Qigong Classes Online & Private Lessons near Belfast

Colin Beattie - Alexander Technique Teacher Northern Ireland

Colin Beattie offers Qigong classes online and in person in Drumbeg, between Belfast and Lisburn. These classes provide a calm and accessible way to reconnect body and mind through breath-led movement. Colin will lead you through a gentle practice which draws on the Shibashi style of Qigong — a series of flowing movements known for their simplicity, ease, and deeply restorative effects.

Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi is a gentle, rhythmic exercise routine that is designed to improve balance, breathing, flexibility, strength, general health and wellbeing. Its sequence of flowing movements synchronised with breathing is both a pleasure to do and deeply calming. Colin is a qualified Qigong instructor qualified to teach Set 1 and Set 2 of this form as taught by Master Wing Cheung.

What Is Qigong?

Qigong (pronounced “chee-gong”) is an ancient Chinese practice combining gentle movement, breath awareness, and mindful attention. With roots in traditional medicine, martial arts, and meditation, Qigong has been used for centuries to support physical vitality, emotional balance, and longevity.

Unlike exercise routines that emphasise effort or intensity, Qigong works through letting go, allowing the body’s natural coordination and rhythm to emerge. The movements are slow, flowing, and often repeated, helping to calm the nervous system while gently building strength, stability, and inner awareness. Many people describe Qigong as a moving meditation—a way of reconnecting with the body.

The Shibashi Style

The form Colin teaches is known as Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi, a widely practised sequence of 18 movements designed to open the joints, regulate breathing, and support energy flow throughout the body. Shibashi was created in the 1970s by Professor Lin Hou Sheng and has since become one of the most accessible forms of Qigong in the world.

The Shibashi sequence:

This can be done standing or seated

Supports coordination and balance without pressure

It involves smooth, symmetrical movements that are easy to learn and deeply calming

It is suitable for all levels, including complete beginners

While based on principles from Tai Chi, Shibashi is not a martial art — it’s a health and well-being practice, ideal for those seeking a gentle yet powerful way to move and breathe.

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Who will benefit from Qigong?

Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi is suitable for people of most ages and abilities as it does not put too much stress on muscles and joints if done correctly and can be practiced sitting or standing. No experience is needed and no flexibility is required. Qigong is suitable for people at every fitness level. The gentle rhythm of movement and focus on the breath is helpful for those dealing with stress, overwhelm or just seeking for a calm way to improve balance and posture.

Qigong is popular with people from every walk of life whether they are busy, working professionals to retirees. If you would like to give it a try, Colin offers Qigong classes online and runs a weekly Zoom group and also in person lessons for individuals or in groups.

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What can Qigong help with?

Qigong Classes Online or Near Belfast Northern Ireland

Qigong may help with:

Reconnecting Body and Mind

If you have a demanding job or spend long hours at a desk, Qigong offers a gentle way to reconnect with your body and reclaim space, breath, and balance.

Navigating Life Changes

For people in midlife, perimenopause, or post-retirement, Qigong supports physical stability and internal clarity. It gently reawakens movement patterns that may have become stiff or forgotten.

Recovery and Emotional Resilience

Qigong is often used as a complementary practice for people recovering from injury, grief, burnout, or illness. The rhythm of breath and movement supports emotional regulation without requiring words or explanation.

Performance

Performers, teachers, and public speakers use Qigong to calm nerves, centre attention, and align breath with voice and intention. The work builds poise, not just posture, but an internal calm that carries into daily life.

You don’t need to be fit or flexible. You just need to be curious and willing to give it a try.

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Health Benefits of Qigong

Over the past two decades, research into Qigong has grown rapidly. While studies vary in scope, consistent findings suggest benefits for:

Improved balance and coordination in older adults

Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression

Support for long COVID, fatigue, and chronic pain

Breathing disorders such as asthma and COPD

Overall well-being and emotional regulation

Harvard Medical School recommends the health benefits of Tai Chi Qigong. In 2010, Harvard Health described Qigong as “one of the most effective exercises for health,” especially for stress relief and gentle rehabilitation. NHS programmes and pain clinics have also begun integrating Qigong into patient support plans.

FAQs

What is Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi and how does it work?

Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi is a gentle, flowing, rhythmic sequence of 18 movements that coordinates movement with breathing. It is made up of qigong exercises designed for optimal health benefits and also includes some exercises adapted from tai chi. The whole sequence takes around 20 minutes to perform and requires very little space.

What’s the difference between Tai Chi and Qigong?

Qigong is a term that describes many different types of healing exercises used for thousands of years in China while Tai Chi is an internal martial art and a choreographed sequence of movements based on a combination of qigong exercises and self defense practices.

The chinese character Qi 氣 means energy or breath and Gong 功 means exercise or skill so Qigong 氣功 is the skill of cultivating and circulating energy. You might also see Qigong written as chi kung, they are the same art described by different Western translation systems of the Chinese characters. Qigong exercises date back at least 4000 years and are part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Like acupuncture, they make use of the principle that much illness and pain is caused by blocked energy, like a garden hose that has become kinked and is restricting the flow of water. Qigong exercises aim to unblock the channels(called meridians) through which our energy flows through the whole body and so help to keep us balanced, fit and healthy.

Tai Chi (Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan)太极拳 can be translated as supreme ultimate fist . Many types of tai chi are practiced in modern times, some people use it as a martial arts discipline, some as a competitive sport and many millions of people use it as a health exercise performed as a slow unbroken series of flowing movements.

Is Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi suitable for beginners?

Yes, Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi is very accessible for beginners. The movements are gentle, flowing, calming and pleasurable to perform. They are energising but not overly strenuous or stressful for muscles and joints and they can be adapted to suit your needs and your current level of fitness and flexibility.

Can I learn Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi online?

Yes, Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi can be learnt through online classes and instructional videos . Online group classes can offer a supportive space to learn and practice and one to one classes can offer more personal instruction where required.

What are the health benefits of Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi?

Tai chi and Qigong are well known for improved balance and falls prevention, increased flexibility, improved cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle strength, pain reduction, stress reduction, relaxation, enhanced emotional wellbeing and positive mental state, increased energy levels, improved immune function and improved quality of life (Wang, Collet and Lau, 2004).

Is Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi safe for older adults?

When done properly Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi is very safe. You will be encouraged to use the practices to develop the skill of meeting yourself where you are right now rather than trying to do things that are not yet appropriate for you. The movements are designed to be adapted to you. For those with limited mobility or who are recovering from injury, practices can be modified to be done in a chair.

What to Expect from the Qigong classes online or in person

Colin’s in person sessions are taught either privately or in small groups from a quiet setting in Drumbeg, between Lisburn and Belfast. Colin’s online Qigong classes follow the same format as his in person ones. These can be 1-2-1 or you can join one of Colin’s weekly Zoom groups. Numbers are limited to allow for

Each class includes:

Greetings and any questions or requests

The guided Shibashi sequence

Any more questions and exploration of a few of the exercises and principles

Goodbyes

Classes are:

45 minutes in length

Taught at a gentle pace

Adaptable for all bodies — no experience needed

No experience is needed, there’s no pressure to memorise anything and full instruction will be given. The practice is about taking part, not getting it right.

Ready to Try Qigong?

You can book a trial session online or in person in Drumbeg, book a private online Qigong class or join one of Colin’s group Qigong classes online.