Daily Qigong Wisdom: 75 Sayings for Breath, Calm, and Balance: Taoist Teachings to Relieve Stress and Find Inner Peace (Calm Pocket Books)

Take one slow breath. The day can wait for it.

Daily Qigong Wisdom is a small book for big days. It holds 75 short sayings in the spirit of qigong, the ancient Chinese practice of breath, posture, and slow movement. Each saying comes with a simple cue you can try right where you are: inhale for four counts and exhale for six; let your shoulders fall; feel the floor under your feet.

The sayings are gathered into five gentle chapters:

Breath: noticing the breath, lengthening the exhale, and resting in the pause
Calm: settling a busy mind, the way muddy water clears when left alone
Balance: rooting down, softening the knees, and finding your center
Flow: moving like water, slowly and without force
The Way: the Taoist ideas behind qigong, including qi, yin and yang, the dantian, and moving with nature rather than against it

You don't need any experience, equipment, or special clothing. Open to any page for a moment of stillness, or read a chapter as a short practice. As the book says, five minutes counts.

The book is pocket-sized at 4.75 × 6.5 inches, with one saying per page and delicate line illustrations. It fits in a bag, on a nightstand, or on a desk. It makes a thoughtful gift for qigong and tai chi students, for anyone coming out of a hectic season, or for a friend who needs permission to slow down.

Part of the Calm Pocket Books series, alongside Zen Like a Duck, Zen Like a Cat, and Daily Tai Chi Wisdom.