The two questions every class answers
There are two questions in front of you when you design a Qigong class, and they are not the same question.
What kind of practice is this?
And when in the class does it go?
Answer only the first and you have a well-labeled pile. Answer only the second and you have a shape with nothing in it. You need both, and there is a framework for each.
The taxonomy and the arc
The Seven Foundations of Practice answer the first question. Breathe, Activate, Warm Up, Stretch, Flow, Posture, Rest and Meditation. Every practice you know sits in one of those, and some sit in two.
The Five Elemental Class Design Framework answers the second. Opening, then Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. That is the arc a class travels, and each phase has a job and a rough share of the time.
The Foundations tell you what kind of practice each move is. The Five Elemental arc tells you when in the class it goes.
What holding both at once gets you
You stop needing a script.
That is the actual payoff, and it takes a while to believe. A teacher who holds one axis has to plan every class in advance, because without a plan there is nothing to fall back on. A teacher who holds both can walk into a room, read what is in front of them, and build.
Someone arrives wrung out and heavy. You know the arc still needs its Fire phase, and you know Fire is core activation, so you reach for the gentlest thing in that category rather than skipping the phase. The shape stays intact. What fills it changes.
Someone arrives wired and unable to settle. Same arc. You spend longer in Water, and you pick from Rest and Meditation rather than from Flow.
The container does not change. What goes in it changes every single time.
Why the arc is not simply the seven in order
Because they are answering different questions, and the mapping is not one to one.
Wood phase is warm-up work, so it draws heavily from Warm Up and Stretch. Water phase draws from Rest and Meditation, and also from Breathe. Earth phase draws from Posture. But Breathe shows up in the Opening too, and Flow appears in both Fire and Metal at different intensities.
Seven categories, six phases, and no tidy alignment between them. That is not a flaw in the system. It is why you need both.
The short version
Learn the Foundations so you know what you are holding. Learn the arc so you know where to put it. Practice both until you stop thinking about either one, and then you are just teaching.
If you want the minimum viable version of all this, that is Super Basic Qigong. If you are considering teaching, how to become a Qigong instructor covers the practical route.
For the practice underneath the frameworks, what is Qigong.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Seven Foundations and the Five Elemental arc?
The Seven Foundations tell you what kind of practice a movement is. The Five Elemental arc tells you when in the class it goes. One is a taxonomy, the other is a sequence.
Can you teach Qigong without a script?
Yes, once you hold both frameworks. The arc gives you the shape and the foundations tell you what to put in it, so you can build for the room in front of you rather than following a plan.
Do the seven foundations map one to one onto the five phases?
No, and that is the point. Breathe appears in the Opening and again in Water. Flow appears in both Fire and Metal at different intensities. Seven categories, six phases, no tidy alignment.
By Christopher Grant, Great Energy.
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.