No, in fact one only needs to be comfortable when doing the practice.

After taking the First Sphere course, it is recommended to practice at minimum 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes a session. One can certainly practice much more than that should the spirit move them!

Though I've enjoyed the sweet strain of concentration meditation as much as the next person (is there actually a next person here?), Ascension doesn't require any such extraordinary mental abilities. This is so because Ascension works through the pleasing of the mind. While the practice of concentration meditations could be characterized as attempts to control the “monkey mind” through force of will, Ascension charms the mind by feeding it the “ideal banana."

Ascension is in fact absurdly easy to practice, so much so that upon first learning I felt it mustn't be worthwhile! The notion that only difficulty brings reward is a rather deeply ingrained one. That the acceptance of ease proves so difficult is indeed a luscious paradox, one much appreciated by one steeped in Taoism.

We find that it increases one's ability to move fluidly, effectively, and gracefully through the world. Through this practice one learns to be in the flow more and more of the time.

Not at all. In fact, after taking the course you never have to see another again for as long as you live should that seem appealing! One of the beautiful aspects of Ascension is that it has not (or isn't meant to be) designed as a “Guru driven movement”. One can learn the techniques, practice them consistently, and experience an immense expansion of consciousness without ever going to another course or seeking out another teacher. That said, it is often very useful to check in from time to time, and almost all teachers are, of course, exceedingly happy to be available for any and all questions you might have. In addition, as mentioned above, there are myriad options available to speed along the growth of consciousness.