Practicing with multiple sclerosis or limited mobility
Recently, on the private support forum for students and instructors in our program, we’ve been discussing how to adapt Tai Chi and Qigong for people with multiple sclerosis or other forms of limited mobility.
This discussion gets to the heart of what I think is the CENTRAL ISSUE of true Chi Development. And that is, *everything* you learn must be adapted to your unique strengths or weaknesses. It doesn’t matter whether you are the healthiest person in the world, or whether you are dealing with a serious health challenge. To get the most out of your practice, you need to customize it to your unique body/mind/energy system.
From: MSWarrior
Hi all
Any discussions, hints or advice on this site about practising from a chair.I have MS and cannot stand on my legs. I’ve practised qigung for two years, and it Can quite easily be done. But do you Al? or anyone else have any specific advice on how to approach this Challenge within the ChiFusion system?
May The Chi be with you All
From: AlJSimon
Hi Warrior -
Thanks for your message.
You have a lot of company here. We have a number of people with limited ability to stand for one reason or another. They do most or all of our exercises in a seated position. Or if they can stand for brief periods, they mix standing and sitting repetitions. And we have a number of people who have no mobility in the legs at all. They do most of our exercises sitting and just perform the arm movements.
Yes, there are some movements you won’t be able to do, but most of our practices can be adapted for limited mobility situations.
Here are some general suggestions about doing this, not just for your situation, but for everyone with limited mobility.
1. If you can practice in a chair without arms (e.g., a dining room chair or an office chair), most of the movements are easier to do.
If you are wheelchair-bound, depending on your chair, it might not be possible. Or if you have severe balance problems which make it likely that you’ll fall out of the chair, by all means, use a chair with arms.
If you can use a chair without arms (a stable chair that doesn’t tip), give it a shot. But if that’s not possible, don’t worry about. Use whatever chair or (if you are bed-ridden) your bed or whatever you can use. Just make sure you are stable.
2. If you have no leg mobility at all, just focus on the movements from the waist up.
As one example, think of Hold the Sky. You can interlace your fingers in your lap, and flip them over and push them to the sky. Still seated, you can bend to the left, then bend to the right, then separate your hands and lower them.
Another example, Constant Bear. If you can’t move your legs or feet, practice the swinging from the waist on up. Depending on your particular situation, you might even get some silk reeling by pushing down with your hips or butt into the chair to get a little of the rebound energy. Again if that’s not possible, don’t worry. Just practice from the waist up.
3. If you have some mobility in the legs, but just can’t stand, try to incorporate as much leg and foot movement as possible while seated. Use them to approximate the standing version.
In Hold the Sky, for example, when you push to the sky, lift your heels as well, pushing onto the bubbling well. Then lower your heels before bending. Even if you don’t have weight on your feet, the foot movement alone with have some benefits.
In Constant Bear silk reeling, you can push down with your foot before doing the shift and turn. You might not get the same rebound feeling as in standing, but if you push with your foot at the same time you engage your hips or butt, it might help you make the swing from the waist.
4. Whatever movement you can do, combine the movement with ACTIVE IMAGINATION.
Combine an imagination of doing the *entire* movement with whatever parts of the actual movement you can do. Imagine standing while you are doing the movement, even though you are sitting. Imagine any parts of the movement you can’t do, and combine it with the parts you can do.
For example, Hold the Sky – if you have no movement in your legs, imagine standing and lifting your heels as you lift your arms over head. Visualize (if you are visualizer), talk to yourself (if you are more verbal), or imagine the feeling (if you are more kinesthetic) of lifting your heels. Then pause with your arms overhead and imagine lowering your heels.
Use your imagination to “fill in” the parts you can’t do.
I can’t emphasize this enough. The use of mental intention and active imaging will give you almost as many benefits as actually doing the movements.
