Mental preparations. There two primary guidelines. The first is (quiet, stillness or calm). The second is (concentration, focus). The purpose of stillness, both mental and physical, is to turn attention inwards and cut off external sensory input. Within that stillness, one concentrates the mind and focusses attention.

Adopt a comfortable posture for the body, balance your weight evenly, straighten the spine, pay attention to physical movements and imaginal techniques and do not bother with the following kinds of sensations like heat, cold, tingling, trembling, or other manifestations. When your body is comfortable and balanced, focus on your actions. With the opening movements you visualise that you release your qi to infinity. When doing the closing movements you absorb qi from nature. The collection and exchange of qi with nature opens your meridian system.

Visualisation.

All qigong practitioners need help entering the qigong state or state of tranquillity. This entering the state of tranquillity must the be the goal or all qigong practice. This means that the mind is trained to be silently aware of any particular point of focus. It is nothingness. The mind is not thinking about but rather experiencing directly, immediately, without the intervention of thoughts and concepts.

A quiet mind can sense imbalance more easily and is better able to direct the flow of qi. Qigong visualisation is a training in imagination and volition. It is a way of sharpening awareness and correcting health problems by using creative power of the mind. Always substitute positive images for negative ones.

Healing visualisations on the other hand might eventually bring about the state of tranquillity, but they are therapeutic and goal-oriented, a principle shared by qigong and modern psychoneuroimmunology: if the mind can cause disease, the mind can cure it.

You can facilitate visualisation by mentally going through the steps below. Imagine all your movements being done at infinity. Use your mind to attract qi by imagining you have become an infinitely large being, with your head touching the sky and feet deeply rooted in the earth. Every opening and closing movement occurs on the horizon. By opening up, you become as one with nature. Use the following:

1. Imagine your head reaching to the sky and your feet deeply rooted in the earth. Since the earth is suspended in space, you can imagine your feet blended into the earth and your body suspended in space. Think this phrase: "Head touches the sky, feet stand on earth".

2. Relax your entire body from head to toe and from inside to the outside. Then imagine the front, back, left and right sides of your body expanding to the horizon. You are the only person occupying the universe. You and nature have become one. Think this phrase: "Body relaxes, mind expands".

3. You are embarking of a journey of self-discovery by practising qigong. It is a respectful endeavour and being respectful of what you do will enable your mind to calm down. When your mind is quiet, you will be able to enter in a qigong state. Think this phrase: "Be respectful and quiet".

4. When your mind has quieted down and become clear, it will, like the smooth surface of a still pond, reflect yourself. As you show respect to qigong, your appearance will be humble. Think the phrase: "Mind is clear and appearance is humble".

5. Empty yourself of all thoughts. Think: "No distracting thoughts".

6. Even though you do not have any thoughts, your mind's intent is in space, in infinity. "Think space".

7. Bring the mind's intent back from infinity to your body. "Think body".

8. As the mind's intent returns to your body it brings qi from infinity. As your body is suffused with qi, you enter into a comfortable and blissful state of qigong. Think: "Entire body is harmonised with qi."

The above eight phrases are designed to allow your body to place it's autonomic nervous system under the calming parasympathetic control. You are using physical exercise and visualization to produce an altered state of consciousness (as in meditation, qigong is moving meditation) to allow a more free flow of vital energy, qi, throughout your body to improve health and longevity by balancing the yin and yang of the human energy field. When qi is balanced you are in good health.

Do your exercises everyday, by doing so you prevent future illness.

Begin your exercise routine releasing qi with opening movements and absorbing qi with closing movements. For example, when your hands move outwards you release your qi to infinity and as they return inwards to your body, absorb qi from nature. When you are thinking body, you can utilise your knowledge of where the energy points are, and think of an individual point e.g. ming men, when your hands are over that position. The pattern of Zhineng qigong exercises will bring your hands over a whole series of energy points. The twelve meridian system as in acupuncture is used.

Zhineng means Intelligence. Perhaps this is why Zhineng qigong is Zhineng qigong.

In conclusion Zhineng Qigong practice, has three aspects:

1. Exercise, especially those with emotional or psychological problems benefit more, because as their bodies follow the movements. their minds become calmer and healthier.

2. Visualisation or imagery during exercise e.g. thinking of the blue sky and then the body involves the mind, and increases the chance of recovery.

3. Affirmation, is a powerful tool similar to prayer; when you believe something and you affirm it, you are not asking for anything. When you affirm to yourself that your illness disappears, it can disappear. Therefore every time you do Zhineng qigong, affirm that you are healthy.