COURSE

Qigong For Beginners & Yogis

Welcome to the Qigong For Beginners & Yogis course here on Insight Timer. I’m Francesco Garripoli and I’ve been practicing both Qigong and Yoga for nearly 30 years and teaching around the world for the past 25, so I know in my heart and in my bones – how Qigong has helped to transform my body, mind, and spirit. In this 14-part course, I’ll do my best to share the basics of what it means to become sensitive to our core energy through breath, gentle movement, and awareness while guiding you through beautiful concepts that will inspire you to remember the truth of who you are through this empowering practice. Together, we’ll explore the ways Qigong and yoga principles overlap and, through its gentle movements and intention-setting, see where Qigong offers an added dimension focused on healing and transformation. The amazing elder teachers I studied with in China and India inspired me to realize that getting older only meant getting better on so many levels. This course will take you through breathing, grounding, and centering techniques, and explore ancient concepts such as Energy Meridians, Dan Tians (which are similar in some ways to Chakras), Jing, Qi, and Shen, and the Five Elements model. My intention is to share all this in practical ways that you can apply to everyday life. I invite you to go on this journey with me, to discover the benefits of Qigong for your physical health, for your healing and rejuvenation, and also how this practice can build your energy and confidence on emotional and spiritual levels. To me, these challenging times remind us of the importance of a meaningful personal practice - one that makes intuitive sense, is simple to learn, and focuses on real and lasting transformation. If that resonates with you, I trust you will benefit from this course and I invite you to go on this journey together with me. Peace.

Stress Stress & Anxiety Integral Yoga Yoga Spirituality Religion Wisdom Health & Happiness Qi Gong Movement Tai Chi Healing Recovery & Healing Taoism

Meet your Teacher

Francesco Garri Garripoli

Asheville, NC, USA

Francesco Garri Garripoli is an internationally recognized Qigong and meditation instructor, yoga practitioner, musician, brainwave researcher, author, Doctor of Divinity, and wellness advocate. Chairman Emeritus of the National Qigong Association, he is the current Chairman of the Qigong Institute and is featured in a series of award-winning, instructional Qigong videos. Francesco is the author of 'Qigong - Essence of the Healing Dance' and 'Tao of the Ride' on his experiences living in China, India, Hawaii, and Thailand studying with elder healing Masters since the mid-1970s. He offers acclaimed Qigong workshops, online courses, as well as private online sessions and Qigong Instructor Certification programs, and Qigong Study and Healing Retreats around the world. An Emmy Award-winning producer, Francesco’s Qigong documentary aired on PBS-TV with over 88 million viewers. He is the founder and Director of CommunityAwake, a non-profit devoted to personal transformation and community health initiatives.

14 Days

4.2k students

4.9 stars

11 min / day

Stress

English

Lesson 1

Our Energy Body - Qi & Prana

In this first session of Qigong For Beginners & Yogis, we explore the concept of Qi – Prana as we refer to it in yoga practice – and how this life-force energy is infinitely distributed in the Universe and how we are immersed in this field. Recognizing our body as energy allows us to move deeper into this empowering practice. We discuss how breath is a key technique in Qigong to bring us into that place of inner peace and alignment, while facilitating the activation of Qi for our health and rejuvenation. We also look at the important difference between “collecting” Qi versus “activating” Qi.

Lesson 2

Breath, Movement, Visualization

This second session focuses on the three aspects of Qigong that actually make a practice Qigong. We explore what is called “Taoist breathing” that emphasizes abdominal squeezes and conscious, focused breath. The movements of Qigong are fluid and typically always in motion, so a bit different than Yoga’s held asana. The third aspect, Yi, involves how we use our mental focus to “bring Qi to mind.” Together, the practice of Qigong is defined and we can embrace how this practice brings our body, mind, and spirit into harmony.

Lesson 3

Conduit Vs. Container

Our third session explores a key concept about how we view ourselves and the way we work with energy. Our belief systems define our worldview, and that worldview defines our world, and in the Qigong world, the way we actually work with Qi. Here, we compare two diametrically opposed approaches to working with energy and choose which is most empowering.

Lesson 4

Grounding & Centering

This fourth session embraces the foundational aspects of finding our grounding and bringing our self into a centered way of being. We look at how Qigong weaves us into the Earth energy field with the concept of the “Wei Qi Field.” You’ll also be invited to do a practice to sense this and visualize the natural torus-shaped energy field that surrounds us

Lesson 5

Sensitivity Training & The Qi State

In this fifth session, we look at Qigong as a sensitivity training practice that deepens our body awareness. Through body awareness, we get in touch with our energy body and learn to sense the subtle changes energetically within us. Understanding how to work with interoception, we deepen our ability to listen to our energy flow and achieve the Qi State of being.

Lesson 6

Movement From The Heart

In today's session, we look at how central the Heart is to Qigong practice. Here, this means as much about the heart as the organ in our chest as it does the energy we call Heart Resonance. Through an interactive exercise, we explore how Heart Qi feeds our Wei Qi Energy Field and the importance of the Lao Gong point in the palm of our hands.

Lesson 7

Dan Tians & Chakras

In this session, we look at the Qigong energy centers called “Dan Tians” and compare them with Chakras from the Yoga tradition. We explore how the three Dan Tians, like Chakras, are important focal points of the practice and point to various aspects of our lives and emotions.

