Do you have true conviction that everything will turn out well - I wish that I did - sometimes I feel that everything is going well and other times I just feel that nothing is going right. I have to ask myself is this because of my lack of conviction that all will be well.

Here is a little story from my early years concerning my dad, a lovely man who always believed things would work out in the end.

I was 13 years old and my nan had just died - we were living in rented accommodation in Bow, East London and the house was rented under her name so the landlord decided that we had to go because he wanted to sell the place.

I can remember now as he came around with a smirk on his face telling my mum and dad that they had two weeks to find other accommodation unless of course they wanted to buy the house - a wry smile came across his lips knowing that with my dad working as a postman and my mum working as a telephonist had absolutely no chance of raising the money in time.

My mum was in tears and my dad said 'don't worry, something will turn up' I know that he believed this beyond doubt cos that was the way he was and sure enough that weekend he and his workmates won the football pools which when shared out between them left enough to buy the house!!! The look on the landlords face was classic when he found out and think that he would have liked nothing better than to turn my dad's offer down but to guys like that money is money. So that was it, we became home owners.

My dad was like that right to the end where his last words to me were 'your mother worries too much' before he passed peacefully away on to whatever adventure awaited him in the after life.

I really wish I had his faith!!!

Not really Tai Chi or Chi Kung related although I did manage to get a session in while away in Norfolk for a few days.

Wells-Next-The-Sea is on the North Norfolk coast and I stayed on a ship moored in the harbour called the Albatross - Now it isn't exactly the height of luxury but it is great for a break if you don't mind things being a little rough around the edges. Ton, the Captain and owner of the ship ensures that a good friendly crew make your stay enjoyable and live music is also provided (sometimes by me) on Friday/Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon - I always enjoy my stay there. You can check out more if you go to his website.

What never ceases to amaze me is that people tend to stay in one place and not go that little bit further to find the real treasure of the area. People seem to congregate around the main areas when a short walk along the North Norfolk Coastal Path towards Holkham you can enjoy the pleasure of a beautiful pine forest - I found a really secluded spot - found myself a nice bunch of trees - did some Chi Kung and shared my lunch with the wildlife. It then occurred to me that people tend to do the same thing when looking for classes - be it Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Pilates or Yoga. They will look and probably go to the nearest one to them which isn't necessarily the best (sometimes it might be but not very often!) when a little further down the road, in another village or town they may find the jewel in the crown - I rest my case!!!!

The benefits of chi kung has many layers - just like an onion, as you remove one layer a deeper layer presents itself.

At a basic level chi kung greatly improves your body awareness, breathing, posture and opens up the joints, relaxes muscles and relieves stress and aids digestion. These 'advantages' are great and felt very quickly and because of this people think that is it!

But, as you continue with your practice you find a much deeper effect happening - You become more aware of your internal energy and start to feel any blockages or problems with your body. I know several people who have realised they have something wrong and got medical attention quickly. Yes, medical attention is sometimes needed and when used along with chi kung practice a quick recovery is often possible. Obviously, this isn't always the case - sometimes your time is up!!!

Beyond this stage you find a more spiritual meaning behind your practice and you find yourself living much more in the flow of things (the Tao) - intuition often improves and you feel that harmony between mind, body and spirit often referred to as the 'three treasures' - Jing, Chi and Shen.

So don't just settle for the obvious benefits that come from practice - never stop searching and looking for the deeper mysteries that lie within Chi Kung.

Lots of people who take up Tai Chi and Chi Kung get obsessed with learning forms without understanding the basic principles and concepts behind the forms they have already learned. This is why sometimes a form looks like a dance with absolutely no intention or energy behind it.

I like to make sure that everyone at least knows the basic principles and concepts behind what they are learning and hopefully put these into the form they are practising. Sword form particularly needs this understanding or it just looks like someone waving a piece of wood (if you are using a practise sword) around.

Chi Kung is the same - you must have intention (Yi) in the movements so that your energy (Chi) can flow (no Yi no Chi!!!) - yes, you have to be relaxed but also the intention behind the movement has to be there (a bit of a paradox really).

I was once told by a teacher that when you see someone practising Tai Chi it should look like a spiritual person who shouldn't be messed with - I think this sums it up quite well!!!

People often ask if it is possible to learn Tai Chi or Chi Kung through a book or DVD. Well, you could probably learn the moves but it is impossible to feel or understand the moves without proper tuition. I once had someone come along who had learnt the whole Yang Long Form from a Video and to be fair she hadn't done a bad job of it but at the end of the day they were just moves with no substance or intention. This is something that cannot be conveyed to you via a book or DVD. Billy Joel once summed it up in one of his songs saying 'There's a new band in town but you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine'.

You do need someone who understands the principles and concepts of Tai Chi or Chi Kung to make any real progress so don't be afraid to ask for your teachers credentials - who have they trained with? how long have they practised themselves? I have practised both arts for over 25 years with various masters and teachers, all of whom have been absolutely brilliant and if I am honest I would say there are probably other master/teachers out there who can take me even further along the path. That is one of the things I love about Tai Chi and Chi Kung it is a never ending journey - never a dull moment!!!

When you come along to the studio I like to work on the theory as well as practical side of Chi Kung - I find that if a student has a basic understanding of the concepts behind the movements they are being taught then the easier it is to visualise what is happening with your energy.

Elemental Chi Kung works on the five element theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire). Each of these elements have their own characteristics and feed into each other as a mother would feed her child to bring about balance to our energy system.

The support cycle is Earth supports Metal, Metal supports Water, Water supports Wood, Wood supports Fire and Fire supports Earth. When all of these elements are balanced and supporting each other we have a healthy body, mind and spirit.

Each Element also has a direction, season, emotion, colour, taste and animal (and other characteristics) - The list is long but the good thing is that if you look the chart up on the net it doesn't really vary so you can get a good idea of what is element achieves.

At the studio we work on the support cycle mainly because we are looking to achieve balance - When one element gets out of line then the Control cycle comes into play but a deficiency or lack in one element is not always easy to diagnose so we work on keeping the elements balanced which usually means things even out over a period of time.

We also work on the balance between Yin and Yang and explore the extremes of the elements - Metal and Water being the Yin elements and Wood and Fire being the Yang elements - Earth is central and  helps balance the extremes.

Chi Kung is a fascinating journey into ourselves and like Tai Chi there are many styles but all look towards the same outcome - a balance between Mind, Body and Spirit.