Practice
Qigong Routines
Which set to practise, and in what order. Each page below lists the movements as the standardised version runs them, with the one thing to watch in each. These are complete sets rather than single movements — the ones with a fixed sequence you can learn once and then practise on your own.
Seven of them are in the official 健身气功推广功法目录 that the sport authority updated in August 2026. The last two are 健身气功运动处方 — prescriptions published by the same body but outside that catalog. Both are taught here in full; the difference only matters if you are checking whether a routine is officially recognised. Seewhat the catalog contains.
New to qigong? Start with the beginner guide, or read what qigong is first — this page assumes you have decided to practise and only needs to know where to begin.
The sets we teach
- Baduanjin八段锦In the official catalogEight sections, standing, twelve minutes. The one most people start with.
- Five Animal Frolics五禽戏In the official catalogTiger, deer, bear, monkey, bird. Larger movement, more play in the spine.
- Muscle-Tendon Classic易筋经In the official catalogTwelve fixed postures held and turned. Slower than it looks.
- Six Healing Sounds六字诀In the official catalogSix voiced exhales, each paired with a shape. The quietest of the set.
- Mawangdui Daoyin马王堆导引术In the official catalogReconstructed from the Mawangdui silk charts, with the movements it depicts.
- Daoyin Yangsheng Gong导引养生功十二法In the official catalogTwelve named methods, each with its own intention and direction.
- Da Wu大舞In the official catalogEight postures built on dance. More continuous than the rest, and the hardest on the spine.
Prescription routines (运动处方)
Built around a named condition rather than as general teaching sets. The sport authority publishes them in a separate 运动处方 series, so they are not part of the 推广功法目录 above — the sequence pages are the same kind of reference.
- Fitness Qigong for Blood Pressure降压方PrescriptionA short set built for daily practice at a desk or in a small room.
- Spinal Balance Qigong脊椎平衡方PrescriptionTen units for neck and trunk mobility, with the neck handled carefully.
All nine sequences are published in full. Each set page is printable, so you can take it away from the screen. For printable material sorted by type — form references, beginner charts, seated adaptations and qigong sheets — see theprintable resources centre.
At a glance
One round is the length of a single complete run at an easy pace, not a target to beat.
| Set | One round | Learning | What it works | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baduanjin | 12 min | Easiest | Whole body, standing in place | Catalog |
| Five Animal Frolics | 12 min | Moderate | Spine and hips, larger and more varied movement | Catalog |
| Muscle-Tendon Classic | 12 min | Slow to learn | Held postures and the tendons, more than flow | Catalog |
| Six Healing Sounds | 10 min | Easy, but subtle | Breath and voice, with a shape for each | Catalog |
| Mawangdui Daoyin | 12 min | Moderate | Flowing movement, low impact | Catalog |
| Daoyin Yangsheng Gong | 12 min | Moderate | Twelve named methods, each with its own direction | Catalog |
| Da Wu | 12–15 min | Moderate, continuous | Whole spine, segment by segment; the most dance-like set | Catalog |
| Fitness Qigong for Blood Pressure | 10 min | Easy | Slow arms and breathing, small space | Prescription |
| Spinal Balance Qigong | 10 min | Easy, but careful at the neck | Neck and trunk, with rotation taught slowly | Prescription |
What the official catalog contains
The sport authority first published a list of recognised routines in 2020, with eleven routines on it. The updated catalog was released in August 2026: thirteen popularisation routines and four competition routines, seventeen in all. The competition routines were not on the 2020 list, which is why they appear separately below.
| Routine | Chinese | On this site |
|---|---|---|
| Yi Jin Jing | 健身气功·易筋经 | Sequence + music |
| Five Animal Frolics | 五禽戏 | Sequence + music |
| Six Healing Sounds | 六字诀 | Sequence + music |
| Baduanjin | 八段锦 | Sequence + music |
| Taiji Health Staff | 太极养生杖 | Music only |
| Daoyin Yangsheng Gong, twelve methods | 导引养生功十二法 | Sequence + music |
| Twelve-Section Brocade | 十二段锦 | Music only |
| Mawangdui Daoyin | 马王堆导引术 | Sequence + music |
| Da Wu | 大舞 | Sequence + music |
| Mingmu Gong, youth and adult versions | 明目功（青少版、成人版） | — |
| Campus Five Animal Frolics, three school versions | 校园五禽戏（小学版、初中版、高中版） | — |
| Five Organ Health Standing Post | 五脏养生桩 | — |
| Twenty-Four Solar Terms Health Exercise | 二十四节气养生功 | — |
| Competition routines — not on the 2020 list | ||
| Yi Jin Jing competition routine | 健身气功·易筋经竞赛功法 | — |
| Five Animal Frolics competition routine | 五禽戏竞赛功法 | — |
| Six Healing Sounds competition routine | 六字诀竞赛功法 | — |
| Baduanjin competition routine | 八段锦竞赛功法 | — |
English names are descriptive translations; the official compilation publishes no English titles. “Music only” means the practice recording is available underqigong musicbut the movement sequence has not been published here yet. The two prescription routines above do not appear in this table because they are not in the catalog.
How long, and how often
Start with two or three minutes. The teaching guidance from the sport authority builds beginners to 15–20 minutes, once or twice a day — but the number is not the measure. What counts is whether the frame still holds: knees soft, shoulders down, breathing unforced. Ten relaxed minutes are worth more than twenty braced ones.
Practise on a flat floor, out of a draught, and not straight after a meal. If anything hurts — a joint, the lower back, the neck — stop, rather than working through it.
If you also practise Tai Chi
Qigong and Tai Chi share the same standing frame, the same breath discipline and the same rule about not chasing sensation. The difference is the intent: a qigong set is practised for its own sake, a form is practised as a martial sequence.