Oriental medicine is largely based on the principle of meridians, according to which good health is attained by allowing body energy to flow smoothly through the meridian channels in the body. There is something genuinely uplifting about working with clay. Pottery plays an interesting role in all this. It allows one to indulge in therapy for ailments like hypertension, blood pressure, stress, anxiety, insomnia and so forth, even in the absence of medical supervision. Since the fingertips contain some of the densest areas of nerve endings on the human body, they are also our richest source of tactile feedback from our environment, so our sense of touch is intimately associated with our hands. Therefore pottery, or even simply ‘playing with clay’, has immense therapeutic benefit as all the pressure points in the hands are stimulated with the hand movements, and the wet clay eliminates the possibility of any damage from friction on delicate skin. (In fact some beauticians even recommend clay masks for instant enhancements of the hands!)

Pottery school: The best part of pottery is that anyone can do it, anywhere and the costs can be kept minimal if you so wish. The first steps would be to visit your local potter’s village, or pottery store, or track down a pottery school. You can source your material for them or even use their kilns to fire your creations once they are air dried. If that entails too much work to fit in your schedule, you can simply buy children’s play dough or even begin with basic homemade play dough made with flour, some adhesive and preservative like household antiseptic solution. First you air dry your piece, then color it and finally fix the color with thick coats of varnish to make it water and insect proof.

Home (or studio) pottery is of two popular types, hand worked and wheel worked. The process of making ceramic ware on the potter’s wheel is called ‘throwing’ or ‘turning’. A ball of clay is placed in the center of turntable, called the wheel head, which is turned chiefly using foot power or a variable speed electric motor. The wheel revolves rapidly while the clay is pressed, squeezed, and pulled gently into shape. The process of pressuring the clay into a rotational symmetry, so that it does not move from side to side as the wheel head rotates is referred to as centering the clay-usually the most difficult skill to master for beginners.

So now you realize how it is beneficial. Now you can make your own masterpiece with the added benefit of a calmer you!