April 05, 2025Wellness

How to Release Qi Stagnation: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Wellness

Have you ever felt like something’s off—not quite sick, but not fully well either? Maybe you’re tired, irritable, your digestion’s a little funky, or you’re holding tension in your shoulders, chest, or gut. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this mysterious “off-ness” is often explained by something called Qi stagnation.

In the West, we might call it stress, burnout, or just “a vibe.” But in the language of ancient Eastern healing, Qi stagnation is your body’s quiet call for help—a gentle request to soften, to open, to move, and to reconnect with yourself and the natural flow of life.

In this post, we’ll explore what Qi stagnation really means, why it happens, how to release it, and how you can create daily rituals with powerful plants and flower teas to support your flow—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

What is Qi and What Happens When It Gets Stuck?

In TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), Qi (气) is the vital life force that flows through your body, much like blood in your veins or electricity through a wire. It animates you. It’s in your breath, your heartbeat, your digestion, your emotions, and your spirit. When Qi flows freely, you feel alive, radiant, balanced, and connected. When it stagnates, you feel... stuck.

Signs of Qi Stagnation:

Feeling heavy, sluggish, or low-energy
Irritability, mood swings, or pent-up emotion
Digestive issues: bloating, poor appetite, constipation
PMS, breast tenderness, or painful periods
Tension in the neck, chest, or abdomen
A sense of being blocked creatively or emotionally

Think of a beautiful stream. When water flows freely, the ecosystem thrives. When the stream is blocked, the water stagnates, algae blooms, and life suffers. Your Qi is no different. Stuck Qi leads to imbalance, and over time, dis-ease.

Why Qi Gets Stagnant

Modern life is a Qi disruptor. Here’s why:

Sitting too much: Especially at a desk or in front of screens. Qi loves movement.
Unexpressed emotions: Emotions are energy in motion (e-motion). When we suppress them, they can clog up the flow.
Overthinking or stress: Mental rumination ties up your Qi and keeps it stuck in your head.
Poor digestion: In TCM, digestion is a huge source of postnatal Qi. When it’s weak, your whole system slows down.
Lack of connection with nature: Qi is everywhere—in the wind, the sun, the earth. Disconnection from the natural world can disconnect you from your own inner flow.

7 Powerful Ways to Release Qi Stagnation

You don’t need an acupuncture needle or herbal prescription to begin releasing stagnant Qi. These ancient practices are simple, beautiful, and wildly effective.

1. Move Your Body—Gently but Intentionally

Stagnation thrives on stillness. The remedy? Movement.

We’re not talking high-intensity workouts (which can actually deplete Qi if overdone), but flow-based, mindful movement:

Qigong or Tai Chi
Yoga (especially twists, hip openers, and breathwork)
Walking in nature
Dancing alone in your home with your favorite playlist

💫 Daily Ritual Tip: Try a 10-minute Qigong session in the morning with a warm cup of Blue Lotus tea. Blue Lotus is known to help open the heart and release emotional tension—it’s a flower that flows.

🛍️ Try: The Qi Shangri-la Rose – a calming, heart-opening tea ritual for emotional flow.

2. Drink Flower Teas that Soothe and Unblock

Flower teas are more than just beautiful—they are energetically potent tools in TCM. Certain flowers are especially known for moving Qi, clearing heat, and calming the spirit.

🌸 Our top Qi-moving teas:

Royal Chrysanthemum – Clears heat and tension, especially for head and eye pressure.
Rose – The ultimate Qi-mover for emotional stagnation, especially related to the Liver meridian and menstrual cycle.
Bloom + Balance – Our herbal blend of Rose, Jujube, Goji, and Hibiscus—created with Elix for hormonal balance and emotional harmony.

💫 Daily Ritual Tip: Brew whole Rose tea and place your hand over the cup as it steeps. Inhale deeply. With each sip, imagine your chest softening, your breath deepening, your inner world blooming open.

