hi al, I have arthritis in almost every joint in my body,especially in my shoulders. can i do this to increase movement and flexibility without hurting myself.

We have lots of students with arthritis in our courses. Some of them come to us because of these problems. You may have read some of their stories on our site about people with arthritis - one of them is here: "Regular Tai Chi Classes Made My Pain Worse, but Your Approach is Fantastic" (click here>. 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. One thing that might help: Please try out the sample lessons I sent you. They will help you see if our course is something you can do. That should give you a better idea of what our entire course is like. What's most important here though is that you work within your limitations. Pay special attention to the details in our program, and always work at about the 40% or less level. (We discussed the "70% rule" and the "40% or less rule" in the second sample lesson, and it's also at the beginning of Level 1 of our advanced training.)

Is there any rule to how we should breathe during this qigong exercise?

Thank you for your message. In the lesson above, look for the section entitled "Performing Constant Bear", right before the step by step photos. You'll find your answer there.

Hey Al, I'm really enjoying these courses and the befits I get from them. The most obvious and productive for me is gaining Chi. The thing is, I don't know where my Chi level stands. What is something I can compare it to? How strong is /your/ Chi? Will my Chi develop faster over time? Sorry for the many questions, so thanks in advance! -Wesley

Good question. We were discussing this topic on the Private Support Forum for my Complete Course students the other day. In the ChiFusion Blog, there are a couple of articles that might help: Does Your Tai Chi Work? Your Practice Checklist Of course, there are a lot of factors involved with how quickly you'll see results. 1. What you are practicing You have to make sure you are practicing the movements as we've outlined, and that you are actively working on the ChiFusion details and making them a part of your practice. 2. How often you practice Daily is ideal, but I'd say at least five to six days a week is the minimum. 3. How long you practice in each session While we organize our course around 10 minute practice sessions. For a relatively healthy person, that should be enough. But if you have any specific energetic blockages, you may need to practice longer. If you can work in two or three 10-minute practice sessions a day, that would be better. 4. Genetic factors There may be genetic factors that may limit the results you achieve. In Tai Chi and Qigong, we call this "pre-birth jing", but all that means is that you may have inherited limitations that will affect your results. (We have more information about pre-birth jing in the Four Treasures bonus report in our Complete Course. Just check the bonus page for it) 5. Lifestyle factors Of course, all the Tai Chi in the world won't do you any good if the rest of your lifestyle doesn't support your practice. If you engage in health-draining behaviors outside of Tai Chi, it will be like trying to drive with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake. No matter how hard you press on the Tai Chi gas, the lifestyle brake will inhibit your progress. --- In addition, here's an experiment I sometimes do with students, to help them see their progress. At the end of Level 1 in the Complete Course is an exercise detecting the Chi emitted from the palm of your hand. I sometimes ask students to try it now, to establish a "baseline" of their current Chi level. Then they go back and work through Level 1 lesson by lesson, one lesson a week, and practice consistently until they finish Level 1. At the end, they reach the "palm chi" lesson in the proper order. If they try it again at that point, they usually find that the experience of palm chi has increased the second time. The bottom line though is I would not expect much increase just from these sample lessons. After all, they are just samples to help you decide if our advanced training is right for you. Instead, the Complete Course is designed in a step-by-step fashion. So instead of disconnected samples that don't necessarily "flow", the Complete Course takes you by the hand and helps you work methodically towards your Chi development.

Hi Al Simon Sensei, I,ve read in many books that sensations like buzzing, vibration, and tingling are a sure sign of increased energy flow.In other words your chi energy flow correctly in your body. When and How can I feel these sensations? and Can Tai chi And Qigong make this sensations?

How people experience chi varies greatly. Some effects include warmth, tingling, a magnetic feeling, a pulsing or push/pull feeling, an electrical feeling, a "fullness" feeling, an "engorged" feeling, a lightness, as if the hands had no weight, a heaviness, as if the hands were extremely heavy, "pins and needles" feeling, or prickliness. You may also notice some visual affects like the hands become red or red-and-white mottled. Most people feel these sensations in our Level 1 program of our Complete Course, because the practices there focus exclusively on meridian circulation. Sometimes the sensations can be subtle, but other times they can be quite intense, because your mind/body/energy system has never experienced them before. You are opening certain energy points and pathways, and there here sometimes can be quite a rush of sensations. What you are describing might fall into that category. If your first experiences in Level 1 are subtle, that doesn't mean there is anything wrong. Actually it probably means there is a lot right with your energy system. Because if you do have intense experiences, I think you'll find that over time, as you progress through our Complete Course, these experiences "settle down" to something a little more stable, though less intense. I normally see this "settling down" as a positive sign - a sign that your practice is maturing. While the "feelings" of chi are what captures people's attention at the beginning stages - and an important motivation for beginners - intensity is not necessarily the goal. I consider regularity and repeatability much more important.

just thought i would tell you i am inpressed with the trial lessons , i am 77 years old and would like to continue with your course, but iam still wondering how to work it in to my budget. thank you

Hi Al, i am fortunate to come across your teaching; I have multiple problems; I was born with one leg shorter than the other; I have scholliosis; I had knee surgery; I had a cervical fusion; I broke my jaw, and then I was in an auto accident- 3 yrs ago. Now, I am in constant pain; extremely fatigued; depressed and then on WebMD, I found your article; is there anything you can do for me?