There was a well documented experiment conducted by Dr. Alan Richardson, an Australian psychologist that split a group of basketball players, who were tested on their ability to score baskets and were equally weighted by those tests, into 3 groups:
Group 1: Was instructed to come to the gym everyday for a month to practice shooting
Group 2: Was instructed to engage in no practice at all
Group 3: Was instructed to engage in visualizing themselves shooting and making baskets
In other words, Group 3 simply imagined, using their minds, that they were practicing and making baskets, yet they never step foot in the gym for the entire month of the experiment.
The results after 1 month?
Group 1 (those who practiced everyday in the gym) showed a 24% improvement.
Group 2 (those who did no practice at all) showed no improvement.
Group 3 (those who only ‘saw’ themselves practice) improved almost as much as Group 1 who did it for real – 23%!
So you can see the power of imagination, even in something as simple as shooting baskets.
5. Doing a little part of a Qigong movement is better than doing nothing.
It’s better to do a “little something” than “a lot of nothing”. In each movement in the course, find what you can do, no matter how small it is, … and do it!
6. Make your DETERMINATION bigger than your limitation, and you’ll find a WAY.
For example, one woman in our course has stroke paralysis. She is wheelchair bound and completely paralyzed on one side. However, she enlists the help of her husband. She performs the movements sitting and moves one arm herself, and she has her husband move her paralyzed arm. Right from the first time she emailed me, her attitude was “I want to do this, and I *WILL* do it.”
Your success is more about your motivation, determination, and attitude – rather than any limitations you might have. Grow your determination to do what you can, and your limitation won’t hold you back nearly as much as you might think.
These have been some general suggestions. As far as specific movements, we really encourage you to come up with your own adaptations. First of all, that helps you grow your determination. But on a more practical level, since each person and situation is different, you can make the adjustments you need to your situation. And making the movements fit you – the unique you – is what we are all about. So that’s true not only for limited mobility students, it’s true for ALL students.
But if you have trouble coming up with an adaptation of a particular movement, come back to the forum and let us know. Of course, we may not be able to adapt every movement in the ChiFusion program for your situation, but I believe most of them can. We’ll help you as best we can.
Best wishes,
Al
From: Jackie
Thanks Al,
I really appreciate the your take on adapting the patterns for all conditions. Most of my students have special needs and it is interesting and fun to work on adaptions – everyone in the class gets involved in working on adaptations. I love the insight students bring to each other and me in class.
Jackie
From: AlJSimon
Thanks, Jackie.
In some sense, every single one of us has “special needs”. We all have strengths and weaknesses that we need to take into account and make adaptations for. Admittedly, some of us have extra challenges. But every single one of us have to discover the changes and adaptations that will make Qigong and Tai Chi fit us, rather than trying to force ourselves to fit Qigong and Tai Chi.
I think most ChiFusion students will agree – much of the learning comes about from making these adaptation. Anyone can mindlessly parrot movements. But to take the time to take each movement and make it your own, that’s where the real learning, and the real benefits, come from.
From: MSWarrior
Thank you Al,
I really appreciate you extensive and elaborate answer. As I said in the original question, I’ve practices Qigung for a couple of years. I have learned to adapt to my special needs the best I could. The experience I’ve gained is very much along the line you explained in your precise and to-the-point answer.
This only confirms that I have come to the right place. I’ve just begun on the level 1 on the ChiFusion system. I take all your advice very seriously and I must say that I’m very impressed. I did not realise an online course could be so easy to follow, and so detailed. I’m very happy to have found this course. Please forgive me if I get a little praisy. I really just want to say: Thank you!
In my previous training I’ve been so eager to do my absolute best, to battle my Illness. I took me a few years to find a practice that feels right for me. And for a while I could definitely feel some remarkable benefits. I did not, however, improve in the long run, and I think this was partly due to a “wrong” approach to my training.
I think the 70% (40 for me) advice is a very important one. And I can only advise other MS patients like me, to take the advise very seriously. When we begin to improve a little we get eager (or impatient) and we move forward too fast, and simply work to hard. It’s hard not to sometimes, and only human, as i did feel like I was fighting for my life. But I’ve learned from experience that I can overdo it.
