Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Visualization

It seems that visualization is very important to Spring Forest Qigong. Each exercise asks you to visualize something and to even interact with your visualization (like moving qi around). You are simply asked to perform these visualizations...as if any idiot could do it...as you might ask someone to raise their right hand.

I cannot do it. No matter how hard I attempt to imagine or to visualize these requests, I visualize nothing...nothing but total darkness. I then feel like an idiot moving my hands around to move qi in/out/around.

I can visualize my room, places I have visited, people I know, etc, but I can't seem to visualize transparent columns inside my body full of brilliantly colored qi, qi flowing into every cell in my body and channeling into my lower dan tien, tirdness turning into smoke and shooting out to the end of the universe.

Without these visualizations, is it profitable to attempt to practice Spring Forest Qigong?

Hi LMM,
Visualization is part of the support behind the intention to self heal and transform mind/body/spirit. The body movement is another part, as well as the messages one puts in the mix.
In response to having difficulty visualizing, relax and drop the sense of that missing a piece. Utilize good, better, best wisdom. Not good or bad, all or nothing. Immerse into 'feeling' a state of qigong(energywork/alignment). Relax, do the movements. Slow down your breathing, open up, feel and promote the state you are in. Feel the smile inwards. Let any sense of seeing arise on its own. No expectations. No time table. Focus on breathing, on feeling relaxed, on smooth movements, openess. Within that, repeat messages. The messages can even be references to the visuals. One can visualize breathing energy into your lower dan tian, or say to yourself(not out loud), "breathing energy into my lower dan tian". You can do the same for the transparent energy column, or any aspect of the visuals in reference to moving energy.
Relative to the components that 'support' self healing, one's intention, and communicating that intention is very powerful.
With that, the mind can visualize, the body can move, both to support that intention coming from spirit/soul. Yes, you can benefit, initially missing the visualization piece. That said, I would refrain from that thought , feeling, or reaction/judgement , that you can't do something, that something is missing, or that the process is lame without everything in place. Let all that go, completely.
Stay out of your head. Just relax, move, breath, messages. Messages can be frequent, almost like a play by play of how you want to move the energy. No expectations. No judgements.
Messages help you focus. Focus is power. Let the messages stem from relaxation, not a sense of chatter. Slow, soft, no hurry.
The energy moves , and you sort of gently fill your sails with messages and flow in the current of the alignment you express.
Love, G