🛍️ Try: Rosebud Tea – sourced from 10,000 ft elevation in Yunnan, this rose tea is pure heart medicine.

3. Do a Self-Massage for Your Liver & Abdomen

In TCM, the Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi. And unlike in Western anatomy, the Liver is seen as deeply connected to emotions, especially anger and frustration.

Gently massaging your abdomen in circular motions can:

Aid digestion
Move stagnant Liver Qi
Release emotional tension
Reduce period cramps or bloating

💫 Daily Ritual Tip: After your shower or bath, apply a grounding oil (we love rosehip or sesame oil) and massage in gentle, clockwise circles around your navel. Add a warm compress or heating pad if desired.

4. Inhale Herbal Steam or Use Aromatherapy

Scent is one of the fastest ways to affect Qi—it enters through your breath, awakens your senses, and travels straight to the heart of your brain.

Rose, Geranium, Jasmine: move stagnant Liver Qi
Peppermint, Chrysanthemum: clear heat and tension
Mugwort or Lavender: calm and ground

💫 Ritual Tip: Add dried Rose petals and Chrysanthemum flowers to a bowl of steaming water. Drape a towel over your head and inhale deeply. Visualize releasing what no longer serves you.

🛍️ Bonus: The Qi whole flowers double as steam herbs and bath soaks.

5. Journal or Express Your Emotions

Unspoken emotions are the number one cause of emotional Qi stagnation. Journaling is a powerful way to let the Qi of your heart and mind flow freely again.

💫 Prompt to try tonight:

What am I feeling that I haven’t let myself say out loud?
Where in my body do I feel stuck or tight?
What am I ready to let go of?

Pair your journaling ritual with a pot of Chrysanthemum tea to cool emotional heat and support clear insight.

6. Eat Warming, Easy-to-Digest Foods

Cold, raw foods and too much sugar or caffeine can slow digestion, which slows Qi. Support your Spleen and Liver Qi with foods that are:

Warm (soups, stews, teas)
Slightly pungent (ginger, scallion, turmeric)
Easy to digest (congee, steamed vegetables, eggs)

💫 Morning Ritual: Start your day with a cup of warm water and ginger, followed by light stretching and a flower tea like Bloom + Balance.

7. Tap into Seasonal Flow

Each season in TCM is associated with different organs and elements. Spring is Liver season—aka peak Qi stagnation time. It’s the season of wood: growth, expansion, and releasing winter’s stillness.

🌿 Spring rituals to support Liver Qi:

Detox gently (think lemon water, chrysanthemum, dandelion tea)
Wake up earlier and go to bed by 10 PM
Move your body daily
Spend time in sunlight and greenery

🛍️ Try: [The Qi Spring Awakening Set] – a curated kit for Spring Blooming Reset to release Qi Stagnation and rituals to support renewal.

Final Thoughts: Qi Flows Where Intention Goes

The truth is, Qi stagnation doesn’t just happen in the body. It happens in our hearts, in our routines, in the parts of life where we forget to breathe, move, or feel.

Releasing stagnation isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing less, but doing it with presence. It’s about sipping tea slowly, walking barefoot in the grass, crying when you need to, and reconnecting with the parts of you that feel most alive.

If you feel stuck, remember: you are not broken. You’re just paused. And with a little movement, a little warmth, and a lot of love—you’ll flow again.

Qi-Releasing Ritual Picks:

Product	Purpose
🌸 Shangri-La Rose Tea	Moves Liver Qi, opens the heart
💜 Blue Lotus Tea	Calms the spirit, opens emotional flow
💛 Royal Chrysanthemum Tea	Clears heat, tension, eye strain
🌺 Bloom + Balance Blend	Harmonizes hormones, supports emotional flow
🛁 Flower Tea Steam	Clears stagnation and restores flow from within

You are what you drink. Drink flowers. Feel alive.

If you're ready to shift from stuck to soft, from tense to open, we invite you to try a Qi-moving tea ritual today. Even just one mindful cup can be the beginning of your inner bloom.