At first I thought the lessons were very slow and apathetic, but after a few times through, I can really appreciate the pace and it turns out now I see Master Pei as very calm and have come to admire him. I'm only on the second routine, but the first one (Parting Wild Horse's Mane) I can do almost effortlessly and its a real pleasure to do motions that are natural to the human body and feel beautiful and graceful. In moving slowly, balance becomes paramount so my overall balance is better now too. I have to go through each routine with the DVD about 5 times to get all the details and practice a bit without the DVD to make it truly mine.
On some mornings, when pressed for time, I only do the warm-up routine which is a great way to start the day as it addresses the body from head to foot and makes you breath and stretch. I found I could also do the warm-up sitting on a ball or a chair when I got surgery.
Tai Chi is also great because it doesn't need any special equipment or clothing, you can do it virtually anywhere, any time.
Tai Chi is great for relaxing and focusing. It's a real pleasure.
On some instances when I was learning the routine, my hip would hurt and then I would look and see where my weight is not transferred correctly or I'm trying to turn too much, etc. and was able to correct it.
With the emphasis on relaxing the shoulders the core is holding me instead of my shoulders which feels a lot better.
I'm hooked!

Watch the video with my taichi group & thumbs up!!!

Master Pei is fantastic - he is clear and his instruction really gives you the feeling. I've learned the form in stages over a few months (not having time every day)
I would recommend feeling pretty comfy with one of the eight lessons and then jumping to the "full form" in the last lesson to practice the more flowing form. Then let yourself flow and go - if you love to dance, put your own flow into it!
NOTE: I first learned the first Tai Chi form that came to the US while I was in college in the late '70s ... I learned it ... from ... a ... BOOK. Pictures. No video. It is a dogeared book I still have and love. If you learned the earlier form(s), be patient with the new routine. It's different BUT ... You will be delighted to catch up and maybe even find friends to practice with you!

I took a good Taiji class years ago, but did not follow up on it. In time, I forgot all the moves. I move house a lot and often live in places and countries without any Taiji instruction for hundreds of miles. Consequently, a DVD is my only chance to practice regularly. I have tried out about seven DVDs before hitting upon this one, with very mixed and frustrating results.

As stated by other reviewers, other DVDs will often "cheat" by omitting parts of the form, starting slow but then speeding up, offering muddled instructions...very frustrating and futile.

This is the first DVD in which I feel as if I were participating in a class with a very patient, kind and generous instructor.

This DVD is for you if you are completely new to Taiji, if you took a class once but forgot the moves, if you have had physical difficulties because of surgeries or other types of traumatic experiences and, above all, if you need a gentle yet precise approach.

If you are very physically active, if you are confident with the basic form, or if you have access to regular classes, one of the videos by Jwing-Ming Yang may be better for you.

But as a first experience or a refresher, this DVD is as good as it gets. Highly, highly recommended. I am very grateful to Christopher Pei and to the makers of this DVD.

UPDATE: I eventually learned the short form from this DVD and I started practicing every day. It has made an immense difference in my well-being and my posture. If you persist with this one, you won't be disappointed!

If you are a new comer to Tai Chi, I highly recommend this DVD. He repeats the basics and points out details of posture and placement of hands, arms, legs and feet. The posture is key so you don't pull sometime or make an existing ache or pain more so. The movement of each element looks easy when you see someone else do them - but I have found that moving from right to left is more difficult than it appears. I for one have to work hard to do anything in a series of tasks that is left led. Normal exercises - yes, but not a sequence of moments. (For you lefties -is the opposite true for you?). Chris Pei goes through all 8 sequences 3 - 4 times explaining placement and form by the 3rd or 4th time you are comfortable and confident. Once you are ready you can skip the segments and go directly to the full sequence of Tai Chi. On the DVD you just pick the place you want and go. I very much appreciate his warm ups -I always start w/ them and I am still learning the 8 sequences. When I am ready for a more advance program I will move on to the full sequence. I took a Tai Chi class a few years back and did not get nearly as much out of it as I have from this single source. He has other DVDs ( I got his Qi Gong - starting that next month),
I will considerate it a great accomplishment when I move on to his advanced DVD that I will get from Amazon ;)