Ai Chi (Konno)

Domain X · Body, movement, breath & physical · Jun Konno, Ruth Sova · 1993 · Yokohama, Japan

What it is

Ai Chi is a water-based programme of slow, broad, continuous movements of the arms, trunk and legs, performed standing upright in water to about shoulder or neck depth and coupled with deep, abdomen-focused breathing. It was developed in Japan in 1993 by Jun Konno, founder of the Aqua Dynamics…

Format

• Clinical Ai Chi: Konno granted the name "Clinical Ai Chi" to the International Aquatic Therapy Foundation (IATF) in Switzerland, to separate therapeutic use, which should rest on evidence, from wellness use. It is used by aquatic therapists, typically physiotherapists. Current IATF course structure.
• In research trials, Ai Chi was led by a physiotherapist with small groups.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Ai Chi International Certified Ai Chi Instructor (through AEA courses): AEA states that the certification qualifies the holder to teach group classes, use Ai Chi in one-to-one therapy, rehabilitation or personal training, and run in-service training for colleagues. Requirements: complete the Ai Chi Basic Training/Cert Prep course (in person or live online, including posture practice on deck and in the water,…
• How these names map onto AEA's six focus groups (in particular which postures form "Cultivating the Chi") is not stated in the sources consulted. The grouped list above contains one more name than the published total, so one grouping may be a single posture. The multiple sclerosis trial used a shorter clinical set including some different names (for example "Transferring", "Relaxing" and "Sustaining"), showing that…
• Version followed: the Ai Chi posture sequence as described by Jun Konno's programme and its English-language co-developer Ruth Sova, as published by the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA, which runs the Ai Chi International instructor certification), together with the "Clinical Ai Chi" version described by Lambeck and Bommer in Comprehensive Aquatic Therapy. A shortened clinical set used in a multiple sclerosis…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Clinical Ai Chi: Konno granted the name "Clinical Ai Chi" to the International Aquatic Therapy Foundation (IATF) in Switzerland, to separate therapeutic use, which should rest on evidence, from wellness use. It is used by aquatic therapists, typically physiotherapists. Current IATF course structure.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• falls in water (submersion risk), fear, breath-holding. Working: steady stance with soft breathing.
• dizziness on standing out of the water, sleepiness, emotional release. Working: the client leaves calm and steady.
• oversharing between providers; a client feeling "handed off". Working: the client goes, and both professionals know their roles.
• clients pushing through symptoms; reluctance to criticise the instructor. Working: problems surfaced early and the plan adjusted.
• motion sickness or dizziness from eye tracking; drifting attention. Working: the client describes the movement as easy or restful.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.