Starting from where I thought I should be

I really struggled during the Tai Chi Retreat without my personal trainer (MWNN) to guide me.

A Standing Qigong posture

Each day began with meditation followed by some standing Qigong. This is designed to relax the body and mind and gently warm the muscles in preparation for the Tai Chi Hand Form. Standing Qigong has always been a challenge, usually for my arms and shoulders but also for my right leg which has been injured many times. By the end of the first session on Day 1, I was feeling a tighness in the hamstring at the back of my right knee.

The pain increased through the five days despite taking some long rest periods between sessions and opting out of the evening session altogether. I didn't think anything more about it until yesterday when the pain became so intense on straightening the knee or putting weight on the right foot that I called the Sports Injury Physiotherapist who treated me when I broke my tibia.



Despite this, my overall fitness improved dramatically resulting in lower blood pressure and much lower resting heartrate. It also emphasised how important it is to be abolutely recovered after illness and back on a normal diet before starting any sort of exercise again. I've re-activated my membership of the health club so that I can go back to swimming again next week.