Thank you Al and ChiFusion for you work. I’m proud to be part of this class, and look forward to following the potential benefits of the ChiFusion system. I realize that this is not THE cure, but at least for me this is the right approach. And in my experience. If it feels right, it IS right, and the results will come accordingly.
I couldn’t agree more on your section you wrote on imagining the movements I cannot do. I follows in line with all the best literature I’ve read on how to battle autoimmune illness like. MS. I’m thrilled with this fact, and feel safe and well guided. After all even a “MSwarrior” like me, don’t have to rush into battle with my head under my arm
It appears I’ve found my new Qigung master
Thank you again, also you Jackie for sharing your thoughts and experience.
All the best,
MSwarrior
From: eguana
great post from all sides here.
MSwarrior you are an inspiration with your attitude, best wishes and keep up the great work!
Jackie, thanks for your input about working with special needs and how the Master can still learn from the student. It is so true.
And Al, as always, you are spot on in your analysis. I particularly loved the comment that we are all special needs people in one aspect or another.
Peace, love and light
Nice to see all comments-will keep trying, thoughts of how i used to do it 10 yrs ago
MALCOLM
17 Sep 11 at 2:16 pm
I have MS and I’m I practice Jiu Jitsu. Chi helps me focus and helps my mobility and balance mentally and physically. Thanks for sharing!
Jim “Fireball” Bolton
Jim Bolton
17 Sep 11 at 2:27 pm
Thanks Al, great blog post here. The role of the mind is under appreciated in many endeavors. It can make all the difference. We have all met people who seem to manage a positive, cheerful attitude whatever life throws at them. Besides being happier, this mind state also equates to healthier. It is so important to get this message to as many as will heed it. Peace, love and light.
eguana
Ed
17 Sep 11 at 2:32 pm
I am printing this to take with me on Tuesday Tai Chi class – one of my classmates is a young man who was in a coma from an auto accident and woke up over a year later, to the great thrill and surprise of all. His personhood is intact but his mobility a thing he must work at VERY hard.
He can walk with a walker and great effort, and his upper body movement requires great concentration. Yet he has progressed because he works hard at it.
Without “getting in his hair” he knows the other classmates are is friends.
Your article here hit the spot. He told me that I inspire him, when he asked to meet me. He told me his story( and his aide corroborated ) I told him of my injuries and showed him how today I am fine – tai chi helps with a few of the “tics” left that can flare and cause pain and mobility problems and am probably more pain-free and agile than half the people I know of any age.
I worked between the doctor and the fitness center and am “female walker bib 812″ in the famous Manchester Road Race this Thanskgiving morning with lots to be thankful for. My message: NEVER GIVE UP
Elle Smith Fagan
17 Sep 11 at 3:19 pm
MS is CURABLE! Body-Mind-Spirit ……. I have found in my practise that there is an emotional factor, a traumatic event, that preceeded the physical bodily manifestations of MS……. and other cronic debilitating diseases, even all the different cancers.
Winston A. Steadman, CHt.
17 Sep 11 at 3:32 pm
I am 58 yrs.old I have Fibromyalgia and arthritus Since I started Marshal Arts, I no longer need pain meds and am going for my Green belt with hopes of making it to Black. Just wanted to share as the Docs. thought I’d end up in a wheel chair 10 yrs. ago.
Norma
17 Sep 11 at 4:10 pm
What about muscular distrophy? Any hope for some improvement? (I am not asking for myself but for a close acquaintance…)
Rodica
17 Sep 11 at 4:25 pm
@Rodica – The Muscular Dystrophy Association on their website recommends the type of seated Tai Chi and Qigong practices we are discussing here. And you can find other stories of people who had improvements in symptoms because of their practice.
Al Simon
17 Sep 11 at 4:26 pm
Hi Al, I am happy to have you as a TaiChi and Qigong master. I have been practicing TaiChi and Qigong for two and a half years. I stopped practicing since five years but i started again with your teaching a year ago. My life has been changed with your teaching. Thank you very much Al. God bless you and your entire family. Max
Max Macomm
17 Sep 11 at 6:12 pm
great news… now is there a dvd that can be ordered that we can learn from home?
