There is a concept in Zen Buddhism called Shoshin (Japanese: 初心) meaning the Beginner’s Mind. It is having the curiosity, openness, eagerness and lack of preconceptions that comes with being a beginner. It is a common concept used in martial arts. A master who does not approach the basics with Shoshin in mind will stagnate in their art. In martial arts, they often say that reaching black belt is the beginning, that it is an opportunity to lift the veil to a deeper understanding of the art. Much the same can be said for qi gong (or any practice that we do regularly; meditation, yoga, you name it!).
A qi gong student who has been practising for years could come along to a “beginner’s class” and find depth. The truth is, there is no real “beginners class”, there are forms that open our qi channels and prepare us for the deeper and more complex forms, but really, everyone can do them. The qi grows with the doing - the more we practice, the more in tune we become, and the more easeful it is to feel the effects of the forms in our systems. And while some of the forms may feel hard to wrap your head around at first, once we get in the flow of the movement it becomes less challenging, and we find the ease within it.
But the real gift of Shoshin is that it keeps us honest. It reminds us that even when our body “knows” a form, our mind can still meet it as though for the first time. In qi gong, this is essential. The energy doesn’t rise because we’ve memorised a sequence; it rises because we enter the sequence with presence. It responds to how sincerely we inhabit each posture, each breath, each intention.
When we practice with a Beginner’s Mind, we stop performing the movements and start experiencing them. We notice the small shifts: how our hands suddenly feel warm, how our breath begins to lengthen without effort, how our weight sinks naturally into the earth. We feel the qi rather than chase it.
Shoshin dissolves the pressure to “get it right” and replaces it with curiosity. Instead of thinking:
“I should feel something by now.”
we move toward:
“What happens when I soften just a little more?”
This mindset frees us from comparison, perfectionism, and the idea that progress must look linear. It also keeps seasoned practitioners humble and beginners encouraged because in truth, we’re all meeting our bodies and energy anew each day.
In this way, qi gong becomes less of a hierarchy and more of a spiral. We revisit the same forms again and again, but each time we uncover a new layer. Something subtle opens. Something deepens. Something integrates.
This is why the simplest practices can be the most profound. They invite us back into Shoshin, back into presence, back into the body, back into that quiet internal dialogue with qi. And from that place, growth becomes effortless. The practice becomes nourishment instead of achievement.
To practice qi gong, or yoga, or meditation, or whatever it is you do, with a Beginner’s Mind is to remember that the magic lies not in advancement, but in awareness. Every session is an opportunity to return, to listen, and to begin again.
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