Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Is it for me?

Hi, I've done some different forms of qigong "belly breathing" in the past, and meditative qigong, but can not do much active practice because of severe fatigue. Would I be able to get much out of the Spring Forest program if I can't practice actively?
Also, is anyone familiar with Ken Cohen's qigong tape program, and can you comment on how the Spring Forest program differs?
Thanks.

Karen,

SFQ is primarily geared towards health. Other forms of Qigong exist but from what I can deem, Level 1 of SFQ is geared towards the individual - you and health.

Active exercise's are as best I can describe it used to 'move' the energy in and out of body to clear any blockages. This would be the equivalent of blowing through a garden house half full of water and seeing the water come out the other end.

You should always consult with your doctor before doing any form of 'exercise' ... but let me tell you my first experience with Qigong. When I was watching the tape the first round through, I thought, ah, piece of cake! That's until I was doing the exercises and when I attempted to close my eyes to focus ... I was all over the place, no balance whatsoever. Guess that's why I never made it to the world gymnastics competitions!

I managed to get through five minutes of active exercises ... my point was, what was my point ... oh yeah, not to go hard on oneself at the beginning. If your doctor gives the ok, start out doing just a few minutes per day... the body has an amazing ability to adjust given time.

As for Ken Cohen's program, cannot comment on that one ...

As you've stated, there are many forms of Qigong out there. SFQ was my first introduction to this ancient practice and Chunyi Lin does a 'fantastic' job conveying the basic's to give one understanding but also quench one's thirst to want more!

I'm no expert at this yet, I'm just a newbie with a fasination to want to master this truly remarkable skill.

There are different ways you can practice the active excercises. You might want to try some of those same motions sitting or lying down. Summer is also coming, and in the water is a great place to practice if you have major balance problems.

Doing excercises like this cause a lot of internal changes. A lot of your larger muscle groups need to relax enough to allow deeper muscles, tendons, ligaments and the like to take more of the strain. This kind of change takes time, so if it's too much for you right now, try a less strenuous version of it. Allow your body to change.

Thanks, I appreciate the comments!