Peer Reviewed Research: “Effect of Meditative Movement on Affect and Flow in Qigong Practitioners”
Qigong is widely practiced for its benefits to physical vitality, emotional balance, and spiritual clarity. While many traditions describe these benefits in terms of energy (Qi), flow, and harmony, scientific explorations into the subjective and measurable effects of Qigong are still emerging. This paper by Pölönen and colleagues investigates how Qigong practice influences emotional affect and the state of “flow” using both standardized psychological scales and open-ended participant feedback.
Study Design and Approach
Nineteen experienced Qigong practitioners participated in a series of four weekly 90-minute group sessions. Each session followed the same structure: it began with a baseline affect assessment (using the PANAS scale), followed by three sequential Qigong practice sets, each about 20 minutes in duration. These sets were designed to follow a traditional internal cultivation sequence, starting with large external movements and gradually transitioning to more subtle internal imagery and focused awareness.
Participants completed the Flow Short Scale (FSS) after each of the three movement phases and again at the end of the session. At the end of three sessions, they also provided open-ended responses describing their emotional and mental state using their own words.
Practices Used in the Sessions
The sequence followed a traditional Qigong progression:
Body Opening and Relaxing – shaking, stretching, circling movements with focused bodily awareness.
A Crane Spreads Its Wings – synchronizing movement with breath, emphasizing lightness and fluidity.
Joining Heaven and Earth – using mental imagery, such as light and warmth flowing through the body, in coordination with breath and movement.
This mirrors common Qigong pedagogy: moving from the gross to the subtle, from the external to the internal, and from relaxation to regulation and stillness.
Affect: Shifts in Emotional State
To measure emotional state, the researchers used the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), which assesses the presence and intensity of both positive and negative emotions. Participants completed this before and after each session.
The results were consistent: participants experienced an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative emotions after each session. The average shift in emotional valence across all participants was +8.85 points, a notable change in a one-hour session.
The open-ended responses revealed the kinds of emotions experienced that are not typically captured by standard psychological scales. Participants frequently used words like:
Restful
Relaxed
Happy
Balanced
Clear
These descriptors correspond closely with traditional Qigong goals such as tranquility (jing), inner harmony, and shen clarity. Rather than simply feeling “good” in the Western psychological sense, practitioners described nuanced internal states consistent with Qigong philosophy—where emotional clarity, inner quiet, and energetic balance are signs of progress.
Interestingly, affective responses such as “present,” “energized,” and “lucid” also appeared in open-ended responses, though less frequently. These suggest the cultivation of mindful embodiment, and possibly an increase in interoceptive awareness—awareness of the body’s internal sensations, often cultivated in Qigong.
Flow States: Entry into the Tao of Practice
Flow is a psychological state of deep immersion in an activity, often characterized by loss of time awareness, heightened focus, intrinsic motivation, and a sense of effortless control. This state, long discussed in martial arts and meditation traditions, has been operationalized in modern psychology by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and measured using tools like the Flow Short Scale.
Across all participants and sessions, the flow score increased from the first to the third exercise phase. That is:
During the first 20 minutes, practitioners were already entering flow (mean FSS = 5.45 / 7).
At 40 minutes, the flow state deepened (mean = 5.70).
By the end of the session, flow was at its highest (mean = 5.82).
These results confirm that Qigong reliably produces flow states, and that flow intensifies over the course of continuous meditative movement. This mirrors the classical idea of “entering the flow of Qi” or “uniting the mind and body,” as discussed in internal martial arts and Daoist literature.
The characteristics of flow—automatic movement, absence of internal dialogue, sense of presence—parallel traditional descriptions of wu wei (無為) or effortless action, often considered the pinnacle of Daoist cultivation.
In participant comments, flow-like states were described in language like:
“Today I felt a bit tired, although also concentrated and calm. Training session woke me up and brought very enjoyable concentration into the body, even flow-like experience where my body moved automatically.”
This reflects a transition from conscious control to embodied spontaneity—a hallmark of Qigong mastery.
Inner States and Semantic Analysis
To further investigate the internal experience of Qigong, the researchers used content analysis to categorize the types of language used by practitioners. They created nine categories of affective states based on 117 descriptors provided in open-ended responses:
Restful
Energized
Tired
Clear/Lucid
Balanced
Positive Affect (happy, joyful)
Negative Affect (tense, painful)
Present/Mindful
Other/Unclassified
Of these, the dominant emotional categories post-practice were:
Restful (32.5%)
Positive Affect (17.1%)
Balanced (12.8%)
Clear/Lucid (12.2%)
Together, these accounted for nearly 75% of all post-session descriptors. This indicates that the primary outcome of Qigong practice—as perceived by practitioners—is a deep state of calm, joy, and mental clarity. This profile closely matches the goals outlined in classical texts such as The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, where tranquility of body and clarity of mind are seen as foundational to health and longevity.
The data suggests that these states emerge within 20 minutes of practice and deepen progressively, aligning with traditional understandings that the longer one practices in a continuous, uninterrupted state, the more the Qi consolidates and the spirit becomes still.
Practical and Philosophical Reflections
This study validates what many practitioners have experienced but few studies have documented: Qigong creates a shift in consciousness. It lifts emotional tone, dissolves inner tension, and creates a fluid, immersive state where thought, movement, and breath unify.
Flow is not simply a psychological state—it is an energetic integration of intention, breath, and form. The research shows that these effects are not limited to advanced practitioners or monks; they are accessible in a group setting with basic but continuous training.
In traditional theory, entering flow or inner tranquility allows Qi to circulate unimpeded. The stillness and joy reported by participants may correspond with what Daoist texts call the “return to the uncarved block” (pu 樸)—a return to the original simplicity of being, free of mental agitation and egoic striving.
Furthermore, the movement from coarse to subtle—external shaking to internal visualization—is mirrored in the progression of affect and flow observed in the study. As the movements became subtler, the psychological states became deeper and more coherent.
This provides an empirical mirror to the ancient wisdom: when the breath becomes smooth, the mind becomes quiet; when the body becomes light, the spirit becomes clear.
Conclusion
This study confirms that Qigong practice leads to:
A measurable increase in positive emotional affect
A reduction in negative emotional affect
The induction and deepening of flow states
A subjective experience of restfulness, joy, balance, and clarity
These changes occurred rapidly—within an hour—and were consistent across multiple sessions. The emotional and cognitive states induced by Qigong are unique in that they do not simply reflect relaxation or stimulation, but a blended, embodied awareness that fosters a sense of centered aliveness.
For modern practitioners, this study provides a scientific foundation for what is often known intuitively: Qigong doesn’t just relax you—it changes your state of consciousness.
The tradition speaks of Qigong as a path of cultivation—of health, of clarity, and of returning to the source. This study affirms that even a short session, done with attentiveness and intention, can move the practitioner in that direction.
APA Citation:
Pölönen, P., Lappi, O., & Tervaniemi, M. (2019). Effect of meditative movement on affect and flow in Qigong practitioners. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2375.
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