Jim
17 Sep 11 at 6:30 pm
@Jim – We chose the online format (rather than DVD) as both the most efficient and most economical way to help our students get the greatest benefits.
The primary problem with most Tai Chi DVDs is that they tend to put people into “follow-along” learning mode. In most Tai Chi and Qigong programs, you watch the instructor, either in class or on video, and then follow along with the video or instructor in what I call “monkey-see, monkey-do” fashion. Our ChiFusion program, by contrast, is not a follow-along program, because we’ve found the “monkey-see, monkey-do” approach to be ineffective and time-consuming.
We DON’T want you practicing Tai Chi in front of a TV or a computer monitor. That approach is time-consuming and counter-productive to Chi Development.
So with our program, you don’t play the video and try to follow us. In our program, you use the video to get an overall idea of how the movements look, but you use the text and photos to get the details for the movements and customize the movements for yourself – according to your own strengths and weaknesses.
What our students with limited space in their computer rooms or without a computer in their practice room do is this.
They watch the video portions of our program on their PCs just to get an idea of the movements, then print out the text and photos. They take the print-outs to their practice space to work on the details and on customizing the movements for themselves. If they forget how a move goes or if the printed photo is not clear, they may go back to their PC to watch the movement and examine the high-quality photos, but then they go back to their practice space to work.
I realize this is quite a bit different from what you might expect in a Tai Chi program – but unlike most Tai Chi instructors, we are not intending to produce “monkeys” who can follow along with us or copy us. We’re intending to have you get the most benefits by customizing the movements for your body … right from your first lesson.
You know, we have over 3100 registered students for our computer-based courses, and many had misgivings about learning in this format.
While not everyone can make the transition to “not following along”, it’s actually much more like studying with the high-level Tai Chi masters I studied with. We spent almost no time following along with these masters. They may demonstrate a movement a few times with us watching, but rarely did they do the movements in front of us with us following. Instead, we spent a majority of the time working on our own in learning the skills involved.
Al Simon
17 Sep 11 at 6:31 pm
Thank you for this. I have recently suffered broken bones in my foot and then broke my left elbow and right wrist. I can’t do many of the arm movements and was going to ask about modifying the movements. The imagination part is great. Thank you so much
Shari
17 Sep 11 at 9:42 pm
Dear Simon
I am a 48 years old final year combined honours university student in the field of business studies.
I have suffered for many years with osteoarthritis and would like to learn a tai-chi principally adapted to resolve this problem.
Thanks
Yours Faithfully
John.
John Kasule-Mpoza
18 Sep 11 at 9:11 am
@John We have a number of students with osteo-arthritis taking our course. As a matter of fact, some of them come to us because of these problems.
But you know, each person is different. You may have to make adjustments to your practice based on your circumstances, or possibly not practice certain exercises.
Without me knowing you personally, it’s hard for me to give you a more specific answer. Unfortunately, I am unable to give medical advice by email. I would recommend that you consult your personal health care practitioner before engaging in any physical activity or before taking any advice from our program.
But I’m glad you asked this, because questions like this really point to how differently Qigong views these sorts of things.
In Western medicine and in many alternative medical approaches, your condition is looked at as a “disease” or “health compromise”. And in these approaches, you apply treatments to solve or cure the problem.
But Qigong looks at this quite differently. You see, two people who have the same “disease” and “symptoms” according to these other points of view would not necessarily get the same treatment or advice from a Qigong specialist.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), upon which Qigong is based, would look at these two people as unique individuals. While both may have the same symptoms and maybe even the same disease, TCM would look at more than just the symptoms before deciding on a treatment.
A personal story – about 30 years ago, I had severe pain in my wrists. I went to a doctor who diagnosed me with tendonitis/carpal tunnel. He had me wear wrist braces and take various muscle relaxants for about 6 weeks. The pain persisted, so he suggested cortisone injections, followed by surgery.
