Start Here - Welcome to Jade Dragon Qigong

This publication explores the intersection of Qigong, Daoism, Chinese medicine, neuroscience, and modern physiology. The goal is not simply to preserve traditional ideas, but to understand how ancient systems of self-cultivation relate to the nervous system, the body, attention, emotional regulation, and long-term health.

Over the past several years, Jade Dragon has grown into a large archive of educational essays, scientific research reviews, podcast episodes, and reflections on contemplative practice. If you are new here, this page will help you find some of the best places to begin.

The Science of Medical Qigong

Understanding Qigong Through Modern Science

One of the central themes of Jade Dragon is exploring how traditional practices can be understood through modern physiology and neuroscience.

Recommended starting points:

• Autonomic Regulation: The Hidden Reason Qigong Helps Blood Pressure, Sleep, and Stress

• Improving Your Brain Health: Breathing and Cerebrospinal Fluid

• Qigong and Blood Sugar

• Qigong and Chronic/Congestive Heart Failure

• Daoist Breathwork: How Ancient Techniques Regulate the Nervous System

Baduanjin, Yi Jin Jing, and Classical Qigong Systems

These articles explore some of the most well-known traditional Qigong systems and the research surrounding them.

Recommended articles:

• What Twenty Years of Research Reveal About Baduanjin Qigong

• What Happens When People Practice Baduanjin for 16 weeks

• The Hidden Key to Yi Jin Jing Qigong

• The Historical Connection Between Yi Jin Jing and Shaolin

• Damo and the Question of Qigong Origins in China

Research Reviews

Jade Dragon regularly publishes plain-language reviews of peer-reviewed scientific research related to Qigong, meditation, nervous system regulation, chronic illness, and mind-body practice.

Popular peer-reviewed scientific analysis include:

• Immune Changes After Qigong Practice in Fibromyalgia

• Qigong, Body-Awareness and Mental Health

• Six Healing Sounds Qigong Improves Lung Function in COPD Patients: Evidence from 40 Clinical Trials

• Baduanjin Qigong and Recovery After Heart Attack

• What Happens in the Brain During Meditation and Qigong?

Daoism, Meditation, and Self-Cultivation

Beyond physiology and neuroscience, Jade Dragon also explores the philosophical and contemplative dimensions of practice.

Recommended topics:

• What are the Three Dan Tian?

• Wuji Standing: Learning to Let Structure Support You in Qigong

• Exploring the Depths of Tranquility: A Comprehensive History of Meditation

• Daoist simplicity

• What Zen/Chan Buddhism Teaches

About David Hastings Lloyd

David Hastings Lloyd, R.Ac, R.TCMP, D.Ac, is a practitioner, educator, author, and researcher with more than 24 years of clinical experience in Chinese medicine and over thirty years of study in Qigong and contemplative practice.

Throughout his career, David has worked as a peer reviewer for Oxford University Press and served as a scientific advisor for one of the largest herbal medicine companies in Asia. He also teaches continuing education courses to healthcare professionals around the world, with a focus on integrating neuroscience, acupuncture, Qigong, pain science, and nervous system regulation into modern clinical practice.

Whether you are a practitioner, student, healthcare professional, or simply someone interested in understanding these traditions more deeply, welcome.

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