Hi Al.I remember when I was in my early twenties and in perfect health being disappointed after being told by a so called tai chi master that because my back knee could not bend like the others my form was bad.THe funny part was the rest of the form was great but bending the back knee hurt.You are right because their are many instructors of tai chi that know one or two forms at best and say they are masters.I teach and am a fairly high ranked Yang style teacher. And every basic principle so far you have said is very true and you seemed to go outside of the traditional crap that hurts not helps someone and went un the educated path. I have seen egotistical teachers hurt students badly by ripping knees apart when not explaining to them that when doing a 360 turn in a form walk it through do not twist on a fully compressed knee joint.Things like snake creeps down should never be done so far to the floor or find needle at sea bottom if done wrong can screw up your back really bad and fast.No student I ever had was in good enough shape to do these movements to their full extension. Yet thats what many are told to do. And tai chi is allways a good lifestyle but one must remember your diet;habits i.e. smoking and other factors also come into play for health.But tai chi which is a moving type of Qi Qong when done regularily and right is a great form of mental and physical exercise. Only person who teaches that would argue about so far what I have seen Al say has to be perrty arogant as a instructor and not open minded. He is on the right path folks. Me I just cannot afford the cost yet but he is correct.My principles are in agreement with Al as by the way I teach. No pain no gain is crap and each persons body is different and each instructor has to accept that each person learns different.

I can tell this course is something that will help me immensely. Going back to college raised my stress level a great deal. As soon as I am financially able I will definetely buy it.

Hello Master Al, I started your online courses.Just working on my core,This course helps My back. Went-out last week. One move at a time. The exercises feels good thank you

Hello Al,I found the contents hepful.Well mainly I am a very old lady 86 I ave some arthritus in my right hand.A but stiff at times if I have been sitting for a while. I do have angina which I have had for years not at all badly.I have sdome problems with reflux for which I take medicine. I am MEDITATOR BY THE WAY

Yes, I will take the whole course, as soon as I have stable financing.. Q: Is there any exercises connected to kidneys and/or prostate ? Regards theRabbit, Norway

When Traditional Chinese Medicine (the foundation of Qigong and Tai Chi) talks about the "Kidneys", they aren't talking just about the kidney organs, but the entire uro-genital system, which would include the prostate. So Qigong that targets the "kidneys" should also benefit the prostate. I mentioned this in another post: Level 1 of our advanced training is primarily concerned with improving chi meridian and organ functioning. It works on all the major organs. Because of the inter-relationship among the organs, you don't want to do just the exercises for that one organ. If you have a "bad kidney/prostate", you don't want to work on exercises just for the uro-genital system, but for all the internal organs - to make sure they are all supporting each other. But I do, at the beginning of each lesson, tell you exactly what organs we are targeting.

Are there particular movements to help with insomnia, hormonal changes?

In Level 1 of our advanced training, we teach Falling Water Qigong. Some students have used that to help with sleep, as well as migraines and hormonal related discomforts. Also Constant Bear, Reverse Bear, and Spiraling Qigong in our Level 2 course have been said to help. And finally, the energy work in Level 3 can be an important aid. Check out the advanced training report (link at the top right of this page).

Please forgive my mistakes in English. Thank you very much for your wonderful lessons! Yes, of course! It is not enough to know how to act. We need to do. Step-by-step. From simple to complex. Quite rightly, you say, Al! No rush. Russian saying that haste is needed only when catching fleas. :) I started to do only 1 drill (Water Lift) 4 days ago. I already feel that my right hand rises more, and without pain. I would appreciate your advice on what exercises to do to warm up.

As you work your way through the mini-course and through the advanced course, you'll find my recommendations for organizing your practice at the end of each lesson. These recommendations will help provide the proper warm up, based on the skills you are learning. We also have information in our advanced training on how to organize your practice to make it the most effective.