How Qi Practices Changed My Life
From burnout to balance — and the invisible force that helped me return to myself.
“You need to move your Qi.”
That’s what the practitioner said.
I blinked. “My… what?”
I had never thought of myself as someone who’d turn to Traditional Chinese Medicine. I liked science. I liked logic. I had a spreadsheet for my supplements and a tracking app for my cortisol.
But two years ago, something broke—not loudly, but persistently.
I was exhausted. Not sleepy, not lazy. Empty.
I had done everything “right”:
- A therapist for my anxiety
- An endocrinologist for my hormones
- HIIT workouts, green powders, and magnesium at night
And yet… I couldn’t feel anything.
No joy. No focus. No rest.
Just the hum of anxiety and the absence of resilience.
That’s when I stumbled—accidentally, skeptically—into the world of Qi.
🌬️ First, I learned what Qi even is.
Qi, I was told, is your vital energy—not some fantasy force, but a subtle current that fuels digestion, thought, immunity, and emotion. It moves through meridians, influences your organs, and helps you adapt to life.
Mine, apparently, wasn’t moving.
It was stuck. Scattered. Depleted.
“You don’t need more productivity,” my practitioner said. “You need restoration. You need rhythm.”
🌿 Then I was prescribed practices, not pills.
No new pills. No protocols.
Instead:
- A tea of Huang Qi and Long Yan Rou, brewed slowly every morning.
- Foot soaks at night with ginger and mugwort.
- A ten-minute qigong sequence each day—breathing, moving, following the imaginary threads in my body.
- A rule: No cold foods after sundown.
I didn’t understand it. But I followed it. Because what I was doing wasn’t working.
💫 Then something shifted—gently.
It didn’t happen overnight.
But three weeks in, I noticed:
- I slept through the night.
- I woke up without dread.
- My thoughts had space between them.
- I cried. Not from overwhelm, but from relief.
One morning, I stood in the sun after qigong and felt it—my body humming.
Not perfectly. But honestly.
Like I was plugged back into something I didn’t know I had lost.
🧠 But here’s what really changed: my relationship with energy.
I used to think energy meant output—how much I could do, produce, push.
Qi taught me that energy is about integration:
- Can you be present without tension?
- Can you move without force?
- Can you rest without guilt?
Qi practices didn’t give me superpowers.
They gave me something better: feedback.
A way to notice before I collapse.
A way to regulate before I reach for something external.
🧘 What I still do today
- Daily tea (with Huang Qi, Dang Shen, or Gui Pi Tang)
- Qigong: 10–20 min morning flow, mostly gentle breathing and hip movement
- Foot soaks: 3x/week with warm water and dried ginger
- Journaling with the moon phases (new for me, surprisingly helpful)
- “Qi check-in” when I feel anxious: Where’s the tension? What’s stuck?
I still see my therapist. I still love science.
But I now live in my body again, not just manage it.
💬 Final Thought
I can’t prove Qi the way I can track steps or hormones.
But I can feel when it flows.
I know when it’s stagnant.
And I now trust that health isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s about restoring movement.
So no, Qi didn’t change me overnight.
But it brought me back.
And that changed everything.
