Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The Weight Forward Teardrop Teishin


Teardrop Teishin

Teishin length and balance are very critical to the way the teishin feels in the hand.  When a teishin is made too long the practitioners attention begins to follow the tail end of the tool rather than the stimulating end.  This  also occurs when a teishin has one heavy tip and one fine tip.  Of course, we make teishins in this way because we like the  benefits of a multifunctional tool.  With even larger diameter teishins we add a third surface for treatment; the length of the tool (for brushing or rubbing along treatment areas).   In nature we see that some things in life are "weight forward" such as a fish or a birds wing cross-section and they are more efficient in moving forward or have a forward qi.  I have been wanting to make a teishin designed primarily around one functional end with the tool itself having a forward qi energetic.  This teishin is shaped like an elongated teardrop with most of its mass lying within the fingertips.  Another way to understand this tool is to imagine it in water.  If you held it horizontally and then released it in the water the tip would rotate downward and the tip would direct the tool straight down.  The tip can be made sharp, ball ended, or blunt while the tail end has a long graceful taper.  Having this long taper ensures the practitioner has a strong awareness of the tool's vector or directionality. Of course the tip of the tail end may still be used for treatment but you will miss the forward qi effect once you have experienced it!