Within the classical understanding of Qi, what is often called “physical” and “spiritual” Qi are not two unrelated substances, but two modes in which a single vital energy manifests. Physical Qi refers to the denser, more material aspect of this vitality as it operates in the body and in the tangible world. It drives breathing, circulation, digestion, movement, warmth, growth, and the functioning of the organs, and it is closely tied to nourishment from food, water, and air. This aspect of Qi can be sensed indirectly through strength, stamina, complexion, bodily warmth, and other signs of physical vitality. Because it is more concrete, it is readily influenced by lifestyle: diet, rest, exercise, climate, and medical interventions all shape its quality and abundance. Practices such as qigong, taiji, acupuncture, and the considered use of herbs are traditional means of regulating and strengthening this bodily current of life.

Spiritual Qi, by contrast, names the more refined, subtle expression of the same energy as consciousness, emotion, and spiritual awareness. It is associated with clarity of mind, emotional balance, intuition, insight, and the capacity for wisdom and moral discernment. This aspect of Qi is linked with the “heart‑mind,” with demeanor and presence, and with the radiance that can be sensed in a person’s eyes and bearing. It is less bound by purely physical conditions, yet remains influenced by the state of the body and by the quality of physical Qi. Spiritual Qi is cultivated through meditation, mindfulness, moral conduct, devotion, contemplative practices, and the joining of breath work with focused attention, all of which refine the raw vitality of life into subtler awareness and spiritual insight.

The relationship between these two aspects is one of mutual dependence and transformation rather than separation. Strong, harmonious physical Qi provides the necessary foundation for stable and luminous spiritual Qi, just as a well‑built lamp is needed for a clear and steady flame. As spiritual Qi is refined through practice, it in turn regulates, harmonizes, and conserves the physical energies, supporting health and resilience. Traditional teachings often express this as a continuum in which coarse Qi derived from food and breath is gradually transformed into subtler currents that nourish consciousness and spiritual development. Thus, physical Qi may be seen as the life‑force animating the body, and spiritual Qi as that same life‑force manifesting as awareness and connection with a deeper, transcendent dimension, two faces of one underlying current of being.