Instead, I went to an acupuncturist (my first visit ever to one). She realized after some intensive interviews and explorations that the problem was not tendonitis or carpal tunnel, despite the symptoms.
After a thorough examination, she found a vertebra misaligned in my neck. She suggested I visit a chiropractor. The chiropractor adjusted the vertebra (which was pinching down on the nerve that ran to my wrists), and after one visit, my pain went away almost over night.
The point here isn’t whether medical or acupuncture or chiropractic is good for a certain problem. The point is – two people can have the same symptoms such as wrist pain. For one person, it’s tendonitis. For the next guy (me), it was a pinched nerve. Each person is unique, even if they have the same symptoms, or even the same disease! It was my acupuncturist who taught me that.
Well, that approach has influenced our course.
With my approach, each person customizes the movements they learn to himself or herself – to their unique mind, body, and energy systems. You will learn how to make the movements fit you personally, instead of some generic approach that’s supposed to fit “osteoarthritis” or any other problem.
I guess in my course, you could say that you are learning “John” tai chi.
Or more precisely, I’m teaching you how to develop “John” tai chi for yourself.
That’s why we’ve been so effective.
Al Simon
18 Sep 11 at 9:12 am
Dear Al,
I have had two strokes,the first was a bleed in the brain that left me paralysed down the right hand side.However I have been working at Aqua Aerobics and excercises in the gym for 6 years and now Tai Chi for two years and Chi Qigong for 2 months.I feel the Qigong has really helped me,my mobility has improved,my breathing is tremendous and more impotant my meditation has made me a much calmer person.The Tai Chi I do is different now as I have a new Sifu and she is amazing.The Qigong I do online with Marcus Santer who is excellent.I am so pleased that you are discussing Tai Chi/Qigong for people with disability because alot of my friends who are disabled are fearful of being humiliated and not being able to perform it.
Kind regards
Jeffrey
Jeffrey Shaw
18 Sep 11 at 10:34 am
@Jeffrey – Thanks.
For those interested, you can find out more about the course Jeffery mentions in this blog post I did a while back: (video) Shaolin Qigong online training.
Al Simon
18 Sep 11 at 10:35 am
Too bad I did not know about this a few years ago. My husband died 3 years ago with MS. (Not complications of MS, but MS itself). They always told me MS is not a killer.
I know that this program probably would not have stopped this dreaded result of MS, but it may have helped the quality of his life…. Thanks for writing about this, it is obviously very close to my heart.
Ruth
18 Sep 11 at 11:23 am
Thank you once again. I have a friend who not only has MS but also has had multiple strokes and now suffers from genetic lukemia and is on chemo for the rest of her life. This will be a big help to her since she sits at home all day and does little else. I can hardly wait to share this with her. Thanks again
Debbie Becher
18 Sep 11 at 4:30 pm
Dear Al,
Just wanted to thank you for your positive comments. For twenty-three years, I was a Type A+++ in the USAF but after cancer and excess radiation I was diagnosed with chronic pain and medically retired. I’ve spent 12 years in bed and am now finally getting up and walking (some) – without medication. I’ve been trying your instructions for a couple of weeks and can definitely appreciate the role of a “positive mind” in recovery. Even though it hurts to move more than a little amount, picturing completing the movement has made my pain less of a centerpoint for my life. Many thanks! Tom
Tom Norris
18 Sep 11 at 11:22 pm
Hi Al, not a member of your group but follow your bloggs. Have practised and taught tai chi and qi gong 26 years. Have studied health qigong in China.
Have a lady MS student who cannot stand. We have just discovered a swivel, height adjustable piano stool in her house so now she can keep her feet on the floor and turn, magic is only word I can use, she can now do most of the Ba Duan Jing, a short form and many qigong exercises. Thanks for your notes – inspirational. Tony
Tony
2 Oct 11 at 7:00 pm