Yin Yang balls

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

wavebreaker	30 Sep 2002
About a year ago my parents brought me a present from China: it's a pair of Yin Yang balls. They are quite heavy and they make a sound, each one of them has its own sound. Does anyone know what they are used for? Just curious...

Liliana	30 Sep 2002
i think so, i believe you are supposed to hold them both in one hand and move them around in a circle for meditiion, it makes them chime. I dont think i can explain the process of how to move them, but ill try. with your palm flat put the balls so one is by your thumb and the other is above it. use your thunb to push the bottom ball to the side and let the top ball fall into its place, then manipulate the bottom ball to be on top. Now they reversed postions, basically you do it over and over again. I think I got that right. :THP

wavebreaker	30 Sep 2002
I got that, so you explained it well... ;) It's not easy though... Either my hands are a bit too small or I'm just clumsy... ;) But I suppose with a bit of practise I could make it work. Thanks!

Liliana	30 Sep 2002
They come in different sizes, sounds like you probably have a large set, likely designed for a man, so you might have a little trouble with them at first, but youll get it :) :THP

Kirali	30 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Liliana i think so, i believe you are supposed to hold them both in one hand and move them around in a circle for meditiion, it makes them chime. I dont think i can explain the process of how to move them, but ill try. with your palm flat put the balls so one is by your thumb and the other is above it. use your thunb to push the bottom ball to the side and let the top ball fall into its place, then manipulate the bottom ball to be on top. Now they reversed postions, basically you do it over and over again. I think I got that right. :THP What Liliana said, only you're supposed to get good enough at moving them around in your hand without them chiming. According to my ex-boyfriend who's Cantonese. And I think you're supposed to move them around laterally, not vertically. ~Kira

wavebreaker	30 Sep 2002
Without them chiming?? I'll be glad to be able to move them around without dropping them! :P I think Liliana is right: this set is just too big for me, I think I would need a smaller set to be able to move them around properly. Ah well, they look really nice (bright red with black and white Yin Yang symbols), I think I'll just use them for decoration then...

Kyrielle	30 Sep 2002
What I've heard is that the chimes are supposed to be there. They help you relax with their pleasant sound as you move them around. The balls themselves are used for strengthening the hand muscles and stimulating meridian points. When I was at Disney World in the China pavilion at Epcot there was this Chinese guy who could spin the two balls in one hand amazingly fast. I have two sets of these balls. One has cloisonne peonies, the other is plain silver. -- Kyrielle

Violet Gargoyle	30 Sep 2002
There is also the thing about learning to rotate them BOTH clockwise and counter-clockwise (a wind up or a wind down) but it also helps you put you mind into it when you have to concentrate on rotating the things in the opposite ditection than what you are naturally inclined to do.....

MystiqueMoonlight	30 Sep 2002
What Kirali said was correct. They are a meditation tool which you use by rotating using only your fingers of one hand (not in the palm of your hand). The point is to prevent them from touching each other. It is an artform to master yes, but also they are meant to stimulate your meridian points whilst you meditate. Like anything of this kind it takes time and practise.

Teranar	30 Sep 2002
You get used to moving them around in your hand. I'm too poor to buy some so I've used rocks form my creek. Its almostthe same, just without the chimes and colors.

VmprGokuboi69	01 Oct 2002
A lot of people use them for meditation... They are also used for relaxation..... The chinese believed that the opposing forces in the balls would help regain the balance in the persons chi(sp?) So what a lot of people use them for, besides the whole turning them in your fingers..... is if you put oil on your back, or anywhere for that matter..... you use the balls for massage.. and as they chime it calms you down.. centering you more so you can regain balance in your chi

Alaya	01 Oct 2002
My own understanding is that the old people used walnuts as a way of exercising their hands, especially with the onset of arthritis or to avoid it. They exercise one hand at a time; the more smooth their walnuts get the prouder they are as that means that they have been exercising a lot. The movement and the oil of their hands create a beautiful smooth shining ball and give great value for their owner.They carry the walnuts with them where ever they go and work at them while they are talking or walking around. I have never heard of them being used for meditation, as one has to be still and relaxed for that. I own a pair of very old walnuts that belong to my great grandfather. I am too young to use them yet :-P

Musicman	01 Oct 2002
As well as all of the above, if they are are used both clock wise and anti clockwise in BOTH hands , the action will exercise both sides of the brain, it takes practice , but it can be done. The chimes are soothing and balancing as the exercise is performed, due to the Ying Yang sounds.

Emily	01 Oct 2002
I too have a set of these chiming balls, Baoding balls my instruction leaflet calls them lol. They are supposed to build up physical strength and remove diseases. Apparantly moving them around your hands, using your fingers to help the balls rotate stimulates acupuncture points on the hand. Once you get a rythm going the balls chime. I've had mine for a few years and they are relaxing to use :)

Frequency	01 Oct 2002
They sound very soothing. If they don't chime would they work the same way? I could use something like that in "school" - long story - for relaxation so long as it won't bother people around me. It'd take practice to control them without having them explode all over the place in a noisy mess, of course, but, I can learn. Look what I found... (I know nothing about this site, I just noticed it had a picture of what they look like and how they are used)

kayne	01 Oct 2002
I was given some of these in a beautiful blue box a few years ago. I find them incredably relaxing and I practice using both hands to make them work.

VmprGokuboi69	02 Oct 2002
I have like 2 sets of them.. I was in the new age store I shop at and felt compelled to buy one, considering I couldn't find my last set I bought up in chicago.... Then after I bought them I later found them... So i have to of them, one is the larger version and one is the more normal size... I like them.. they are great to give massages with... especially to very cute boys who will take off their shirt... Maybe I should go to the coffee house and give massages next time...

The Yin Yang balls thread was originally posted on 30 Sep 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.