness the abundant energy from nature allowing practitioners to replenish, refine, and harmonise their internal Qi for greater vitality and balance.
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“Empty Force”
In this Section, we begin the sacred work of returning to ourselves — drawing our awareness inward, listening to the subtle movements within, and learning to gather and circulate our innate energy.
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Meridian Slapping
I call this practice "Better Than a Coffee", because it provides a full-body energetic stimulation, but without any side effects!
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Seeing the Qi
It is also possible to see the Qi visually!
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An Introduction to Qi Cultivation: The Fundamentals of Qigong and Internal Alchemy
About Lesson

Discharge Technique – Releasing Excess or Disruptive Energy

 

During Qigong, it’s not uncommon for the body to awaken or attract more Qi than the nervous system is initially able to handle. While this is a positive sign of the practice working — increasing sensitivity, vitality, and internal movement — it can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially for beginners or during particularly deep sessions.

 

Over time, regular practice strengthens and refines the nervous system, increasing its capacity to hold, circulate, and integrate larger amounts of energy. However, in the early stages, or during periods of emotional or energetic intensity, you may encounter sensations such as dizziness, agitation, light-headedness, irritability, nausea, headaches, or feeling ungrounded. These are not signs that something is going wrong — they are indicators that your system is experiencing a strong energetic charge that needs to be safely regulated.

 

The Discharge Technique is a practical and essential tool for such moments. It offers a simple, embodied method to release excess or disruptive energy from the body, especially when it has become stuck in the upper centres — such as the head, chest, or emotional field — and is unable to flow downward or outward naturally.

 

This technique helps restore energetic balance by:

  • Encouraging groundedness and reconnection with the Earth

  • Calming and regulating the nervous system

  • Supporting emotional clarity by helping you let go of residual charge

  • Preventing energetic congestion or mental overstimulation

  • Allowing the system to reset and integrate the practice more harmoniously

 

It can be used at the end of a session if you feel unsettled or energetically “full”, or at any time during the day if you feel you’ve taken on more than your system can manage — such as after intense interaction, emotional overwhelm, or overexposure to stimulating environments.

 

While Qigong often brings vitality and stillness, the journey also includes learning how to disperse and release. The Discharge Technique is part of that learning — a valuable skill for remaining safe, steady, and empowered within your inner work.

 

Practice Guide

 

Please watch the video to see the discharge technique.

 

[insert video]

 

A written description of the technique is provided at the Exercise Files tab.

 

After you have watched the video, and practiced the technique, please write down your experience in the Course Journal.

Exercise Files
Discharge Technique – Releasing Excess or Disruptive Energy.pdf
Size: 67.42 KB