Nei Gong: From Energy Cultivation to Knowing Yourself
- Jiaoshi Andrea
- 10 hours ago
- 8 min read
What is the real purpose of Nei Gong?
Is it to accumulate Qi? To experience subtle energy? To develop extraordinary abilities? Or is there something deeper behind the practice?
In this open conversation with my student Chris, we explore these questions and many others related to Nei Gong, Qi Gong, Internal Alchemy, energy cultivation, the Dantians, Fa Qi, health, stress, and personal transformation.
Rather than approaching these subjects only from a theoretical perspective, the conversation repeatedly returns to one principle: direct experience.
From Spiritual Searching to Direct Experience
Before discovering Nei Gong, I spent many years searching for something beyond ordinary life.
I was attracted to mystical books, explored different approaches to consciousness, practiced Buddhism, and looked for experiences that could answer questions I had carried since I was young.
When I eventually encountered Nei Gong, something changed.
The practice became much more practical.
Instead of moving from one intellectual explanation to another, I could actually investigate things through my own body and experience.
One of the most important experiences for me was Ling Qi, which I describe in the conversation as a direct experience of a more subtle manifestation of vital energy.
For me, this became a turning point because it showed me the difference between reading about an experience and actually experiencing it.
That distinction remains fundamental to the way I approach Nei Gong today.
Discipline Can Create Freedom
Another important subject we discuss is discipline.
Before Nei Gong, consistency was not one of my strongest qualities. I could become enthusiastic about something and then move on to something else.
Through practice, I discovered something that initially seems contradictory:
Discipline can create freedom.
When we repeatedly choose to do something instead of simply following whatever our mind or emotions want in the moment, we begin to develop a different relationship with ourselves.
Instead of constantly being carried by our impulses, we become more capable of making decisions.
This is one of the ways Nei Gong practice extends beyond the practice itself and into everyday life.
Why Does Nei Gong Have a Structured Progression?
The conversation also explores why our school has a progression from basic to advanced programs.
The system currently consists of nine basic programs and six advanced programs.
The basic programs establish a foundation before the practitioner moves into more advanced energy work.
This includes working with the physical body, mental aspects, breathing, and the energetic system.
The reason for this progression is simple: advanced practices require a foundation.
According to the explanation given in the conversation, the structure developed from my teacher's experience of transmitting more advanced practices too early and seeing that students could encounter problems without sufficient preparation.
The purpose of a progressive system is therefore not simply to make the practitioner wait before learning something interesting.
It is intended to build the necessary foundation step by step.
What Is the Lower Dantian?
The Lower Dantian is one of the central concepts discussed in Nei Gong.
Within the Chinese energetic model described in the conversation, there are three principal Dantians:
Lower Dantian
Middle Dantian
Higher Dantian
The Lower Dantian is described primarily as a place for storing vital energy, while the other Dantians have different functions in the transformation and refinement of energy.
But an important point is made during the conversation:
We should not reduce Nei Gong to the Lower Dantian.
The human being cannot be divided into isolated pieces.
The practice ultimately works with the whole person.
This is why beginning with general physical, mental and energetic well-being is considered so important.
Circulating Qi vs Accumulating Qi
Another interesting question concerns the difference between circulating Qi and accumulating Qi.
Different exercises can emphasize different aspects of the energetic process.
Some practices can support circulation, while others can help develop greater internal pressure or storage.
But the discussion also makes an important distinction: sensations alone are not necessarily evidence of progress.
A practitioner can experience many sensations and still not necessarily be developing in the way they think they are.
This is why chasing sensations can become counterproductive.
How Do You Know If You Are Progressing?
So, what does genuine progress in Nei Gong look like?
One practical measure is not necessarily what happens during a particular exercise, but what happens to you as a person.
Are you becoming more aware of yourself?
Are you more centered?
Is your mind clearer?
Are your emotions more stable?
Is your physical vitality improving?
Are you becoming more alert and present?
These changes can be much more meaningful than simply having an interesting sensation during meditation or standing practice.
As the conversation emphasizes, energy should not be the ultimate goal.
The purpose is knowing ourselves more deeply—physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically.
Stop Chasing Sensations
This is one of the most useful pieces of advice for practitioners.
In the beginning, sensations can fluctuate enormously.
One day you feel something.
The next day you don't.
Then you feel something somewhere else.
It can become a constant attempt to answer:
"Is it working?"
"Was that real?"
"Why don't I feel it today?"
But according to the approach discussed in this conversation, constancy is more important than chasing sensations.
When you practice with too much expectation about achieving a particular sensation, you can create tension in both the mind and body.
A better approach is to practice openly and consistently.
Give the instruction.
Relax.
Remain alert.
Observe.
And don't try to force the result.
Visualization vs Imagination
The conversation also makes an important distinction between visualization and imagination.
Visualization can be used as a practical tool within certain practices.
