People, even new students, look at the practice of qigong in many different ways. In Asia for instance the system is view the practices from both a spiritual and a scientific level. Monks in China experimented regularly, using control groups, to develop routines that affected different parts of the body by manipulating chi in different ways. This experimentation led to the development of different styles of tai chi and different routines for qigong. There are a number of different things that you can do to plan your qigong before you begin your session.

• The first thing to consider is your environment. It is especially important for new students to find a quiet area to practice in. Natural environments are best but any quiet place will be good.
• Next it must be decided what you are trying to accomplish. This will mean deciding how many repetitions that you will do for each exercise. While qigong is not focused on repetitions for the purposes of muscle building/toning, many exercises require a certain number of repetitions. The 9 breath method and the five organ method of breathing are excellent examples.
• Transitioning into your exercises is important. Prepare a plan that begins with regulating the breathing and calming the mid before beginning the session. Then plan which exercises will be done in which order to accomplish your objective.
• Remember that the focus is making each exercise perfect in and of itself, before moving on to the next movement. A repetition is not complete until it is done perfectly. Plan to harmonize each movement with your breathing.

Once the outline of your qigong session has been planned out it should be used on a regular basis and you should keep track of your progress. There will come a point that you will find that different parts of your plan need to be adjusted to achieve maximum results. This is because practice will change your body chemistry over time, producing different needs. These changes are signs that your body is beginning to heal.

This time of plan is perfect for new students who usually have busy schedules. The more that you use it, the more it helps and becomes part of your regular routine. The best thing about it is that it will allow you to keep track of your progress and adjust your routine to compensate for improvements.