The Transformative Power of Combining Zen and Qi Gong

By Jeroen van Deutekom

Awakening Body and Mind on the Path Within

We all are practicing the art of living. It is subtle, vibrant, and infinitely deep. In our age of rapid change and persistent distractions, many seek out practices that reconnect them to themselves and the world around them. Two profound disciplines, Zen meditation and Qi Gong, have each stood the test of centuries, guiding seekers toward balance, clarity, and resilience. Yet, when interwoven, the synergy between the two reveals an even more inspiring spiritual path to self-knowledge and inner strength.

The Amplifying Union: Zen and Qi Gong

There is a unique alchemy in combining Zen meditation and Qi Gong. Each practice engages both body and mind, inviting you to experience the relationship between physical presence and mental awareness. By moving through gentle, conscious movements and postures in Qi Gong and embracing stillness in Zen, you are able to create a bridge, a living connection, between your physical body and the subtle energies and thoughts that reside within. This is not merely a journey of self-control or mastery. It's much more than that for me. It is true though, both Zen and Qi Gong cultivate essential virtues like willpower, discipline, and endurance. For now, let’s focus on these specific virtues.

They are not just concepts; they are living qualities, virtues that define your character and determine how you meet the inevitable waves of life.

Everyone faces the ups and downs of joy and adversity. By strengthening your stamina, physically, emotionally, and mentally, you improve your ability to stand firm, especially during times when things get tough. When it feels like you're facing challenges.

A Spiritual Journey Inward

To practise Qi Gong and Zen is to embark on a spiritual quest. In both, the union of body and mind opens the gateway to the innermost self. When you bring your physical form and your formless awareness together, you are invited to look deeply within. To catch a glimpse of your true nature, to observe the patterns and habits that shape your behaviour, and to realise the possibilities that lie hidden in your being. This process is transformative. Once you have truly seen who you are, you stand taller, move more purposefully. You feel grounded by a profound sense of who you are.

Breath: The Secret Bridge

At the heart of both Qi Gong and Zen lies the breath. One could say that the quality of your breath is intimately related to the quality of your life. In fact, you may experience that your breath determines whether your body and mind function at their best or not. Awareness of the breath unlocks a powerful tool: the ability to regulate your state of being. With conscious breathing, you can shift from stress to calm, from lethargy to vitality. The depth, duration and rhythm of each inhalation and exhalation become levers by which you direct the symphony of your body and mind.

Sitting Like a Mountain, Standing Like a Tree

Zen invites you to sit with the grounded presence of a mountain; Qi Gong teaches you to stand tall and be agile, like a tree rooted in the earth yet reaching for the sky. In both, there are moments when you meet your limits… when fatigue, discomfort, or pain arise.

These are not obstacles to be avoided, nor burdens to be banished. Rather than trying to accept or let go of discomfort, as if that were a task to be completed, these practices teaches you to simply allow pain to exist as it is, to investigate the suffering that arises within, and to refrain from turning away out of fear. Or to refrain you to just stop practicing when you don’t want to have that experience This wisdom extends to your emotions. The aim is not to control or suppress what you feel, but to observe your emotions, to see clearly what triggers them, and to nurture space between the self and the flow of feelings. In this spaciousness, emotions lose their power to overwhelm you. You pass through the “gateless gate,” and become free, not from emotions or needs, but from their domination over your actions and choices.

The Power of Mindful Awareness

As Buddha taught about this journey:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Watch your words, for they become your actions. Watch your actions, for they become your habits. Watch your habits, for they shape your character. Watch your character, for it seals your destiny.”

Both Zen and Qi Gong invite you, with each posture and breath, to pay attention, over and over again, to myriad elements at once. The practice is not to force harmony through ambition, but to discover it, even when the pose feels anything but harmonious.

The breath serves as a companion and guide, helping you settle into the present, no matter how turbulent the moment. By observing every ripple in body and mind, you nurture willpower and resilience. Energy gathers, potential blossoms, and a new, intimate world unfolds before you. This world is reserved for those who continue, who return every time to the practice with patience and resolve.

The Path to Inner Knowing

Through the body, you can gain access to the mind; by attending to form, you open the door to the formless. A disciplined and attentive mind no longer reacts blindly to the outer world, but learns to discern, distinguishing between old, deep-rooted patterns and the quiet voice of inner wisdom. In this awakened state, life flows with remarkable ease, as if you are supported on your journey. As you learn to relax and open the body, a profound depth may emerge within. The pain or discomfort that sometimes arises is not the enemy, it is the stretching of your heart, the expansion of your comfort zone, the gentle challenge to your boundaries.

Through this process, you become better equipped to meet difficulty, pain, or grief, not just in practice, but in every moment of life. When body and mind unite, you inhabit life more fully, moving with confidence and a sense of ease that radiates into the world.

The Rule of Repetition

Never underestimate the power of repetition. It is, as the old wisdom says, the mother of all skill. Each session, each breath, each movement, each moment of sitting or standing, is a thread woven into the fabric of your being. Every week, I offer lessons in Zen and Qi Gong, as well as the occasional courses a weekend or even a week, to deepen your practice, together with others in our sangha.

You are warmly invited to join.

Embracing a New Way of Being

The combination of Zen and Qi Gong opens more than just a pathway to health or relaxation, it is an invitation to a new way of living. To practise is to discover a source of inspiration, energy, clarity, and courage within yourself. It is to become acquainted with your own heart, to stand firm when the wind blows, and to move with grace through all of life’s changing seasons.

As you continue on this path, remember: every breath, every posture, every moment of mindful attention is a step towards wholeness. The journey deepens, day by day, until harmony, peace, resilience and joy become your natural state.