One of the most common points of uncertainty for qigong students — new and experienced alike — isn’t how to practice. It’s which practice to commit to. Which exercise set. Which teacher. Which style. With a tradition spanning thousands of years and dozens of schools, the options can feel overwhelming.
A simple decision-making approach, borrowed from a children’s game, can cut through that uncertainty quickly.
The Hotter/Colder Method
You’ve probably played Hotter/Colder as a child — someone hides an object, and as you move around the room they tell you whether you’re getting warmer or colder. You don’t need a map or a plan. You just follow the heat.
The same principle applies when choosing a qigong path. When facing two options, ask yourself honestly: which one feels hotter?
Not which one looks more impressive, or which one a friend recommended, or which one seems most rigorous. Which one genuinely draws you?
Applying It to Qigong Decisions
Here are the kinds of choices where this approach is useful:
- Which exercise set to focus on — The 18 Lohan Hands is a complete set with broad health benefits. Zhan Zhuang builds internal force through stance training. Ba Duan Jin is gentle and widely practiced. Which feels hotter to you right now?
- Whether to learn from a teacher or self-study — Learning directly from a qualified instructor produces better results, but isn’t always accessible. An online course is the next best option. Which path is actually available to you — and which feels more sustainable?
- How much time to commit — 15 minutes daily practiced consistently produces better results than an hour practiced occasionally. Does a shorter daily commitment feel hotter than an ambitious schedule you won’t maintain?
- Which health focus to prioritise — Some people come to qigong for physical health, others for mental clarity, stress relief, or spiritual development. Which of the five main reasons people practice qigong feels most relevant to where you are right now?
You Don’t Need Certainty — You Just Need a Direction
Many qigong students delay committing to a practice because they want to be sure they’re making the right choice. But certainty rarely arrives before you begin. What the hotter/colder method offers isn’t certainty — it’s a direction. And a direction is enough to start.
You don’t need to know what your practice will look like in five years. You just need to decide whether one option feels hotter than another — and then follow it with consistency and commitment.
The real challenge, as any honest teacher will tell you, isn’t choosing a path. It’s staying on it. For practical guidance on that, see 10 Ways to Build a Regular Qigong Practice.
