HOW QIGONG BECAME A PART OF MY LIFE
I want to share a story about how Qigong came into my life. I am a strong believer that experiences come into our lives always in the right moment and at the right time. Before I dive into how Qigong became such an integral part of my life. I need to time travel back to — my roots, my upbringing and the beginning of my journey.
MY ROOTS AND UPBRinging (In A NUTSHELL)
I grew up in Singapore, in a family whose roots trace back to China. My grandparents migrated from China to Singapore in search of a better life. My dad was actually born in China and did not come to Singapore until he was twelve years old. Like many families in our culture, we lived with our grandparents, so I grew up alongside my paternal grandparents.
My dad was a teacher but was also a practicing traditional Chinese medicine doctor. He did that in the evenings at a clinic that offered treatments on a donation basis. Dad would take the donations and give it back to the community. As a child, I remember being given Chinese medicine remedies whenever I was sick. Honestly, I thought it was all a little silly. Why would I take Chinese medicine when western medicine works way faster? I did not have quite a good understanding at that time but I do now.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate that both approaches have their place. Western medicine can be incredibly important when something needs to be addressed quickly or urgently, while Traditional Chinese Medicine looks more deeply at the underlying imbalances and the body as a whole.
As a child, I was surrounded by these traditions without really understanding their significance. In our home, we had a balcony. I remember seeing my dad practicing Taichi there and my grandma practicing Qigong there. As a child, I have always considered Qigong as “old people” exercise as it was often practiced by the elderly in our culture. I have since come to realize how wrong I was about that. So yes, as a child I was more interested in the Western way of things and have mostly disregarded the traditional way of holistic treatment that was so rooted in my culture. Oh how I have shifted my perspective in regards to that now.
THE PANDEMIC
Fast-forward to the later years of the pandemic. By then, I had moved away from home for my studies and, eventually, marriage. I had been living in the United States for almost 20 years. Interestingly, moving away from home and immersing myself in the Western culture somehow brought me closer to my own roots.
With distance came perspective. I began developing a deeper appreciation for the Eastern ways of living and, somewhat surprisingly, became curious about my own culture and the traditions I had grown up around but never really took the time to understand. It was during this time that I was introduced to the practice of Reiki.
Although Reiki is a Japanese healing modality, it somehow brought me closer to my own Eastern roots. I began practicing Reiki, then teaching it, and eventually traveling to Japan to deepen my studies and understanding of the practice. It became a significant part of my life, my practice and my spiritual journey.
Qigong, however, was still nowhere on my radar. Up to that point in my life, I truly believed I had found the practice for me. Reiki was it. I had no idea that another practice—one that had been so present in my life since childhood—would eventually find its way back to me.
QIGONG SHOWED UP
Qigong came into my life quite “unexpectedly” last year. I use the word unexpectedly loosely because I have come to believe that things happen when we are ready for them to happen. Somewhere along my own soul journey, I had finally reached a point where I was ready for Qigong. But it had to be introduced to me in a way that made sense for me.
That introduction came through a friend (whom I met synchronistically while traveling) who had been practicing Qigong for some time. During a visit, they showed me a few “simple” practices. Once again, I use the word simple very loosely. I have since learned that sometimes the simplest practices can have the most profound effects.
What I was shown looked incredibly simple to the human eye, but I felt something much deeper energetically. I could feel a shift within myself. I became more aware of my own energy and, surprisingly, more attuned to the energies around me. That alone was mind-blowing.
But what truly sealed the deal for me was what happened afterwards. I found myself crying for two days following that first practice. It was as though something that was held deep within finally found an avenue to release itself—something emotional and spiritual that had been waiting to be expressed through movement and breath.
That was the moment I realized Qigong was not simply an “old people” exercise, as I had once thought as a child. There was something much deeper here—something ancient, profound, and deeply connected to the body, breath, energy, and spirit.
And I wanted to understand it. I wanted to learn more. I knew I wanted to deepen my Qigong practice and learning but was not sure which direction to go. I simply kept practicing what I was taught while waiting for the right teacher to come along. The practice never stopped amazing me with what it was doing for my mind, body and spirit.
HOW QIGONG RESOLVED MY COUGH
At the end of December 2025, I traveled to Japan and fell ill the moment I arrived. I felt quite unwell for several days, and then developed a cough that stayed with me—not just for the rest of the trip, but for almost two months.
Yes, almost two months.
Nothing I was doing seemed to make it go away. I tried everything I knew under the sun, but the cough persisted. It was during this time that I decided to take my Qigong studies more seriously. I found a private teacher and committed to six weeks of deep study and practice.
During those six weeks, I began to explore something I had already encountered through my Reiki practice: the idea that emotions are held within our body. But through Qigong, I was able to explore this understanding on a much deeper level. I learned about the traditional Chinese medicine framework that associates different emotions with different organs, and as we practiced exercises designed to work with different emotional patterns, An inner awareness started to surface within me.
I realized the cough that have followed me for so long was an energetic one.
Before my trip to Japan, I was going through one of the most difficult periods of my life. Something started shifted physically for me when we started working with the lungs. In the traditional Chinese medicine framework I was studying, lungs are associated with grief.
As I began using Qigong movement and breathwork to work with and release some of the emotions I had been carrying, something remarkable happened: within about two weeks, I noticed that my cough began to ease.
The cough that had persisted for nearly two months, despite everything I had tried, gradually disappeared during those two weeks of intensive Qigong practice.
I can't say that this experience proves why the cough went away, but for me, the timing was a little too timely to ignore. It gave me a completely different understanding of just how deeply our emotional experiences can intersect with the way we experience our bodies.
And that was the moment I knew. Just practicing Qigong along was not enough for me. I needed to understand it all. As deeply as I can.
THE STORY OF NOW
After my 6 weeks training was up, I began the search for my next Qigong teacher. It was during this time that I decided to start reading a book that I had picked up months before about Qigong. It turns out that the author was just about to start up their one-year qigong training course. I took one of his free classes and his way of teaching really resonated with me. I immediately signed up for his course.
About the same time, another teacher that I have been interested in for a while started offering his training virtually. I could not miss this offer could I? So I signed up for his class too.
So here I am. September 2026, currently in two one-year long Qigong class with two amazing teachers. Both similar in their approach to the practice but utilizing different tools that somehow work in tandem with what I most need for my own practice, learning and healing.
I have also began incorporating Qigong exercises in my private energy healing sessions with client who have found profound benefits from both Reiki and Qigong. Their healing process and positive feedback have encouraged my continued passion for sharing these practices with others.
Today. I am immensely grateful.
Grateful for the practices that are now part of my life. Grateful for the teachers who have shared their knowledge and wisdom with me. And most of all, grateful for every person who has been a part of this journey and helped guide me to where I am today.
QUOTE BY ROBERT PENG
“THERE IS A QIGONG SAYING: WHERE THE MIND GOES, QI FOLLOWS”
INTERESTED IN PRACTICING WITH ME?
You can practice virtually with me. Just head over to my Events page to see when I am offering these virtual Qigong practice sessions.
https://www.songtreemusicandwellness.com/current-events
RECOMMENDED QIGONG READING
Here are some of my personal favorites
FLOWING ZEN: FINDING TRUE HEALING THROUGH QIGONG
Qigong and the Tai Chi Axis: Nourishing Practices for Body, Mind, and Spirit