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Special Report

One-Size-Fits-All vs. Customized Chi Development

Hi. Welcome back to the ChiFusion Tai Chi and Qigong program. I'm Al Simon, and I'm glad you've decided to join us for this follow-up lesson.

We've been talking about kinesthetic details, and how they provide "focus" for learning Tai Chi and Qigong. In other words, kinesthetic details point out special places where you should pay close attention to how the movements feel.

But the kinesthetic details also have another function.

You see, Tai Chi and Qigong are about exploring your body, mind, and energy system. But this can only be done if each movement and practice is CUSTOMIZED to you.

In other words, each of us has a unique body, a unique mind, and a unique energy system. No two people are alike. So each person's Tai Chi and Qigong movements should be unique as well.

This always reminds me of "one-size-fits-all" clothing. Have you ever tried on a piece of clothing that said "one-size-fits-all"? How well did it fit?

If you are like most people, a "one-size-fits-all" piece of clothing never quite fits correctly. Given that we all have different shapes and sizes, instead of one-size-fits-all, most of us opt for clothing with a range of size options.

And of course, the clothes that will fit you best are ones that you have "custom-made" - cut to your precise measurements, sewn to your specifications, hemmed to just the right size and length.

We all have different body types, with different physical abilities, different strengths, and different weaknesses. We all have different minds and different energy systems. So each Tai Chi and Qigong movement you learn needs to be customized to you.

That's why your Tai Chi movements should NEVER look like your master's. Your master's Tai Chi or Qigong will never quite fit you as well as a more "custom-made" approach.

And that's the second reason for these kinesthetic details.

Kinesthetic details tell you not only where to pay attention to the "feel" of the movements. They also help guide you to customizing the movements.

That's why kinesthetic details are important for every single Tai Chi or Qigong movement you learn. If you aren't given this level of detail for a given movement, then that movement will be like one-size-fits-all clothing - it will never quite fit you correctly, no matter how hard you practice.

However, given the proper "kinesthetic" instruction, your Tai Chi and Qigong will fit you like a "custom-made" outfit.

As such:

Without kinesthetic details, your practice will have some benefits, but mostly they will come haphazardly and may be superficial.

But with kinesthetic details, your practice will help you systematically reach the highest levels of health, stress relief, and Chi Development.

In this lesson, we're going to cover one of the most important movements that I teach people in Level 1 of our advanced training. It's a movement called Opening the Spine.

Having a free, well-aligned, mobile spine is important for health. Opening the Spine may help you reduce spinal compression, improve posture, and gain awareness of the structure and function of your spinal vertebrae.

Assuming you have an "average" spine that has a least a little compression, you will literally be taller at the end of one or two repetitions of Opening the Spine than you are at the start. I often suggest that students measure their height before and after performing this exercise. Many will see anywhere from 1/4 of an inch to 2 inches gain in height after performing the exercise correctly.

But where this exercise really starts to bring benefits is when you get to our advanced training. The advanced training adds both a more intense focus on individual groups of vertebrae in the spine, plus adds spinal chi energy work into the mix. It's all part of learning to work with chi both inside and outside the body that's in our advanced training.

So when you are ready, click on the orange "lesson" button just below this video. As always, thank you for time and attention. I appreciate having you join our community of enthusiastic students and instructors.

You are viewing a page from our online Tai Chi and Qigong course.
To get access to the entire course, just click here.