How Qigong Practice Changes the Brain: Insights from EEG Research
For centuries, Qigong has been described as a method for regulating awareness, emotion, and physiological function through disciplined training. Classical Chinese medical and Daoist traditions describe the stabilization of consciousness through posture, breath regulation, and directed attention. A scientific study titled Difference of EEG in Methods of Qigong Practice and in Length of the Training Period examined these claims through electroencephalography (EEG), measuring how different Qigong methods and levels of training correspond with measurable changes in brain activity.
Measuring Brain Activity During Qigong
EEG records electrical rhythms generated by coordinated neuronal firing across the cortex. These rhythms appear as recognizable frequency bands associated with distinct functional states:
Alpha waves correspond with relaxed wakefulness.
Theta waves appear during internally absorbed attention.
Beta waves accompany active cognitive engagement.
The researchers recorded brain activity in experienced Qigong masters performing standing internal meditation, masters conducting external therapeutic Qigong, and trainees practicing seated internal Qigong with training histories ranging from seventeen months to three years. Measurements were taken before, during, and after practice sessions, allowing direct comparison between resting and practice conditions.
Internal Qigong and the Withdrawal of Sensory Processing
During seated internal Qigong, trainees showed increased alpha-wave amplitude in occipital regions of the brain. Visual processing activity decreased as attention disengaged from external sensory input. Neural activity shifted toward internally maintained awareness while participants remained awake and responsive. The EEG pattern corresponded with sustained relaxation accompanied by preserved attentional stability.
External Qigong and Directed Engagement
In this study, external Qigong referred to a therapeutic practice in which an experienced practitioner directed Qi toward another person rather than regulating only their own internal state. The researchers examined external Qigong, performed by senior Qigong masters who stood while providing treatment to seated patients, with brain activity recorded simultaneously in both practitioner and receiver.
External Qigong produced a different configuration. Recipients displayed increased alpha activity, consistent with reduced sensory and cognitive arousal. Practitioners showed decreased occipital alpha activity during the same period. The practitioner’s brain did not enter passive relaxation. Neural activity reflected directed engagement, maintaining attentional control during interaction with another individual.
Frontal Regulation as a Marker of Expertise
The strongest distinction between levels of expertise appeared in frontal brain regions associated with executive regulation and attentional control. Researchers compared alpha-wave amplitude between frontal and occipital sites. During standing meditation, Qigong masters demonstrated greater frontal alpha activity than occipital activity. Regulation shifted toward higher cortical regions responsible for sustained attention rather than sensory withdrawal alone.
Among trainees, training duration corresponded with this same organizational pattern. Individuals with longer practice histories displayed higher frontal-to-occipital alpha ratios. Training altered the distribution of neural regulation across cortical regions rather than producing uniform relaxation.
Method-Dependent Changes in Brain Rhythm
Different Qigong methods produced distinct frequency changes. External Qigong increased alpha-wave frequency, consistent with outward attentional engagement. Seated internal practice reduced alpha frequency. In participants whose alpha rhythms slowed substantially, theta activity appeared along the frontal midline, a pattern associated with sustained internal concentration and continuous attentional monitoring.
Beta-wave activity increased during practice across conditions without differentiation between methods or experience levels. Qigong practice maintained active cortical engagement rather than suppressing cognitive function.
Neural Organization and Cultivated Awareness
The findings describe Qigong as a learned regulatory process observable in measurable neural organization. Practice reorganizes the relationship between sensory processing, attentional control, and cortical regulation. With continued training, neural activity concentrates within frontal regulatory networks while maintaining physiological calm and cognitive responsiveness.
Traditional Qigong literature describes mastery as the coordination of intention, awareness, and bodily regulation. EEG measurements document corresponding changes in cortical activity: relaxation maintained under voluntary control, attention stabilized without muscular tension, and awareness sustained without sensory dominance.
Kawano, K., Yamamoto, M., Kokubo, H., Sakaida, H., Hirata, T., Huang, J., & Chai, J. (1997). Difference of EEG in methods of Qigong practice and in length of the training period. Journal of International Society of Life Information Science, 15(2), 365–370
Like what you read? Keep exploring…
If this post resonated with you, you’ll love my book:
An Uncarved Life: A Daoist Guide to Struggle, Harmony, and Potential
This book blends timeless Daoist wisdom with real-world insight into how we can navigate struggle, cultivate inner peace, and live in alignment with our deeper potential. Drawing from classical texts like the Dao De Jing and integrating modern psychology and neuroscience, An Uncarved Life offers a grounded, poetic, and deeply personal guide to living well in a chaotic world.
Whether you’re seeking clarity, calm, or a more meaningful path forward, this book is a companion for anyone who wants to walk the Way with sincerity and strength.
Available now in print, Kindle, and audiobook formats.
Click here to get your copy on Amazon