Lung Healing with Qigong: Breathe Out Grief, Breathe In Vitality
Alright, let’s talk Lung Healing—not in the sterile, clinical sense, but the warm, breath-deep, Qi-rich kind of healing your body craves when the world’s got your chest feeling tight, your energy scattered, and your spirit… just a little foggy.
Lung Healing: Breathe Light Into Your Life
Imagine your lungs as a pair of angelic wings folded inside your chest. Every inhale stretches them wide—pulling in the inspiration of life. Every exhale releases what no longer serves you. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), your Lungs are more than organs—they’re alchemists, turning breath into vitality, sadness into acceptance, and fog into clarity.
But what happens when they get bogged down?
Pollution. Grief. Chronic stress. Even long hours hunched over a screen. These can all impair Lung Qi, leaving us with fatigue, shallow breath, brain fog, and weakened immunity.
Let’s revive your lungs from the inside out. Not with quick fixes, but with ancient breath-powered healing.
🫁 The Lungs in TCM: The Metal Element and the Po Spirit
In TCM, the Lungs belong to the Metal element—think of refinement, clarity, precision. They’re responsible for:
🌀 Receiving Qi: They draw in Heavenly Qi (from the air) and combine it with Earthly Qi (from food).
💧 Dispersing & Descending: Lung Qi moistens the skin and sends fluids and energy downward through the body.
😔 Processing Grief: The Lungs are the house of Po, the corporeal soul. It’s tied to our instinctive reactions and unresolved sorrow.
When Lung Qi is strong, you feel uplifted, inspired, and connected to your higher purpose.
When it’s weak, you might experience:
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Shortness of breath or shallow breathing
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Frequent colds or allergies
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Dry skin or coughing
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Sadness or unexpressed grief
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Low energy or poor focus
🌬️ Qigong for Lung Healing: Movement Meets Breath Meets Spirit
Joe Moody, co-founder of Club Qigong, often says in his Walk ‘n Talk series that “breath is the first prayer.” And he’s not being poetic—he’s being practical. Breath is the bridge between form and formlessness.
To heal the lungs, we activate and regulate breath with intentional movement, allowing stuck energy (especially grief) to transform and release.
🧘♀️ Try This: Lung Clearing Qigong Flow
From our 8 Brocades Qigong Course, one of the most potent moves for Lung healing is:
“Drawing the Bow to Shoot the Hawk”
This movement opens the chest, expands the ribs, and strengthens Lung and Heart Qi. Done slowly, it helps process grief and cultivate courage.
Here’s a simplified version:
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Stand relaxed, feet shoulder-width apart.
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Inhale as you “draw the bow” to one side, opening the arms wide like pulling a string.
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Exhale as you hold steady, visualizing energy streaming from your fingertips.
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Repeat on both sides, moving with breath.
Do this daily to nourish your Lungs, strengthen Wei Qi (protective energy), and feel emotionally lighter.
🌱 Lifestyle Tips to Support Lung Healing
🧂 Less mucus, more minerals: Cut back on dairy and sugar, which can create phlegm. Add pears, white fungus soup, daikon radish, and sea salt. These support Lung Yin and Qi.
💧 Breathe moist air: Use a humidifier or do steam inhalation with eucalyptus or peppermint oil.
👃 Nasal breathing: Keep the breath slow and through the nose to filter and warm the air—and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.
📿 Grief rituals: Journal. Cry. Walk in silence. Do whatever helps your Po spirit release stored emotion.
🧣 Protect the neck and chest: In TCM, Wind-Cold enters the body through the back of the neck. Scarves aren’t just fashion—they’re Lung armor.
🌀 When the Lungs Heal, the Spirit Rises
One of the beautiful secrets of Qigong is that emotional healing is not separate from physical healing. By strengthening the lungs, you build your Wei Qi, your resilience, and your capacity to love life again.
Joe and Melissa have seen this firsthand—grief dissolving, energy returning, purpose rekindled—all from simple breathwork and slow movement. It’s not magic. It’s medicine.
Ready to go deeper?
Check out Melissa’s 8 Brocades Qigong Course for a structured series that targets Lung and overall vitality. Or explore The Breath Book where Joe teaches you 12 breathing exercises for all kinds of conditions, from boosting energy to relaxing and sleep.