The Five Elements
Fire, Water, Wood Metal and Earth
I am so happy to write and report from our studio, that we have just completed our Qi Garden and our Qi Waterfall and with these the 2 elements of Wood and Water we now feel whole. These elements have been in production from the beginning of our construction project and now joined our Floor as the Earth, Pipes structure and our Gong as Metal and our Heart on which the Qi was built, many candles and bodies of light as Fire to complete the 5 Elements of Qigong from the nature of our universe.
The wood the green the garden, thanks to Jill our friend and member of the Qi family time and advise, we designed and installed the qi garden to bring in the wood of the plants and forest green into the vision of the studio from all angles of the practice floor, in the practice, movement and our backyard Qi garden our little forest sanctuary.
Water in the flow, taking our time to be, we now proud of the custom waterfall design built from mostly scrap materials, a ceramics hand built water basin, plants and rocks from nature and yes sure some amazon parts to complete the creation. And it all started from a dream and the concept picture of water flow brought in the original design by Lloyd Huber our resident teacher, architect and dear friend incorporating the five elements in the space which brought as to imagine and complete the magical art work. Enter to the space, seating at the reception, meditate or practice the water and its sound flows with you and our life transformation and movements.
In my classes this week I felt the balance of energy holding by the 5 elements as we practiced, come and feel into the energetic field and practice another sense into your life the Qi.
Practicing Qigong daily in our studio and the streets of NYC we connect, we feel and move with these five elements, we live and get new tools and opportunities and as a user of the AI systems of knowledge and point of view, I want to share this beautiful and accurate description of the five elements as answered to my simple question by ChatGPT “what are the most common qigong five elements” and i share it right here with the love of Qi -
In Qigong, the Five Elements (Wu Xing: 五行) are a foundational framework that connects the human body, emotions, organs, nature, and energy systems. Each element corresponds with specific organs, seasons, emotions, colors, and sounds. These associations are used in many Qigong systems to guide energy cultivation, healing, and emotional balance.
Here are the most common Five Elements in Qigong, along with their key associations:
🌳 1. Wood (木 - Mù)
Organs: Liver (Yin), Gallbladder (Yang)
Emotion: Anger
Season: Spring
Color: Green
Direction: East
Movement Quality: Expansive, upward
Sound (Healing): “Shhh” (like calming someone down)
Associated Qigong Goals: Promote growth, creativity, flexibility, detoxification
🔥 2. Fire (火 - Huǒ)
Organs: Heart (Yin), Small Intestine (Yang)
Emotion: Joy
Season: Summer
Color: Red
Direction: South
Movement Quality: Radiating, upward and outward
Sound (Healing): “Ha”
Associated Qigong Goals: Enhance vitality, warmth, connection, mental clarity
🌍 3. Earth (土 - Tǔ)
Organs: Spleen (Yin), Stomach (Yang)
Emotion: Worry / Overthinking
Season: Late Summer (or transition periods)
Color: Yellow
Direction: Center
Movement Quality: Stabilizing, grounding
Sound (Healing): “Who” (like blowing out a candle)
Associated Qigong Goals: Strengthen digestion, nourishment, balance
🧊 4. Metal (金 - Jīn)
Organs: Lungs (Yin), Large Intestine (Yang)
Emotion: Grief / Sadness
Season: Autumn
Color: White
Direction: West
Movement Quality: Condensing, inward
Sound (Healing): “Sss” (like a snake)
Associated Qigong Goals: Enhance breathing, immunity, letting go
💧 5. Water (水 - Shuǐ)
Organs: Kidneys (Yin), Bladder (Yang)
Emotion: Fear
Season: Winter
Color: Black or Blue
Direction: North
Movement Quality: Descending, flowing
Sound (Healing): “Chui” (like "ch-way")
Associated Qigong Goals: Replenish energy, strengthen willpower, deepen rest
These elements are used in various Qigong forms, including Five Animal Frolics, Healing Sounds Qigong, and Five Element Qigong, to harmonize the body, mind, and spirit with the natural rhythms of life.
