Thanks for your comments and guidance Ascending1, you were right, I was limiting myself with the belief that it may take some time to heal! Don't know how that one slipped in there but thank you for pointing it out.
Iam2, I can't wait to start doing longer sessions. At the moment I am following the video for guidance but will soon go to the tape and from there go to doing them by myself. Thanks for starting this thread too.
Heartbeat, it is great to hear of your experiences and enjoyment of the energy you have connected to. It is also nice to know of someone else who has started at around the same time as myself. It will be good to know how each of us progress in our own ways.
To keep you updated on my progress, I can now feel the energy much more strongly in the exercises. The moving and joining of Yin and Yang continue to be my favourite exercises and now when doing the moving exercise my hands simply move all the way round in the energy stream that I can feel! It is amazing. Especially when they both turn at the top and bottom of the path simultaneously and I can feel my hands being turned by some other force than my own.
In the joining exercise I realised that I was holding my hands a bit too close together (because I felt the energy much stronger this way) but now can do it at the correct size and feel the energy there quite strongly. What helped me here was that I noticed that Master Chunyi had a very subtle way in which he started the roll of the energy with his fingers in his movements on the video. (Watch his top hand to see what I mean) Since I mimicked this movement with whatever hand was at the top of the energy sphere, the other hand is automatically drawn into motion with it and I now subsequently feel the energy more strongly.
As I have gotten acquainted with the other exercises and can do them while going into the emptiness (rather than concentrating getting my technique right), I have begun to feel the energy drawing my hands around and feel it in my body more strongly while doing them as well.
This prompts my next question.
When I try to do the visualisations I can actually feel the energy weaken and my hands grow cold, however if I simply let myself go into the emptiness, it becomes much more powerful and I can just let the energy dictate corrections in my posture and movements. (While sticking to Chunyi's instructions) If I become distracted I then use the visualisations to bring my mind back to focus and the emptiness.
Is it ok not to do the visualisations? It feels much more powerful if I simply let my mind go. I like to do the visualisation of the energy column in the forming of Yin and Yang and then when when I feel my hands grow warm and can feel the energy I prefer to just feel the energy and concentrate a little on that while clearing my mind and trying to become one with the universe.
oh, when doing the seven steps I find that it helps to visualise the energy coming up to each of the seven levels and then back down again. Besides I couldn't go into the emptiness if I tried at the moment I am so wobbly when doing it 
I can also see the benefit in Kev5's suggestion of visualising others in the energy ball. What a great idea! I know what you mean by relaxing, I think it is similar to what I have explained above?
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this post, I haven't had the chance lately.
Sending love and wishing happiness to all the wonderful people who post here.
P.S. Iam2, I like your ending phrase and read on a previous post somewhere that it makes you feel good to send out love to others. I agree with you wholeheartedly, is it OK if I use it too? 
P.P.S. Congratulations on your little one Shawn and thanks for your guidance and knowledge in this forum.
