An ancient Chinese system of exercise

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