Unusual Excercise

This month Minnie is exploring the alphabet by digging out the unusual, often unexplained and alternative way of thinking. Stories of creatures, places and mysteries that have been passed down to us through centuries tease our imagination, live in our dreams and dare us to explore the impossible. Join Minnie each day as she discovers something unusual in the alphabet.

 

"Got myself  two pairs of balls, one for each hand."

How many of you have been exercising your brain using balls? The Chinese have been doing it for centuries. Health balls were first produced in the Ming Dynasty by a weaponry blacksmith who was guided by the gods to make iron balls that produced the sounds of a roaring dragon and a singing Phoenix.

Having received them as a tribute to his court, the Emperor of the time rejoiced at their beauty and installed them as one of the palace treasures. Although they were initially reserved for only the Imperial family and government officials they were soon manufactured and enjoyed all over the realm. They were used in Martial arts training and as a preventative cure in traditional Chinese medicine.

According to the Jingluo theory, the ten fingers are connected with the heart, the cranial nerves, the vital organs and the blood stream. The balls stimulate the various acupuncture points of the hands and aid the uninterrupted flow of the blood and vital energy to produce harmony throughout the organs and the nervous system. It makes the bones strong, the mind sober and prevents as well as cures hypertension and various chronic diseases. Exercising everyday for months and years keeps your brain healthy as well as strengthening the immune system. They also help with arthritis in fingers and wrists, they relax your thoughts and release stress. It is said that health balls prolong peoples lives and relieve fatigue in this modern hectic world.

Do they work? Well, I have two pairs and they are relaxing. As to other benefits, it is hard to say. Buy yourself a pair and judge yourself. A more pleasurable way to exercise I have yet to find.