[Qigong] What if I don't focus on the Dantian?

Autor: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Fecha: 22-6-2025 Domingo, 1:50 PM

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[Qigong] What if one does not focus on the Dantian?
In traditional internal martial arts and qigong systems, focusing on the Dantian is almost regarded as the core principle of cultivation. The Dantian is considered the source of "qi," the fundamental starting point for cultivating qi, health, and enlightenment. Most practices require practitioners to close their eyes and turn their awareness inward, concentrating on the Dantian area in the lower abdomen, guiding qi back to the Dantian through "intent," in order to achieve the goals of gathering qi, generating qi, and transforming qi. This method has been revered as a standard for hundreds or even thousands of years of practice history, and has rarely been widely questioned. However, my approach to cultivating qi completely overturns this traditional path. I never focus on the Dantian, nor do I deliberately guide qi to concentrate in any specific area. I understand deeply that any enclosed space—regardless of its size—ultimately has its limits, and will sooner or later become full, leading to blockages that hinder the flow of qi. The "Dantian" in the body, whether viewed as an energy center, a physiological node, or a spiritual location, is essentially still a form of "local container." Once qi is confined to this, it restricts the infinite energy flow between heaven and earth.
I view the human body as a mountain stream, not a closed water bucket, but a transparent riverbed. Traditional focus on the Dantian is like building a reservoir in the mountains, hoping to accumulate water into a lake. However, this reservoir will eventually overflow, and when the dam is under pressure, it may even lead to disaster. I abandon the reservoir model, allowing the water in the mountains to flow freely, following the natural slope and terrain, rushing into the sea on its own. My qi is not hidden; it is moving, a fluid that breathes in sync with heaven and earth. In this structure, I no longer think about how to "guide qi back to the field," but rather construct a complete channel, allowing qi to flow automatically to where it is needed without guidance. It is not about gathering qi, but about unblocking qi; not about nourishing qi, but about harmonizing qi; not about sealing, but about activating. I treat the entire body as a real-time feedback energy ecosystem, not focusing on concentrated infusion, but on structural release; not on local stimulation, but on overall resonance.
I do not deny traditional martial arts practices and fully respect methods like focusing on the Dantian that have been passed down through generations. After all, they are important achievements in humanity's exploration of "qi" over thousands of years, crystallizing the experiences of countless predecessors. It is precisely because I have deeply understood these systems that I can more clearly judge: they do have value at certain stages, but they also have limitations. This has prompted me to attempt to break through the original model and explore a more open and fluid structure of qi. This does not deny the existence of the Dantian, but rather refuses to deify it as the only anchor point; it is not about avoiding concentrated awareness, but transforming concentration into fluid control, evolving the focus of points into the conduction of lines and the unfolding of surfaces, reconstructing the traditional training model of "controlling the body with points" into a running mechanism of "governing the whole with momentum." In my training system, the regulation of qi no longer relies on a specific acupoint or center, but on the natural symmetry of the skeleton, the real-time balance of the center of gravity, the smoothness of breathing, and the overall awareness of "flow" on a mental level.
When qi flows freely, the whole body naturally becomes orderly: the places that need warmth become warm, and the places that need relaxation become relaxed. Qi is not stagnant, the spirit is not confined, and awareness is no longer restricted to the narrow state of "internal focus on a point," but can expand to the overall structure, even extending to the information field of heaven and earth. I find that the true "sense of qi" does not come from "gazing at the Dantian," but from the coordinated breathing of the entire system—when standing in a posture, with the soles of the feet relaxed, the spine elongated, the pelvis aligned, and the Baihui point gently lifted, qi automatically circulates along the body's structure, rising and falling without any forced guidance of awareness. Every breath draws qi inward; every balance brings qi and blood back to their roots; every relaxation opens up new operational space. This state no longer relies on the locking of attention, but allows awareness to become a flowing field, in which qi and spirit are no longer separated, but evolve synchronously.
My approach to cultivating qi does not abandon the perception of the body, but enters a higher-dimensional state than "local awareness focus"—qi moves freely, intent follows qi, and both qi and intent return to nature. In this state, "qi" is no longer a force that must be "concentrated," but a natural existence like gravity, electric current, or temperature; it does not need to be emphasized, but only allowed; it does not need to be guided, but only requires space to operate naturally. The uniqueness of this practice lies in the fact that it does not require me to actively "practice," but rather, once the structure is in place, qi begins to flow automatically, and the body enters a state of adjustment during daily walking, with breathing naturally extending in everyday actions, even the voice becomes steady and clear due to smooth qi and blood, and even logical thinking becomes more systematic, rapid, and coherent due to the connection of qi.
"If one does not focus on the Dantian," is not a deviation from tradition, but a return to the freedom of heaven and earth. Transitioning from a reservoir to an ecological river, no longer relying on closed energy storage, but entering a dynamic cycle of real-time mobilization and transformation. It is this flow that allows me to break through traditional limits on all levels—physical, mental, and information processing—reaching a realm far beyond what conventional practitioners can experience. I understand deeply that it is not that the Dantian is useless, but that "consciousness confinement" has made it a bottleneck; it is not that tradition is wrong, but that modern imitation has misplaced the focus. Focusing on the Dantian is part of ancient wisdom; while not focusing on the Dantian is the inevitable path to transcend the Dantian and enter a higher level of qi between heaven and earth. When your body becomes an open weather station rather than a sealed energy chamber; when your awareness covers like clouds rather than focusing like a light bulb; when you no longer "train qi," but "facilitate qi," you will understand that not focusing on the Dantian does not belittle the Dantian, but allows the Dantian to become part of the entire ecological cycle, rather than the sole goal.
I do not neglect the practice of qi; I am practicing a higher dimension, a more systematic logic, and a more structurally coherent qi; I do not deny the Dantian; I am letting go of the obsession with "the Dantian as the only focus," allowing the entire body to become the Dantian, letting heaven and earth become the source of qi, letting information become fluid, and letting the person themselves become a structurally operational whole energy system. This is my understanding of "cultivating qi," and perhaps this is the true starting point for moving from the Dantian to the vastness of the universe.

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