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Relax, do nothing, and feel your breath deepen naturally - the Exercise Revolution from the Orient

The principle behind Chi Exercisers originated 15 years ago in Japan, where therapies such as Shiatsu have traditionally created a sideways motion by swinging the feet manually. The objective was to recreate the sideways flexing motion enjoyed by fish and the animal kingdom as they move around.

Use of the resulting home-based 'passive exercisers' is known to the Japanese as 'goldfish exercise', and they rapidly spread throughout the Orient. Advanced versions of the Chi Exerciser have been developed more recently for the varied body types of Western users. They benefit from providing precisely adjustable running speeds, a handheld control module with LCD display, timer and auto-modes.

The body's inbuilt capability for self-maintenance can become blocked as we get older. Poor posture, poor diet, inadequate sleep and excessive stress can all lead to failure of the body's natural self-regulatory mechanisms. The flexing motion through the body created by advanced Chi Machines is said to stimulate 'chi' energy, which helps the body to get to work on some of the backlog of tasks that it would leave on one side without this boost.

Complementary Health practitioners have been early enthusiasts in the UK, very often using them initially for their own benefit. "I am enjoying much improved mobility in my neck, shoulders and back since I began using the Chi Exerciser," says Jane Chamberlain, a Reflexologist. "I often suffered from bouts of constipation and indigestion but since using the exerciser both have ceased."

The energy rebalancing effects of the Chi Exerciser are reflected in yoga practises. Betty Dawkins, a Counsellor in Stress Management, has taught Yoga for 28 years. She recently wrote about the deeper breathing induced by advanced Chi Machines in Yoga & Health magazine: "As a yoga teacher I know the many benefits of a lengthened outgoing breath. Deeper physical relaxation, quietening of the sympathetic nervous system leads to a calming of the mind and, thus, the emotions. With the advanced Chi Machine, I don't have to try and lengthen the outgoing breath, it just happens, whether I'm breathing deeply or just naturally. This deep relaxed state, the boon that most people are looking for in this stressful, 'short fused', adrenaline-driven society, can be achieved in 10-15 minutes".

The advanced Chi Machine's adjustable speed has opened up the benefits to a broad spectrum of users. Frank Fallows has long suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep apnoea. He says that, "after using it for a few days I started to notice changes. Even though I am only able to run it at quite a slow speed, after 2 weeks it was giving me better quality sleep, reduced blood pressure readings, better circulation and an improvement in my overall sense of well-being. My Doctor was amazed because my glucose meter readings dropped from 6.5-6.8 to about 5.6-5.7."

Apart from the energy rebalancing effects, the release of tension is a boon for many. Brian Withers suffered from lower back pain for many years, often accompanied by sciatica. He says that "within 5 minutes on the Chi Exerciser the pain is removed, and this has proved effective every time."