THE MOTHERS Qi

She was your first
teacher of breath

Before you took your first step, before you spoke your first word — she breathed with you. In the womb, her Qi became your Qi. The ancient Chinese understood this profoundly: life force does not begin at birth. It is inherited, passed mother to child, an unbroken river of vital energy flowing through every generation.

This Mother's Day, we invite you to pause and feel that connection. Whether your mother walks beside you today or lives only in memory, her energy — her Yuan Qi, her original life force — still moves within you. You carry her breath in every cell.

"The Tao that nourishes all things without possessing them — this is the way of the great mother."
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 51

What is maternal Qi?

In Qigong philosophy, we speak of three treasures — Jing, Qi, and Shen. Of these, Jing (our ancestral essence) is the most primordial. It is the dense, nourishing energy passed from our parents at conception, concentrated most powerfully in the mother who carries, nourishes, and delivers new life into the world.

Maternal Qi has a quality unlike any other — it is at once yielding and inexhaustible. Like water, it flows into every hollow and sustains everything it touches. In the Five Element system, this quality belongs to the Earth element: the center, the ground beneath our feet, the stomach that feeds and the arms that hold.

When we practice Qigong, we consciously tend this inheritance. We can clear stagnation that accumulates in grief, replenish what stress depletes, and honor the living current that connects us to every mother who came before.

Come practice at Qi

Here in the heart of Greenwich Village, at 26 West 8th Street, Qi exists as a gathering place for those called to move with intention — to breathe with awareness, and to remember what the body already knows.

Our Qigong and Tai Chi classes are offered to all — whether you are a lifelong practitioner or someone taking their very first slow, deliberate breath in a room full of people doing the same.

Spread Your Love With The Gift of Qi

Browse our selection of gift card options and spread the teachings of Qi to the mothers, anyone other special person, who deserves a great gift:

One Class Gift - $30
A perfect introduction to the world of Qi

One Class + T-Shirt - $50
That perfect introduction with just a little extra to join the Qi family

Five Class + Notebook - $135
More time to deepen your practice, with a place to hold the journey

Five Class + T-Shirt Gift - $150
Commit to the practice and step fully into the Qi community