Rest and Meditation: the seventh of the Seven Foundations
Stillness is where the Qi settles and deepens.
This is the foundation that gets cut when a class runs long, and cutting it is the most costly edit available. Everything before it generates and moves energy. This is where the body absorbs it.
What lives here
Infinity Breath Meditation. Metta. Inner Smile. Qi Washing. Deep relaxation, seated or standing or lying down.
What it is doing
Letting the nervous system register what just happened. There is a difference between a body that has been through a practice and a body that has integrated one, and the difference is made in these last minutes.
Why it is last, and why that is not arbitrary
You cannot absorb something that is still in motion. The arc of a class builds and then settles, and what I see when it only builds is that people leave activated rather than restored.
Skip it and you have exercised. Include it and you have practiced. That is the cleanest way I know to say the difference. More on the after-effect at why people feel different after Qigong.
Pairs with Breathe, the other quiet foundation.
Part of the Seven Foundations of Practice.
On the physiology of the settling that happens here, how Qigong regulates the nervous system.
On the tiredness that sometimes follows a practice, and what it usually means, see why do I feel tired after Qigong.
Rest matters differently when your body is managing a chronic condition. Daniela writes about that at remission is possible.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a Qigong class end with rest?
Because you cannot absorb something that is still in motion. Everything before it generates energy and this is where the body takes it in.
What happens if you skip the closing rest?
People leave activated rather than restored. Skip it and you have exercised. Include it and you have practiced.
How long should the closing rest be?
Whatever you budgeted. If you planned 5 minutes, honour the 5 minutes rather than trimming it to finish on time.
Where to go next
If you have never practiced Qigong. Jump Start Your Energy is a free beginner class. No background needed, nothing to buy, and it is the fastest way to find out whether any of this does anything for you. Most people know within one session.
If you practice and want to go deeper. We teach live classes online every week, and there is a self-paced Introduction to Qigong if you would rather work through it in your own time.
If you want to teach this. Everything in this library is drawn from the Great Energy Qigong Teacher Certification. The frameworks are here in full because they are more useful shared than withheld. The training is where you learn to deliver them.
Keep reading. The rest of the framework library is at the Library, and our longer articles are on the blog.
Great Energy is an independent educational organization founded by Christopher Grant and Daniela Hess.