Lesson 8

Energy Meridians

This session looks at the energy pathways that course through our body which we call Meridians, or in Mandarin “Jing Mai” and are what makes acupuncture so effective. We’ll look at how they weave the various Organ Systems together like an energetic tapestry and how there are Yin Meridians and Yang Meridians that are associated with Yin and Yang Organ Systems. Qigong’s stretching, breathwork, and visualization help to activate Qi through these energy Meridians.

Lesson 9

Wei Qi Field

The Wei Qi Field (pronounced “Way Chee”) is fundamental to Qigong practice as it defines the energy dancing around our body. In this session, we will explore this important part of your immune system and how it operates as a protective energy field around your body. You will also participate in a movement exercise to help wake up your sensitivity to the Wei Qi around and in you and explore its toroidal geometry.

Lesson 10

Activating The Vagus Nerve

This session looks at the emerging science that is showing how a key part of our autonomic nervous system plays a key role in our inner peace and ability to cope with stress. Qigong’s deep, Taoist breathing that involves squeezing our abdominal muscles has been shown to activate the Vagus Nerve so that we can “hijack” this effect for our benefit and increase our Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to better deal with stress.

Lesson 11

Five Elements

Understanding the basic concept of Chinese Five Elements provides insight into how our bodies relate to the natural flow of life itself. Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, Fire are useful metaphors for seeing how our Organ Systems work together in a unified way and how Qigong practice can help to harmonize this interrelationship.

Lesson 12

Jing Qi Shen

This session looks at the ancient Taoist concepts of Jing, Qi, and Shen – three key aspects of the energetic beings we are. Relating them to Body, Mind, and Spirit, or Past, Present, and Future are presented so that we can redefine the way we see ourselves and allow our Qigong practice to help influence each of these three aspects for our health and well-being.

Lesson 13

Emotion Alchemy

Emotion Alchemy is a powerful transformational process developed by Francesco that uses the healing aspects of Qigong to use the inherent power within our emotions to create a new way of engaging with the world. This takes the Five Elements/Five Organ System approach and moves from “managing” emotions and into “transforming” emotions. This session explains the process in hopes of inspiring you to try it.

Lesson 14

Organ Cleansing & Strengthening

This final session in our course is an introduction to the Organ Cleansing Qigong form and shows how all the fundamental concepts in the previous 13 days of sessions all come together in this practice. Also called in Mandarin “Zang Fu Gong,” Organ Cleansing is a fluid form of 14 moves that, when learned, can be done in around 10 minutes. It is designed to cleanse and strengthen all your organ systems and is practiced by over 100,000 people around the world.

4.9 (90)

Recent Reviews

Kate

September 9, 2025

Thank you 🙏❤️🕊️

Frank

September 1, 2025

This has been a wonderful introduction for me. Francesco sheds light on the deeper significance of Qigong which I believe will help me, as I start to include a daily practice into my life, understand the intention behind the movements. Thank you 🙏

Helene

August 12, 2025

You’re so necessary.. your teachings I embrace like an eager student, with a thirst for endless knowledge from you. I want to repeat all courses etc you offer.. you’re something I feel I need a dose of, if you know what I mean 😂!! I’ve used some of your examples, in Courses etc, to benefit and enhance ‘me’, my life, my journey. Where is the best place to find more of your teachings etc, apart from Insight Timer? YouTube perhaps ? I know I enjoy your teachings very much! Very Grateful, Thank you, Thank you! Helene 🙏🏼❤️🫶🏼🙃

Melissa

February 8, 2025

A marvelous course. Thank you 🙏🏻

Milena

November 7, 2024

Thank you🙏

Michal

October 31, 2024

Fantastic introduction to a new area of practice.

CalvinPaul

October 11, 2024

Solid and super knowledgeable. You could feel the steadiness in his voice. Very good.

Judith

September 16, 2024

Thank you so much for this meaningful course 🙏🏼! I have learned concepts that are entirely new to me and that make so much sense! I appreciate your gentle and caring ways. I will continue to learn about qigong.

Winnie

July 7, 2024

Veryvglad I found and completed this course. I look forward to learning more and making QiQong a part of my daily practice. 👼🏽🙏🏽💚

Oda

April 26, 2024

Beautifully designed course. I really enjoyed the discussion of the fundamental basics and foundations of Qi Gong.

Kris

February 27, 2024

Incredible!

kerry

October 18, 2023

Thank you so much, the journey of finding you within you ❤️ l loved your gentle passionate manner and deep understanding which you are willing to share.. please do more 🙏

Drew

September 22, 2023

Thank you!

Karey

September 10, 2023

This course inspires me to find some videos to follow. Thank you.

Cori

August 20, 2023

Beautiful

Karen

May 21, 2023

Thankyou for this insightful introduction to Qi Gong. I combined this with a 25 day practical practice and am excited to it being part of my daily life. I look forward to learning more.

Freddy

March 12, 2023

Thank you for the explanation of qigong and the activation of energy. It complements a qigong class that is basic movements.

Claire

December 26, 2022

I learned a lot and sincerely enjoyed this course. I will listen again. Bravo!

Jeff

August 18, 2022

Thank you!

Victoria

August 7, 2022

I am intrigued by Qigong and my heart wants to learn more.

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