A Cultural Phenomenology of Qigong: Qi Experience and the Learning of a Somatic Mode of Attention
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12158 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | A group of neidan qigong practitioners in Taipei, Taiwan |
| Intervention | Neidan qigong |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | Argues that qigong, a mind-body practice for cultivating and balancing vital energy, plays a significant role in how practitioners individually learn, elaborate, and understand the qi sensory experience. Contends that a first-person approach to qi experience can help illuminate the dynamics between embodied learning, consciousness, and society. |
Abstract
AbstractIn Chinese body culture, the construct of qi 氣—literally translated as breath or energy—is at the heart of several programs of self‐cultivation, as well as other domains of bodily knowledge related to the subjective and inter‐subjective realm of everyday life. Also, among Chinese societies and communities, discourses on qi have assumed social significance in the milieus of politics, religion, and popular culture. Therefore, it appears to be the case that a concern for the qi experience is significant to both the Chinese sensorium and its sociocultural context. However, while this category is ubiquitous, we are still left with the question of how people learn, elaborate, and make sense of it. By drawing from an in‐depth ethnographic study of a group of neidan qigong 內丹氣功 practitioners in Taipei, Taiwan, the aim of this article is twofold. To a greater extent, it investigates what role qigong, a mind‐body practice to cultivate and balance the vital energy, plays in the individual learning, elaboration, and understanding of the qi sensory experience. To a lesser extent, it considers this case study in the broader sociocultural context, in order to demonstrate that a first‐person approach to the qi experience can contribute to understanding the dynamics between embodied learning, consciousness, and society.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Interoceptive Ability and Emotion Regulation in Mind-Body Interventions: An Integrative Review. Behavioral Sciences November 18, 2024
- The Dialectical Mandala Model of Mindfulness: A Novel Model Revealing the Alchemical Logic Underlying Mindfulness Practice Religions July 9, 2026
- Mind the Motion: Feasibility and Effects of a Qigong Intervention on Interoception and Well-Being in Young Adults. Healthcare January 13, 2026
- The role of sensous flow and sensing the ground in movement skill experiences-a reflection using the practice of yoga as an example. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2023
Cites 3
- Emotions outside the box—the new phenomenology of feeling and corporeality February 8, 2011
- Body Practices and Consciousness: A Neglected Link Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 2000
- Applications of Altered States of Consciousness in Daily Life Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 1994