|  A
form of Taoist chi kung (or yoga), tai Chi Ruler utilises
a wooden rod/ruler about ten inches long, said to have
originally been derived from sword handles. This is
known as a ‘chih’ and you might see this
form called Tai Chi Chih. The practitioner then goes
through a series of twisting and turning exercises holding
the ruler lengthways between his/her palms – on
the pericardium meridian point in the centre of the
palms.
Essentially, Tai Chi Ruler is like the pure forms of
Tai Chi and Chi Kung - simply Tradition Chinese Medicine.
When seen then in that light and as a free, painless
and tasteless medicine that can help us 'unwind' now
just as it did all of those thousands of years ago;
the practice of Tai Chi Ruler must be seen as a 'step
in the right direction'.
Tai Chi Ruler serves as an excellent supplement to Form
practice and is particularly suitable for the beginner
because it is not at all complicated and focuses attention
upon the basics.
 The
taichido Ruler Distance Learning Package comes complete
with Ruler hand crafted by Mr. Robin Lacey. Robin works
in The Bere Forest in Hampshire U.K. He helps care for
that environment and also lectures on Wood Craft and
Forestry. So that it may allow the flow of Chi through
it, a Tai Chi Ruler should always be made from wood.
We consulted with Robin at length on this issue and
he explained that 'hard woods' are those that allow
more nutrients to pass through the grain of the tree,
and so in theory chi energy can be passed more readily
in the same way. We therefore chose to use only woods
such as Mahogany or birch as our raw material, taken
only from naturally fallen trees.
Mark Allen and Gary Robinson |
