Hi Margaret,
That's good...those sensations. I would guess that for most people, it is hard to get those sensations in the fingers/hands, as often, the strain of holding up the arms, chokes off the qi from getting through. There is something referred to as a "bridge" in the arms. The ability for qi to fill the arm, or move accross the arm to the hands. This bridge is an arm full of qi. Developing this bridge, is, working through the physical strain/blockage, to having the qi fill and hold up the arms. From a martial standpoint, one would cross another's bridge in hand technique... One reason a teacher, and Master Lin has said this, encourages a student to work through the discomfort of holding a position, or holding your arms up, is to make that shift to filling it with qi, and being comfortable, as opposed to experiencing the muscular limitation and backing off. Staying with it eventually shifts it. The fact you have feeling in your hands, with arms raised, is good. Qi is getting through. Your third eye draws it through farther and amplifies it, as you do the visualization. I have perhaps said in the past, that if you have trouble with this, try relaxing the jiang jing points (tops of the shoulders/midway), and also the point between the shoulder blades. Energetically opening the heart and breathing in there,also opens areas/points associated with this. The C7 and throat are also good places to consciously relax as you hold your arms up. Your intention, really focusing you mind/visualization, makes a difference in energy level/feeling. Spiritual energy comes in from the top/crown, to the heart, out the hands. Physical qi moves around the path of the small universe. At the point between the shoulder blades, it moves out the arms. Similar locations, different dimensional qualities of energy moving simultaneously for a singular purpose.
