Trying Chinese meditation balls for my hands

Chinese meditation balls are called Baoding balls or sometimes Zen mediation balls.

How to use:

1. They are two balls you can roll around in your palm in a circular motion. Some of them, like mine, have a chime in them.
2. As a beginner, as you rotate them the balls maintain contact the whole time.
3. As you advance you can get them to rotate without ever touching each other.
4. Once comfortable with a smaller size, such as I have, you can increase the size or get a heavier material. They can be made from stone, marble, wood, steel and other materials.

Meditation balls purportedly improve brain function while they exercise your hand muscles. Some people believe that meditation balls help reduce stress, in which case they may be called “worry balls.”

History, Benefits and Uses of Meditation Balls

I have seen listed several benefits of using them:

• Relaxed joints and muscles- improve dexterity, improving hand strength, enhancing fine motor skills
• Manage anxiety and depression
• Gain meditative focus during stress- you can use them as a focus during meditation. This is something I have done.
• Improved memory
• Enhanced quality of sleep
• Enhanced blood circulation
• Reduced inflammation
• As a fidget toy for self-regulation

The hands and wrists

My hands are stiff and the dexterity has become very limited for reasons unknown. It makes it next to impossible to do art of any quality these days. And they are quite painful. Therefore, I am using them to improve dexterity, improve hand strength, enhance my fine motor skills- all which have declined for whatever reason.

Baoding balls are also used for certain forms of physical therapy, especially when seeking to improve dexterity and exercise muscles around wrists, hands and arms.

History, Benefits and Uses of Meditation Balls

My set it quite old. I got it when I was a younger and it works great for my purposes since it is difficult to do the exercises in question. Or when I do, I feel it- which is good. I’m definitely a beginner though.

It is difficult with my left hand and a bit better with my right hand. However, get my right hand to use all my fingers is the tricky part. I definitely feel it when I do. So I am hoping since I can definitely feel it in my fingers and writs when I do it and after that I will have a benefit from it. I think I will, since I have such limited mobility at the moment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Baoding balls are more than just physical tools — they’re believed to enhance vitality and stimulate acupressure points on the palms, like a hand massage. This stimulation is thought to improve the flow of Chi, the vital life energy that moves through the body.

The specific movements involved in Baoding ball exercises — nimble rolling and rotating motions — target the hands and fingers and are also understood to impact broader bodily functions. These activities are believed to balance blood flow and vital energy, extending the benefits throughout your body.

Everything You Need to Know About Baoding Balls

Reference:

History and Types of Baoding Balls

History, Benefits and Uses of Meditation Balls

Everything You Need to Know About Baoding Balls