The Second Monkey

Last summer I read a magazine article that was a conversation between David Byrne (the musician) and Daniel Levitin (a neuroscientist). In it they recounted an experiment monitoring brain activity in monkeys. During the study, a technician noticed the brain activity of one of the monkeys that was waiting on the sidelines. When this second monkey would watch another take a bananna, peel it and eat it, his brain activity responded as if he was the one doing these actions.
From there, the article went on to discuss empathy and the ability for music to engage a listener's emotions. But the conclusion we should not jump to is that empathy is the same as the experience. The second monkey was no less hungry having watched the first.
So in learning Qigong and Taiji, we do need to read and watch and understand. But recognize that this is not a substitute for doing.