HISTORY: Chinese Health Balls are a great (and easy) way to add dexterity and fitness to your current health regimen. These small metal balls come in pairs and go by many names, including Therapy Balls, Stress Balls, Harmony or Baoding Balls. (They are believed to have originated in Baoding, China approximately 500 years ago in during the Ming Dynasty.) While they were originally made of solid iron, modern Chinese Health Balls are hollowed out making them easier to use and transport. In fact these days, they contain small chimes which is why they sometimes are referred to as Harmony Balls.
USES: Chinese Health Balls are often used during exercise and meditation. While there are many exercises possible the most common way use them is to place two balls in the palm of one hand. Using balance and gravity, rotate the balls in one hand clockwise and once mastered, work on counter-clockwise. One method suggests not to let the balls touch or chime. More advanced users can work up to larger diameter balls. They then can work up to exercises involving 3 or more balls. These seemingly easy exercises actually do a great deal to work the muscles in your hands, forearms and shoulders! They provide great benefits to those who desire better muscle control and dexterity, such as musicians, artist and athletes.
OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS: If the benefits for the physical exercise alone aren’t enough to convince you to start practicing your hand cordination, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe that all bodily systems are linked to one another. With regular use, these balls are believed to boost the circulation of the blood while acting to relax joints and muscles. Disorders such as hypertension, arthritis of the fingers and wrists, as well as numbness and trembling of the hands can be prevented and improved through the use of Chinese Health balls. These practices have been around in tradition Chinese culture for hundreds of years, where preventative medicine is considered the key to a long and healthy life.