Playing with Qi and Other Tools of Self-Care

Playing with Qi and Other Tools of Self-Care

From A Pebble in the Cosmic Pond by Sabine Wilms PhD

November 20, 2025 · 49 min · Season 4 · Episode 12

About this episode

This episode explores the concept of 'tiao qi' and its implications for self-care and healing practices.

We start off this episode by exploring the meaning of "tiao qi" 調氣, which is the title of one of the chapters in Sun Simiao's volume on Yangxing (self-cultivation and longevity). Inspired by Sun Simiao's writings and our work in translating and teaching this material, we start within this context of yangsheng but end up exploring much broader clinical practices. We reject the judgmental tone of "regulating," as a translation of "tiao" 調, in favor of the playful curiosity and flexibility of "modulating," "calibrating," or "playing with." As a side note, it delighted both of us to discover the significance of embodied experience and of discernment rooted in the five senses as we have both been practicing this art of calibration in the tradition of Sun Simiao's teachings over the past couple of years. To understand our own and patients' behaviors that get in the way of healing disease, avoiding suffering, and improving wellbeing, we then looked at the difference between inability and unwillingness to "do what is good for us." But we quickly got more nuanced and changed the direction of our inquiry: To avoid judgment, which is a dead end in useful communication between any two…

People in this episode

Host: Sabine Wilms PhD

Topics covered

  • Qi
  • self-care
  • yangsheng
  • clinical practices
  • healing
  • wellbeing

Keywords

  • tiao qi
  • Sun Simiao
  • self-cultivation
  • Qi stagnation
  • wellbeing
  • embodied experience

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Yangxing

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