Qigong is generally very safe for almost everyone to do, and can be helpful in regaining health after all sorts of issues, but there are some situations where extra care may be needed, and it is helpful to be aware of these before you start.

Below are a few such situations you should be aware of that may make it necessary for you to modify your practice of even take a break:

Pain and injury
It is natural to feel some pain and discomfort from time to time, particularly when we challenge ourselves to open up movement in parts of our body that have been inactive or restricted for a long period of time.
Mild pain or discomfort is feedback from our body that we are approaching our current limits, and we can explore this gently with awareness to see if it eases, but should not push further into it.
If you experience strong or sharp pain, this is an indication to back off from what you are doing. Often reducing the range of motion or intensity will be enough, or you may need to take a break from the practice.
If you experience pain that persists for a long period of time, you may need to modify your practice, and/or seek the advice of a healthcare professional who can advise you on how to manage a specific injury or condition you may have
Illness or fatigue
Qigong can be great for recovering for illness and regaining energy, however the 'gong' in qigong means 'work' - so there is some effort involved in this process. For this reason we need to exercise some wisdom and judgement about how we approach our qigong practice when we are sick or fatigued.
A good approach is to try just a little bit of some very gentle qigong practices and see how you feel. If after a few minutes of practice you feel better or more energy, then continuing with the practice is likely to be helpful. On the other hand, if after a few minutes of gentle practice you feel less well or more fatigued, you may be better to rest and allow your body to carry out its natural processes and resume your practice later.
Pregnancy & Menstruation
Most qigong practices are safe and beneficial while pregnant, but there are a few that that can activate your energy too strongly during this time when gentle nurturing is needed.
As general guidelines, avoid or modify any practices which involve strong compression of the abdomen. This compression could come from specific breathing techniques, muscular effort, or postural position. Also take extra care with or modify practices or postures where your head goes below your waist, and in general take care to practice gently without straining.
While menstruation is quite different from pregnancy, the same general cautions apply in taking care of your body during this time
Blood pressure and heart conditions
Qigong can be fantastic for helping to manage and improve issues with blood pressure and heart conditions. There are a few that require extra care though - particularly practices that involve holding the breath or intentionally building tension or pressure inside the body. These same practices are some of the ones that can be most effective at strengthening the cardiovascular system, but it can be easy to over do them.
If you know you have an issue like this, go gently with these practices, only using brief breath holds that feel comfortable to you, and only building gentle pressure and tension within practices. This gentle approach is much more likely to yield positive results for you than going in too strong with the practice.
If you are at all in doubt, you can simply breathe normally during any breath holds within a practice, and do the same movements easily without tension or pressure, even when this is called for within the practice.
Mental health
Qigong can offer benefits to every aspect of our health, including our mental health. There are some conditions where it is important that you have some external monitoring to ensure that your practice is supportive of your condition. Psychosis is one of those conditions.
If you have a history of psychosis, it is important that you get the approval of your mental health professional to practice qigong, and keep them informed about your ongoing practice.
Other conditions
While we have covered some of the most important and/or common ones, there are of course many different conditions where you may need to take extra care with your qigong practice. Most of the time the way to do this will be common sense, or if you are not sure how to adapt your practice for any condition you may have, including those listed above, please let the instructor know before or at the start of the session so that they can give you extra guidance.

General guidance:
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As such it is essential that you take responsibility for your own health and wellbeing while participating in any classes or following the recordings of any of the sessions. Please listen to your body and if something does not feel right for you, then don't do it. Take breaks when needed, and make sure your practice space is safe.

If you are unsure about your ability to do any of the practices, please modify them to suit your ability, and consult a suitable health professional if needed.

The next section will give you some ideas of simple modifications you can make to practices to make them more suitable as needed.

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