What Most Qigong Is Missing: Shen Gong for Body, Mind, and Spirit Coherence
Lately, many of the students I’m working with, whether in teacher training or personal practice, are carrying a weight of emotional energy that needs clearing. Sometimes it shows up as heaviness in the body. Sometimes as a fog that makes simple tasks feel like a struggle. Old patterns of behaviour and self-critical thoughts surface again, almost as if they’ve been waiting for the moment. Often, students don’t even realise that what we’re really working with together is their heart-mind field, their astral energy, and the subtle layers of their Qi that are asking for attention.
The Weight of Unresolved Emotional Energy
When the heart-mind field is congested, life feels heavier than it should. The connection between body, mind, and spirit feels off, as if nothing is flowing the way it’s meant to. Simple tasks like getting out of bed, cooking a meal, holding a conversation, take more effort than they need to. Even practices that normally lift them up, like Qigong, meditation, yoga, can feel like a chore. It’s rarely because of what’s happening outside; it’s what remains unresolved inside.
Most people have never been taught to meet their emotions and energy directly. We’re conditioned to push them down, rationalise them, or distract ourselves with busyness, social media, and the outside world. That distraction might bring temporary relief, but it doesn’t clear the root. The energy doesn’t disappear—it stagnates, congeals, and layers itself into the heart-mind field, weighing down consciousness and vitality.
I see a similar avoidance pattern in Qigong. Many people approach it as gentle movement, stretching, or a form of exercise, and of course, that aspect has value. But true Qigong practice, especially Shen Gong, goes beyond the physical. Its depth lies in the Gong—the skill of working with the living field of energy, refining the Qi, Jing, and Shen, and cultivating the heart-mind. If we can’t feel and work with this subtle energy, then we’re only moving the body while leaving the deeper layers untouched.
Beyond Movement: The Depth of Shen Gong
Shen Gong is the gateway to inner work. It teaches us how to feel the heart-mind, to work with emotional energy, and to bring body, mind, and spirit into coherence. It is not about fixing, controlling, or achieving something outside yourself. It’s about returning to what is real—your true Self—and nurturing yourself from the inside out.
Reflective Practice in Action
The reality is that this path is not a quick fix. It’s not a breathwork class that makes you feel high, it’s not receiving Reiki, and it’s not a weekend at a wellness retreat. You can’t get it through supplements or books.
This path asks us to step away from distraction, to feel honestly what’s happening within, and to engage in reflective, contemplative work. It’s often confronting and heavy, and that is precisely why frequency work, the subtle, felt sense of working with Qi, Jing, and Shen, is essential.
Often, that alone is enough: being present with the energy, feeling it, and allowing it space to move.
Part of what Shen Gong offers is the invitation to slow down and reflect on yourself in ways you might not normally take the time for. There’s a few different activities I share, one helps students notice the interplay of different qualities within themselves and how to work with the energy of those. Another uses the different areas of our lives to shine light on where energy or transformation might be needed. It’s not about judging or fixing, but seeing how patterns, both the “positive” and the “challenging”, show up in thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Transforming Body, Mind, and Spirit
Spending time with this reflective inner work can reveal where energy is stuck or unbalanced and opens the heart-mind to awareness and integration. Students often find that simply noticing and being present with these qualities shifts their experience: life feels lighter, energy flows more freely, and the subtle layers of the Qi field begin to clear. It’s a clear example of how Shen Gong moves beyond surface movement into the territory of genuine transformation.
The real practice of Qigong and Shen Gong is a path that brings body, mind, and spirit into coherence. It transforms how we move through life and guides us to meet the vast frequencies of energy around and within us, directly, honestly, with a heart that is clear, awake, and fully present.
Begin Your Journey Into Shen Gong
If this resonates with you, and you feel ready to explore Shen Gong more deeply, I’m offering an in-person Shen Gong Weekend Immersion in October 2025. This is a chance to experience the practices with me directly, to work in the powerful setting of an intimate like-hearted group and commune with your own heart-mind and Qi.
For those who prefer a self-directed pace, Modules 14 and 15 of my on-demand study courses provide an opportunity to begin cultivating Shen Gong and heart-mind awareness from home, integrating these practices into your daily life and deepening your relationship with your energy and presence.
Whether you join me in person or online, these practices offer a gentle yet profound way to connect with your heart-mind, cultivate your Qi, and bring body, mind, and spirit into coherence
