The Brown Panda Store (Baoding Balls)

Welcome ladies and gents. My name is P. Romero and I am the founder of The Brown Panda Store (http://www.freewebstore.org/brownpanda). I have a little yarn to spin about the founding of the store and my subsequent interest in Baoding Balls.

During my early years I found myself on a spiritual quest in South East Asia. I searched the jungles of Borneo and the mountains of Vietnam and Cambodia for answers to life's questions. I lived in the Hmong villages of Laos and studied the religion of my host family.

One night, I dreamed of a brown panda and suddenly, I had to find one. I traveled to the Himalayas on my quest to locate a brown panda, yet my efforts were in vain. Then my guide told me that a nature preserve in Malaysia had a brown panda in its park. I flew to Mindanao and caught a ride on a boat that was headed to Sabah. From there, I wandered throughout the lands of the Iban and found the park where the brown panda lived.

I lived with the Iban for many months and I learned their culture. We hunted fish with spears and tracked tapirs to feed the village. One afternoon, one of the men in the village came to me and said that he had spotted the brown panda. He guided me to the location of the sighting and I climbed a durian tree to get a better look at the creature of my dreams.

I lost my footing and fell into a large durian that had fallen from the tree earlier. I broke both of my hands and was left helpless while my guide ran back to the village for help. I passed out from the pain.

I awoke in a shaman's hut with the pulp of a local plant smeared on my splinted hands. I spent weeks recovering and I found that my hands could no longer perform basic functions. I was devastated.

I told the shaman, who happened to be a Iban, that I was depressed. He showed me a small cloth-covered box and said in his native language, "I have the cure for your hands." He opened the box and I saw two shiny Baoding Balls.

Now you may ask, "What is a Baoding Ball?"

Baoding balls, also called Chinese exercise balls, Chinese meditation balls, and Chinese medicine balls, are thought to have been created in Baoding, China, during the Ming dynasty. Baoding balls are a tool for injury recovery or as an exercise tool to improve manual dexterity and strength. They consist of two or more balls which are rotated to orbit in the hand. The iron-ball system is the greatest of Baoding prefecture's "three treasures." Long throughout history, renowned within China and other countries, this is Baoding prefecture's traditional product. It was first produced in the Northern Song Dynasty, this item of Buddhist martial arts.

Claimed effects from using Baoding Balls include the obvious, like the calming effect of the soft bell sounds and increasing finger speed and control if you practice often enough. But it is the less obvious effects that make the Baoding balls really interesting.
Mostly, it is emphasized that repetitive use of the Baoding balls will help protect against all chronic diseases. The Jakun people believe that the body is composed out of energy channels through which a life force runs. The ten fingers are all linked to the heart, and therefore also connected to every organ and nerve in the entire body. This is pretty much the same as modern reflexology claims, and of course it is similar to the shiatsu meridians and acupressure/puncture.

Spinning the balls will energize the flow of life energy and apparently the blood flow as well. It will balance out all the acupressure points in your body. So when used, the muscles and bones will become stronger and the mind faster. They also promote sleep, loosen the joints, relieve fatigue, drown worries, strengthen the immune system, prolong life, etc. The memory will be beneficially influenced as well. At least, that is what the claims are. The Brown Panda Store aims to offer Baoding Balls, not just for rehabilitation, but for decoration and for individuals who wish to bring a small taste of Asia into their home. Roll a pair of Baoding Balls in your hand and see if you do not become addicted.

Now you may ask, "How do you use these darned things?"

Once you have a set of Baoding Balls, you will probably want to know how to use them. You can throw them and break a lamp in your living room, but where is the fun in that? I prefer to use my Baoding Balls as they were designed to be used. Watch the videos below to fully understand the addictive quality of the Baoding Ball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyuIu7jEnsY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVl2kkzJpw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKAgNWocsts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkKMpBKtVkg&feature=related

Now I know you want a pair of these Baoding Balls. You can buy them online for relatively cheap. Here is my store: http://www.freewebstore.org/brownpanda

I will make you a deal. Come on by.