Qigong (), qi gong, chi kung, chi ung, or chi gung (simplified Chinese: 气功; traditional Chinese: 氣功; pinyin: qìgōng; Wade–Giles: ch‘i kung; lit. life-energy cultivation) is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, qigong is traditionally viewed by the Chinese and throughout Asia as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (pronounced approximately as "chi" or "chee"), translated as "life energy".Qigong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind. People practice qigong throughout China and worldwide for recreation, exercise, relaxation, preventive medicine, self-healing, alternative medicine, meditation, self-cultivation, and training for martial arts. Etymology
Qigong (Pinyin), chi kung (Wade-Giles), and chi gung (Yale) are Romanized words for two Chinese characters: qì (气／氣) and gōng (功). Qi (or chi) primarily means air, gas or breath but is often translated as a metaphysical concept of vital energy, referring to a supposed energy circulating through the body; though a more general definition is universal energy, including heat, light, and electromagnetic energy; and definitions often involve breath, air, gas, or the relationship between matter, energy, and spirit. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts.
Health Qigong Da Wu (大舞): choreographed exercises to lubricate joints and guide qi.Other commonly practised qigong styles and forms include:

Soaring Crane Qigong
Wisdom Healing Qigong
Pan Gu Mystical Qigong
Wild Goose (Dayan) Qigong
Dragon and Tiger Qigong
Primordial Qigong (Wujigong)
Chilel Qigong
Phoenix Qigong
Yuan Qigong
Zhong Yuan Qigong

Techniques
Whether viewed from the perspective of exercise, health, philosophy, or martial arts training, several main principles emerge concerning the practice of qigong:
Intentional movement: careful, flowing balanced style
Rhythmic breathing: slow, deep, coordinated with fluid movement
Awareness: calm, focused meditative state
Visualization: of qi flow, philosophical tenets, aesthetics
Chanting/Sound: use of sound as a focal pointAdditional principles:

Softness: soft gaze, expressionless face
Solid Stance: firm footing, erect spine
Relaxation: relaxed muscles, slightly bent joints
Balance and Counterbalance: motion over the center of gravityAdvanced goals:

Equanimity: more fluid, more relaxed
Tranquility: empty mind, high awareness
Stillness: smaller and smaller movements, eventually to complete stillnessThe most advanced practice is generally considered to be with little or no motion. Traditional and classical theory
Over time, five distinct traditions or schools of qigong developed in China, each with its own theories and characteristics: Chinese Medical Qigong, Daoist Qigong, Buddhist Qigong, Confucian Qigong, and Martial Qigong. : 30–80  All of these qigong traditions include practices intended to cultivate and balance qi. Traditional Chinese medicine
The theories of ancient Chinese qigong include the Yin-Yang and Five Phases Theory, Essence-Qi-Spirit Theory, Zang-Xiang Theory, and Meridians and Qi-Blood Theory, which have been synthesized as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).