Meditation is a great way to train your brain to focus and avoid unwanted thinking on stressful thoughts. It can help you clam and reduce stress from overthinking. To do that, you have to have your mind focus on something you can experience at the moment. Here are some ways to do that:
Focus on the Movement
When meditating with Baoding Balls it is best to start by concentrating on achieving a smooth and easy movement of the balls in your hand. Rotate the balls around in the palm of one hand until they begin to feel comfortable and familiar. At this stage you will probably like to watch the balls rotating but as you become more proficient you may also wish to close your eyes to add to the relaxation of the meditation exercise.
Focus on the rotation of the balls. Try pacing the rotation to be smooth and consistent. Challenge yourself to rotate the balls without them touching each other. While your concentration is trained on this aspect of their use, your mind has no room to worry about anything else, or to drift off into random thoughts.
Focus on the Sound
You can also use the chiming and clicking sounds of the baoding balls as a point of focus for a busy mind. Sit comfortably when you meditate and support the wrist of the hand you are using to hold the therapy balls by resting it on your thigh or the arm of a chair. Breathe in a relaxed and rhythmical way then take your awareness to the sound that the balls make as you manipulate them. Experiment with the sounds to see if you are able to lower or raise the pitch and tone produced. Your mind will begin to quieten and still as you focus on the chiming sounds and your meditative practice will be more beneficial.
Guide the Breath
Successful meditation relies on controlling your breath so that your body and your mind become still, quiet and relaxed. If you practice Tai Chi and Qigong you may already know that baoding balls can be used during the performance of many routines to enhance the physical benefits of the exercises. You may also be familiar with the practice of guiding the breath through the lao gong point in the hands. Use the baoding balls in a similar way by visualizing the breath entering the lungs on the first rotation and exiting on the next. The balls themselves can become conduits for guiding the breath once you have become comfortable with the visualization process. Some people like to use different colors to represent the in and the out breath and if you use decorated or colored balls in your meditation this can add another dimension to the enjoyment of the exercise.
