We all know that Yoginis wear Yoga pants. Preferably very tight with a nice flashy print. But what do Qi Gong people wear? What is appropriate Qi Gong clothing?

Actually it’s quite simple. Because what your clothes need to do is covering your body without hindering its movement. And I know that you can move in Yoga pants, but for Qi Gong the idea is that you can move AND have a little air between you and the fabric.

The underlying concept is that Qi is moving inside your body. PLUS, Qi also moves outside your body. Just slightly above your skin. And you want to give it the opportunity to move freely. (read here what is Qi or what is Qi Gong)

If you constrict your body with some tight womens gym clothes, even when you are really used to it, it still constricts your body. And Qi Gong is all about relaxation. Thus give your body the chance to relax. To get into its natural shape. To have Qi flow freely in and around you.

To sum it up: you want to wear a comfortable shirt, loose pants and some socks or Tai Chi shoes. Now let’s get into the details.

Most likely you already have a nice collection of T-shirts at home. And I recommend that you wear one without a big neckline. Because you don’t want your boobs to fall out when leaning forward (yes, there are Qi Gong exercises where your hands go far down to your feet. And believe me: it feels better to know everything is covered when you do that). B

Maybe you want to buy a Qi Gong T-shirt specifically for your practice. Then have a look at these shirts (click on the image to have a closer look at Qi Gong T-Shirts* on Amazon):

Qi Gong T-Shirts

Some schools may have their own branded Qi Gong clothing, which you are supposed to wear during Qi Gong classes. Usually those are T-Shirts. However, you won’t need to buy one of them until you enroll! So don’t worry to go to your Qi Gong for beginners class with any comfortable T-Shirt and pants.

Later you might also want to wear a Qi Gong uniform. Something like this (even though I think you should wait with that until you are really into it. And even then you won’t necessarily need a uniform):

As for pants, you can wear any wide trousers. But I have one more tip for you. If you have already been to a couple of Qi Gong classes, you know that the lower Dantian (located in the lower stomach) is rather important. And most likely, at the end of class or after any exercise, you’ll put your hands there.

And many gym pants have a cord exactly there. These little straps that come out there, which you are supposed to tie so your trousers don’t fall off. Actually, do you ever use them? I never had a problem with my pants coming down, but maybe that’s just me and my belly. 😉

However, personally, I find those ribbons quite uncomfortable when playcing my hands on the Dantian. Therefore I prefer and recommend pants without them! Or if you own a pair like that, maybe you can just cut them off.

These are some pants that look good to wear to a Qi Gong class. Most of them are called Kung Fu pants, but they are totally suitable for Qi Gong. (again, click on them to get to Amazon!).

Qi Gong pants for women

These are available in many colors – because Qi Gong clothing doesn’t have to be all black! I would love to see more colorful practitioners.

Qi Gong pants for men

Actually I think most of them can be worn by women, too. They are supposed to fit loosely anyway!

Now for Qi Gong shoes, in some classes you can even go barefooted. I like to practice in socks or in plain Tai Chi cotton shoes like these:

If you’d like to know more about how to select the right footwear, check out my post about Qi Gong shoes.

Oh, and another important thing, try to avoid jewellry! I wrote a post about wearing rings and necklaces to class here. In a nutshell: they can hinder your Qi flow (just like tight clothes). And if they make any clinging tiny noise, that can be quite annoying for your fellow students!

Well, now you know which Qi Gong clothing to wear to Qi Gong classes. If you have any additional thoughts or questions, feel free to comment below!

Happy Qi!

Angelika

P.S.: If you wonder what Tai Chi clothing to wear, I will soon write about that. However, it is basically the same as Qi Gong clothing!