The purpose isn't necessarily to believe that the imagined image is literally happening.
Instead, the visualization can produce a specific physical or energetic response.
For example, directing attention toward the ground can influence the way the body releases weight and tension.
Eventually, when the body has learned the response, the visualization may no longer be necessary.
The practice can then produce the result without consciously imagining it.
This is very different from simply inventing an experience in your mind.
The important question is whether there is a practical and verifiable result.
This is also why the conversation repeatedly emphasizes the value of learning through a structured lineage rather than simply inventing practices based on personal imagination.
What Are Fa Gong and Fa Qi?
We also discuss Fa Gong and Fa Qi, terms connected with energy emission.
Fa Gong refers to the practice of emitting energy, while Fa Qi is discussed as a particular manifestation involving a more electrical quality of energy.
The conversation also distinguishes this from more subtle forms of emission that can be experienced at a distance.
But there is an important warning here.
Fa Qi should not become the goal of Nei Gong.
This is something I feel very strongly about.
When Ability Becomes a Distraction
The ability to emit energy can appear impressive.
It can also attract attention.
And that is precisely why it can become a distraction.
If someone spends years practicing primarily to develop one extraordinary ability, what happens to the rest of their life?
What happens to their mind?
Their emotions?
Their relationships?
Their ability to know themselves?
For me, this is much more important than being able to demonstrate something impressive for a few seconds.
Nei Gong should transform the whole human being.
Fa Qi may have applications within the practice, but turning it into the main objective can easily shift the focus away from the deeper purpose of cultivation.
Slow Progress Is Not a Problem
Another important theme is the danger of looking for shortcuts.
In the modern Nei Gong world, there are many claims about rapid progress, instant energetic openings, treatments, herbs, pills, and extraordinary abilities supposedly achievable in a very short time.
The approach discussed in this conversation is very different.
The safest path is the gradual path.
Real development takes time.
The body needs time to change.
The mind needs time to change.
Awareness needs time to develop.
And the energetic system needs time to develop.
Trying to force a result can create problems rather than genuine progress.
Nei Gong and Health
The conversation then moves into one of the most practical aspects of the practice: the relationship between Nei Gong, physical health, mental clarity and emotional stability.
The human being cannot really be divided into separate compartments.
When we are stressed, the body becomes tense.
When we are afraid, we contract.
When the body relaxes, the mind can also change.
This is why working with the physical body can be such a useful starting point.
You can feel tension.
You can release it.
You can observe your breathing.
You can become aware of how your body changes according to your thoughts and emotions.
Through this process, the practice can become a way of developing greater awareness of yourself.
Qi Gong, Breathing and Stress
One of the practical topics discussed is the relationship between breathing and the nervous system.
The conversation describes abdominal breathing as a way of encouraging a more relaxed state, while shorter upper-chest breathing can be associated with a more alert state.
The important point isn't simply learning one breathing technique.
It is learning to observe how your own body functions.
Once you become aware of your breathing, posture, tension and emotional state, you have more possibilities for changing the way you respond to everyday situations.
This can make Qi Gong useful not only as a formal practice but as a way of becoming more conscious of yourself throughout the day.
The discussion also touches on anxiety and chronic stress, while emphasizing that more complex psychological conditions require appropriate care rather than simply relying on an energy practice.
The Three Dantians and the Whole Body
Finally, we return to the Three Dantians.
While the Lower Dantian receives a great deal of attention in many Nei Gong discussions, the approach presented here is broader.
The Lower Dantian, Middle Dantian and Higher Dantian have different functions, and the system works progressively with the whole energetic structure.
The important principle is that the practitioner should not become obsessed with developing one particular energetic center while ignoring the rest of the human being.
A balanced development of the physical, mental and energetic aspects is more important.
And once again, the progression should be gradual, practical and based on experience rather than belief.
The Real Purpose of Nei Gong
After all these questions, we eventually come back to the same point.
Why practice Nei Gong?
Not simply to accumulate Qi.
Not simply to experience unusual sensations.
Not simply to develop Fa Qi.
Not to become special.
The purpose, at least for me, is self-knowledge and human transformation.
Energy cultivation is a tool.
The question is what you do with that tool.
Does it help you become more stable?
More aware?
More humble?
More present?
More capable of understanding yourself?
Does your everyday life improve?
These are the questions that matter.
Direct Experience Over Belief
Perhaps the most important message from this conversation is the value of direct experience.
We can read books.
We can watch videos.
We can listen to teachers.
We can learn theories about Qi, Internal Alchemy, Dantians and energy cultivation.
But intellectual knowledge is not the same as direct experience.
Knowledge can help us understand an experience after it happens.
But the practice itself has to be lived.
And sometimes, the best attitude is simply to practice without constantly trying to understand everything intellectually.
Remain open.
Remain curious.
Remain humble.
And keep practicing.
Because ultimately, Nei Gong is something you experience—not something you merely believe in.
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