Welcome. This library brings together two things that are often kept apart: what science can tell us about sound, breath and the body, and what people actually notice when they practise Qigong. We give each its own space and we say clearly which is which, so you can see where every idea stands and make up your own mind.
I’m building this library because it’s what I wish had existed when I first heard about Qigong. Somewhere my teacher could have pointed me to and said: start here, read what’s there, and you’ll have a good foundation, all in one place. It didn’t exist, so I’m making it.
You don’t need any background to start here.
The essentials
If you’re new, these are each one click away:
- “What is Qigong? An introduction”: what the word means and where the practice comes from.
- “Our labels: how we mark the evidence”: how to read the coloured labels you’ll see on most articles.
- Reading the evidence: a short series on how to read a study or a health headline, so you can judge what you read, here and elsewhere.
- “How to read a health study in 5 minutes”: a step further, for when you’re ready (level B).
- “The Six Roots of Qigong”: the Medical, Martial, Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian and Ethnic roots of the practice.
Finding your way around
The “Knowledge Hub” menu at the top has four items. “How this site works” brings you back to this page, and so do the logo and “Knowledge Hub”. The other three are the library’s three areas:
- Resonance and the Body: sound, voice and music.
- Breath and the Body: Qigong practice and the breath, plus the traditions and history behind it.
- Physics and the Body: physics, explained plainly, and frontier ideas examined fairly.
You’ll find more about each area at the end of this page. Some articles can belong to more than one area. Once our beginner’s overview is live, the Six Healing Sounds will appear under both Resonance and the Body and Breath and the Body, because the practice is about sound and breath at the same time.
You can always come back to this page from the menu or the logo.
Three levels
Articles are written for three levels, so you can choose how deep to go:
- A, beginner: no background needed. Start here.
- B, intermediate: for when you know the basics and want the detail behind them.
- C, experienced: close reading of classical texts, inner practice and the research itself.
The levels describe the reading, not you. Feel free to dip into any of them.
What the labels mean
Most articles carry a label at the top. It rates the evidence for the article’s main claim:
- 🟢 Well studied: consistent findings from many good-quality studies, or established physics.
- 🟡 Early evidence: some studies exist, but they are small, few or mixed. Promising, not settled.
- 🔵 Tradition only: from Chinese medicine, Qigong tradition and history. Often full of meaning, but not scientifically tested.
- 🟠 Speculative: a hypothesis or popular claim that goes beyond, or conflicts with, current evidence.
Sections about well-documented historical facts are marked 📜 Documented history.
Then there is 🟣 Lived experience: what I notice in my own practice and what participants in my Immersions consistently report. It always sits beside an evidence label, never instead of one. It is an honest account, not proof, and not a promise that you will notice the same.
A label is about evidence, not value, and no label is medical advice. The full explanation is on “Our labels: how we mark the evidence”.
The library is the background to my Immersions: the history and traditions, the fundamentals, the research and the science and theories around Qigong and Tai Chi. My Immersions are inspired by Liu Zi Jue, its teachings and its sounds. Everything here, the articles, the music and the tones, is something I feel connected to within that form.
Explore the three areas
Follow whatever catches your interest.
Resonance and the Body
What resonance is, what your voice does when you make the six sounds, and honest looks at ideas such as 432 Hz.
Explore Resonance and the Body
Breath and the Body
Slow breathing, posture and stillness, inner practice, and where Qigong comes from.
Physics and the Body
What physics does and doesn’t say, and frontier ideas such as morphic resonance, with clear lines between the two.
Welcome to my world, or at least a part of my brain. Try not to get lost in here.
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Disclaimer
This article is for general education only. It is not medical advice and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a doctor or other qualified health professional. Qigong and the Six Healing Sounds are traditional practices; we make no claims that they cure, treat or prevent any illness. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are unsure whether a practice suits you, please talk to your doctor first.