Charlie -
I had painful gout that attacked my feet, knees, elbows and hands. When I started Qigong, the pain actually got worse (I got really angry over that, but kept at it.) Initially, I physically couldn't stand to do the exercises, so I had to sit. (Doing the seven steps from a sitting position must have looked very interesting.) I realized after about a month of practice that the pain had greatly diminished, as had the inflamation, so I started standing. Often in the middle of a session it got to be too much, so I always had a chair handy in case I needed to sit to continue.
The inflamation is now 99% gone and the pain in my legs and feet is 100% gone. (I still have a little stiffness and pain in my hands, but that doesn't stop me from standing... ) And I've only been practicing now for about six months!
All this is to say - do what works for you. Don't suffer. Allow yourself to progress at the degree your body can.
Geoff
