Qigong in South Florida: what the research reports and what to confirm before you book a session

NCCIH's findings on six of the conditions it reviews, with its stated limits, plus the booking details one Hallandale Beach practice publishes

*Image: Jose Luis Melero de Frutos (Chi Kung) by PEREZMS, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.*

Adults in Broward and Miami-Dade who are weighing a first qigong session have two kinds of information to check: what research says about the practice, and what a specific provider publishes about its services. This article reads NCCIH's qigong summary for the first and the South Florida Qigong homepage for the second. Both were reviewed on 2026-11-02. Nothing here is medical advice, and the practice's own site disclaimer says the same: "All services are wellness-focused and do not constitute medical treatment. Consult a healthcare provider for medical concerns."

What qigong involves

NCCIH, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, describes qigong as a traditional Chinese practice that uses exercises with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being, regulating the mind, breath, and the body's movement and posture. In most forms, according to NCCIH, breath is slow, long and deep, movements are gentle and smooth, and mind regulation includes focused attention and visualization.

NCCIH separates dynamic qigong, which centers on body movement, from meditative qigong, which can be practiced in any posture that can be held over time and involves almost no body movement. The one tai chi item below, the Ottawa Panel guideline, is labelled as such.

What the research reports, condition by condition

NCCIH also covers other conditions, including heart failure, falls and cancer; this article covers six. NCCIH words most of its findings cautiously, and the review years, participant counts and limits below follow its wording.

Pain

• Three reviews from 2018 and 2019, each covering a small number of studies, suggested qigong may help decrease pain in community-dwelling older adults (160 participants), neck pain (525 participants) and musculoskeletal pain in people aged 15 to 80 (1,787 participants).
• A 2020 review of 5 studies with 576 participants found conflicting results on pain reduction for low-back pain and neck pain.

Fibromyalgia

• A 2017 review of 4 studies (201 participants) found consistent benefits in people who practiced 30 to 40 minutes daily for 6 to 8 weeks, and those benefits were still seen 4 to 6 months after the studies ended.

COPD

• A 2020 review of 31 studies (3,045 participants) examined qigong added to a primary treatment such as drug therapy and respiratory training, and found improved lung function, quality of life and ability to exercise.

Parkinson's disease

• A 2020 review of 7 studies (325 participants) suggested qigong-based exercise helped movement, walking ability and balance, more so in younger adults than older.
• Improvement in movement and walking was similar to that seen with walking and stationary cycling. Balance improved more with qigong than with those exercises.

High blood pressure

• A 2021 review of 7 studies (370 participants) suggested qigong may reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and its authors indicated a lack of firm evidence.
• Five of the six studies that compared qigong with no intervention found qigong better. The one study that compared it with conventional exercise found no difference between the two.

Knee osteoarthritis

• A 2020 review of 7 studies (424 participants) found that qigong improved pain, stiffness and physical function more than a waiting list or health education, but only 3 of the studies were adequately designed. Because the evidence was weak, the review authors said qigong could not be recommended until more high-quality studies are done.
• Separately, 2017 guidelines from the Ottawa Panel recommend a tai chi qigong program for quality of life in knee osteoarthritis, with 60-minute classes twice a week for 8 weeks. NCCIH notes that this recommendation rests on one small high-quality study.

Where the evidence stops

The programs NCCIH describes ran for weeks or months. The 2017 fibromyalgia review describes 6 to 8 weeks of daily practice, the blood pressure review 8 to 24 weeks, and the Parkinson's review 8 to 48 weeks. The findings above concern regular practice over those periods, so they give a reader no basis for expectations about a single first session.

On safety, a review of adults with neck pain included two studies in which qigong and other exercise groups had similar side effects, in less than 10 percent of participants, including muscle pain, soreness and headache. NCCIH advises talking with your health care providers about any complementary health approach you use.

What one Hallandale Beach practice publishes

The South Florida Qigong homepage presents Aleksandr Popov of Eastern Healing Arts and lists six offerings. The details below come from the practice, were read on 2026-11-02, and can change, so reconfirm them when you book.

Offerings as listed

• Chi Gong Massage is described as deep bodywork combining meridian therapy with breath awareness, at $100 per hour. It is the only offering with a published price.
• Tea ceremonies, private and group, list "Contact for pricing."
• Healing Teas are described as personalized blends of legal herbs and flowers, with "Contact for consultation."
• Fire Massage lists "Contact for pricing."
• Chi Gong Classes are listed as private sessions and group classes at Feeling Free Academy, with "Various options" and no rate.
• Events and Collaboration offers the practitioner as a tea master for wellness events and retreats.

Location, hours and booking

• The homepage gives a studio address of 1117 E Hallandale Beach Blvd Suite 3, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009, for private sessions, with hours of daily 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
• Feeling Free Academy is listed separately as Hollywood, Florida. The homepage does not say how the academy relates to the Hallandale Beach studio or which offering takes place at which venue.
• Booking is by WhatsApp message, after which the provider confirms availability.
• The FAQ suggests comfortable clothing and arriving a few minutes early. For tea ceremonies, it says to bring just yourself.

Questions to ask before booking

The homepage describes the practitioner as a "Certified Practitioner" and does not name a certifying body, so the certification question belongs in the first message. NCCIH advises asking about the training and experience of an instructor.

Chi Gong Massage is marketed under the word massage, so Florida's massage statutes may apply. Florida Statute 480.033 defines massage therapy as the manipulation of the soft tissues of the human body with the hand, foot, knee, arm or elbow, and section 480.047 makes it unlawful to hold oneself out as a massage therapist or practice massage therapy unless licensed under that chapter or specifically exempt. The homepage does not say whether the practitioner holds a Florida massage therapy license or relies on an exemption. The Florida Board of Massage Therapy offers a "Verify a License" tool, and asking which license or exemption applies is reasonable.

Worth asking when you message on WhatsApp

• Which training or certification the practitioner holds, and who issued it.
• Whether a Florida massage therapy license applies to the service you want, and how to verify it.
• Which venue hosts your session, since the studio is listed in Hallandale Beach and Feeling Free Academy in Hollywood.
• The rate and length for any offering listed as "Contact for pricing" or "Various options."
• The ingredients in a healing tea blend, an item worth raising with your health care providers.
• If you have a medical condition, a conversation with your clinician before the session, as the practice's disclaimer advises.