Still not shedding that Christmas excess? Try this, says Lindi Bilgorri.

WITH so many different forms of exercise classes around these days, it is hard to believe that there could be a totally fresh idea in keep fit -- but there is, Chi Ball.

Intrigued, I went along to one of Jo Tuffrey's Chi Ball classes. She is one of the first fitness instructors in this area to teach Chi Ball. An explaination of the regimen is printed on the right of this page.

Before the class begins you can tell Chi Ball is unlike any other keep fit work-out. Everyone chooses a soft, air-filled ball, which come in four different colours and are impregnated with aromotherapy oils. Choosing a ball can apparently say a lot about how you are feeling. For example, an orange ball represents joy, exuberance and creativity and yellow represents self-esteem. The Chi ball, it is claimed, helps you get your chi, or energy force, moving around your body.

Jo explains that the ball also helps with stretching and helps people reach a full range of movement.

"People don't always go through the full range of motions and if I say push out to the wall without the ball their arms just go a few inches. But if I say push the ball out to the wall their arms go much further."

The work out is done to fast-pace music that has been specially created for Chi Ball classes. The exercises work your legs, abdomen, shoulders, waist and back, with great emphasis on postural movements by working on the spine.

Each exercise involves a strong powerful action with a softer, flowing movement mirroring the ying and yang philosophy that everything in nature balances.

There is a lot of transferring the ball from one hand to another. Each time that is done, the ball gives off a whiff of the aromatherapy oil, which is so much nicer than the smell of sweaty bodies.

"The exercises concentrate on getting the tightness out of your shoulders and back as well as working out. You really have to think about your posture and opening your shoulders so that they are not rounded," Jo explains.

This is not an easy-option work out -- taking part in an hour's class is the equivalent of doing a low-impact class, plus it gives you an awareness of your posture.

After the energetic work out, there is a relaxation aspect to the regimen, which is performed with the lights turned off.

Participants lie down on the floor, place the ball under their backs and gently roll their spines along it to loosen all tension in the neck and shoulders.

At the end of the class I felt I had undergone a terrific work-out. I felt stretched and I left the class conscious that my shoulders were not hunched up.

% Chi Ball classes are held at Burford Middle School, Marlow Bottom, on Monday at 8.30pm; Bisham Abbey, Bisham, on Tuesday at 12.30pm; Foxes Piece First School, Marlow, on Tuesday at 8pm and on Wednesday at 7pm and 8pm. Before you go you must book a place telephone Jo Tuffrey on (0973) 694008

CHI Ball mixes Western-style classes with Eastern-style philosophy.

The exercise concentrates on the theory of Ying and Yang -- that all things balance in nature -- with a strong emphasis on equilibrium between activity and relaxation.

Within the exercise routines there are five elements which have been inspired by different disciplines:

Tai Chi: Aerobic movements that stretch the body giving energy, internal health and the concept of balance.

Yoga: The poses are held for a few seconds to tune the mind and body. It is good for strength, flexibility and balance.

Pilates: The movements teach us about torso stability and control.

Feldenkrais: This technique teaches us about relaxation and effortless movement.

Deep relaxation: To learn how to breathe fully and properly and in so doing achieve harmony and a sense of well-being.

Jo Tuffrey is one of 127 trained Chi Ball instructors in the UK. She was inspired to include the method in her range of classes after she went along to a conference where Monica Linford, who devised the Chi Ball method, demonstrated the techniques.

Jo says: "Chi Ball is a complete class. It gets your heart rate up and there is relaxation at the end. Because you have the ball it encourages you to stretch all the time and become more bodily aware."

Monica, who had been a trained classical dancer, created the method after she suffered an ME-type illness. She left England and returned to her native Australia where she was determined to get well. There, she took up shiatsu and studied the Chinese philosophy of Ying and Yang.

With her background in classical dancing and her understanding of Eastern philosophy she developed Chi Ball.

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