What Should You Focus on During the Day to Progress in Nei Gong?

Jiaoshi Andrea
9 hours ago
5 min read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9MiHsvnmy0

One of my students recently asked a very interesting question inside our student Discord group:

“What should I focus on during the day if I want to progress in my energy practice?”

It’s a very important question because many practitioners believe progress in Nei Gong or Qi Gong depends only on what we do during the actual practice sessions. But in reality, the way we live the rest of the day has a profound influence on our internal development.

Of course, the first thing that must be said is simple: without practice there is no progress. Reading about energy, thinking about energy, or imagining energy will never replace actual training. Consistency is the foundation of any real transformation.

However, once the practice is in place, the question becomes more subtle: how should we carry ourselves during the rest of the day?

The Importance of Neutral Practice

One of the first mistakes many practitioners make is practicing with too many expectations.

When we receive a method or a tool, we often already have an idea about where the practice should lead us. We imagine certain sensations, certain mystical experiences, or specific energetic results.

But when this happens, we unconsciously interfere with the process.

Instead of allowing the practice to unfold naturally, we begin to color the experience with our expectations.

We place attention in certain places because we believe something special should happen there.

In doing so, we prevent the practice from doing its work.

The most effective way to practice internal energy cultivation is actually quite simple: remain neutral. Almost detached from the result.

In many ways, the ideal state for energy practice resembles a meditative state. Thoughts may arise and pass, but nothing really sticks in the mind. Attention remains open and relaxed.

When the mind is in this condition, the body naturally opens and energy can flow more freely.

The Obsession With the Lower Dantian

Another point that often creates confusion in internal practice is the excessive focus on the Lower Dantian.

Some practitioners believe that everything in energy cultivation revolves around constantly focusing attention on the lower abdomen.

It is true that the Lower Dantian plays an important role in internal practices. It is traditionally considered the main center for storing and refining energy.

However, human beings are not made only of the Lower Dantian.

If we place too much emphasis on one area of the system, we can actually create imbalances. Some practitioners focus so much on the lower abdomen that the upper part of the energetic system becomes restricted.

Real development must happen in the totality of the body.

The internal system is not mechanical. It is a living, dynamic process.

Breathing and the Nervous System

Many Tai Chi and Qi Gong teachers suggest maintaining awareness of belly breathing during the day.

Even though I cannot speak for all Tai Chi traditions, there is a simple reason why this advice is often given.

When we breathe into the belly, the diaphragm moves naturally and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This part of the nervous system is responsible for relaxation and recovery.

On the other hand, shallow breathing in the chest tends to activate the sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with stress and alertness.

In modern life, many people constantly breathe in a shallow, upper-chest pattern without even realizing it. This keeps the body in a subtle state of tension.

So breathing into the belly during the day can be helpful simply because it encourages relaxation.

But again, this should not become another rigid rule.

Breathing patterns should remain natural and appropriate to the situation.

The Physical Body Matters

If there is one thing worth paying attention to during the day, it is how we carry our body.

Posture plays a huge role in internal energy development.

When we sit, stand, or walk with unnecessary tension, the body gradually accumulates restrictions. These tensions can create blockages in the natural flow of energy.

For this reason, developing a basic awareness of posture can be very beneficial.

Interestingly, this awareness often develops naturally through practice. The more we practice Nei Gong, the more we start to feel how we hold our body during daily life.

Our internal awareness begins to extend beyond the practice session.

And this is exactly what should happen.

If energy cultivation only exists during the moments when we practice, then something is missing. The results of the practice should gradually begin to influence our daily life.

The Real Priority: Your State of Mind

If I had to prioritize one thing to focus on during the day, it would be the quality of the mind.

The mind generates emotions, and emotions create physical responses in the body.

If our thoughts are constantly stressed or anxious, the body will respond with tension. That tension will influence posture, breathing, and eventually the flow of energy.

This is why learning to observe the mind without becoming entangled in it is so important.

Instead of trying to control every thought, it is often easier to simply redirect attention toward the body.

For example, when you are waiting in line at a supermarket or sitting on a train, you can simply bring attention to the body. Feel your feet on the ground. Feel the contact of your body with the chair.

Even something as simple as noticing how your body rests on the seat can immediately bring you into the present moment.

No effort is required.

Relaxation: The Hidden Key

Many spiritual seekers approach practice with a kind of rigidity.

There is often a strong desire to achieve something: enlightenment, energy mastery, spiritual realization.

Ironically, this excessive effort can become an obstacle.

What we are ultimately cultivating in internal practice is naturalness.

Through training, the body becomes more open, more responsive, and more relaxed. Energy begins to move more freely because the system is no longer constrained by unnecessary tension.

In the end, many spiritual and internal processes can be summarized in a very simple idea: learning how to relax.

It sounds simple. But for most people, it is surprisingly difficult.