Breathing is enough

When people come to a workshop for the first time, they often ask: What do I have to do? What exercises will we do? How should I stand?

And sometimes I simply say: Breathe.

The beginning of all practice

It sounds obvious. Everyone breathes, all day long, without thinking about it. But that is exactly the point – we do not think about it. Breathing just happens, and we are elsewhere: at work, shopping, following the news.

For me, Qi Gong often begins not with a movement, but with attention. Simply noticing that you are breathing. Not changing the breath, not breathing more deeply, not more slowly. Just noticing.

Why this is difficult

Because we are used to doing. We want a result, progress, a sense of achievement. Simply standing there and breathing feels like nothing.

But this nothing is not empty. It is the moment when you reconnect with yourself. No goal, no programme. Just you and your breath.

Sometimes the first step is not a step. But a breath.

In practice

In my workshops, there are moments of stillness time and again – moments when we do nothing, just listen. Sometimes it is enough to feel the wind or notice your own posture. And then, slowly, perhaps change begins to emerge from the breath.

Anyone who has experienced this understands: breathing is not preparation for the practice. Breathing is the practice.