Amazing Singing Bowl Meditations to Try This Week

Do you listen to guided meditation tracks or singing bowl sound baths at home? At Silent Mind, singing bowls are more than meditation tools. Their song is the soundtrack to all daily activities.

It’s great to sit or lie down with the intention to meditate. Routine and discipline are essential to deepening practice. But singing bowls stand out for their ability to be enjoyed at any time. They always add their soothing, meditative quality to everything we do.

There’s nothing like a soft crystal singing bowl sound bath to quell anxiety and fear. This session is just over an hour long.

As the creators at Healing Vibrations say, “With so much pain and fear happening on a global scale right now, we feel it is more important than ever to create something that can help our hearts cope. So with this quarantine time, we wrote our own sound bath with love and heart stimulation as our intention and guide…We hope you can enjoy these waves as the rings stimulate our cells and allow our body to fully absorb the sounds that merge with our being.”

The artisans at Silent Mind create shiny new singing bowls using many traditional, even ancient, techniques. But we still know how to appreciate the otherworldly vibration of an antique bowl. In fact, many collectors who shop with us keep some truly special antique pieces in their collections as well.

Despite the age of the bowls, this two-hour track feels timeless. The creators, temple sounds, say, “All bowls are Antique Chakra notes and will impact through the subconscious mind to heal and rejuvenate as well as relax the body, mind, and soul.”

The sound of rain is calming for many of us, whether we need sleep or just a peaceful, slow-paced day. Nu Meditation Music’s rain and Tibetan singing bowl track clocks in at over nine hours, so you can enjoy a full day or night of gentle moving water and classic Tibetan bowls.

Their channel helpfully states, “Using Tibetan Singing Bowls for healing is based on the idea that all illness or disease is characterized by a hindrance to the flow of energy in the body. When energy flow is hindered, the organ or tissue in question stops vibrating at a healthy frequency, and thus it results in some kind of weakness or illness. The sound frequencies created by Tibetan Singing Bowls restore and optimize the flow of energy in the parts of the body where this is required.”

Yogalates With Silent Mind Singing Bowls

Is your usual mode of movement feeling a little stale? Are you just going through the motions with your daily yoga practice? Mix it up a bit with a fast, efficient yogalates routine.

Yogalates is a combination of yoga and Pilates. Like yoga, Pilates tends to be low-impact, with a focus on core strength and correct posture.

That said, the strength-building component is more intense than many yoga flows. This is why yoga practitioners love Pilates, too; it is a fast-track to a stronger core, which helps them access more challenging yoga asanas.

Plus, it can help you tone up a little faster than many styles of yoga if that’s one of your goals. The main benefit of adding yoga to Pilates is that yoga helps us improve flexibility better than perhaps any other exercise. Flexibility preserves mobility and makes other types of activity and movement safer for our joints and muscles.

Whether or not you’re new to Pilates, yoga, or both, know this- they require patience and mindfulness. Yoga and Pilates ask us to settle into position, engage certain areas of the body and stay trained on our breath. So if you’re looking for active mindfulness practice, look no further.

Our friend Desiree at Dansique Fitness recently shared the perfect yogalates routine. Best of all, it clocks in at just under 30 minutes!

This beautiful yogalates flow starts just right with a Silent Mind singing bowl. The sound of a singing bowl has long been used to mark the beginning and end of any practice that’s sacred to the user.

From there, we begin warming up with some gentle, easy yoga postures. They lead into even more lengthening and gently strengthening postures until the real core work begins. While it isn’t too intense for cautious beginners, this was a good time to revisit and improve upon our side plank!

The final third of the flow is particularly invigorating, as it centers on a popular yoga inversion- plow pose. As we stimulate blood flow to the heart and head, we enjoy moderately paced, highly controlled leg-toning Pilates movements.

Finally, our workout is capped off by a brief seated stretch and a nice, relaxing savasana.

If you want the satisfying, relaxed-yet-accomplished feeling we had after this routine, try it today. You can also check out more videos from Dansique Fitness, which offers plenty of ballet barre-based fitness and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) sessions to complement your flexibility-fostering yoga practice.

The hardest part of any wellness routine is starting. Last week, we went over some ways that we can keep ourselves on track with at-home movement. It’s worth revisiting some of those suggestions as you give yogalates a try this week.

How often do you exercise, or engage in mindful movement? Have you ever tried yogalates? How do incorporate your Tibetan singing bowl into your yoga or exercise routine? We’d love to hear your thoughts below!

Tibetan Singing Bowls: An Introduction

The origins of singing Tibetan bowls are as mysterious as the otherworldly harmonies the bowls produce when we play them. There are more questions than answers: Where did they first come from? What are they made of? How have Tibetans and other cultures used them through the centuries? Why are they known as Tibetan singing bowls?

What we do know is this:

• Tibetan singing bowls are not Buddhist in origin, but more likely date back to the pre-Buddhist Tibetan Bon Culture. Although there is no hard evidence to indicate the origins or use of the bowls, it is commonly thought that they were traditionally used both in rituals and, more mundanely, as food bowls.
• Singing bowls are actually a type of bell known as a “standing bell.” The bowls are played either by rubbing a mallet around the rim (as one might play a crystal glass with your finger), or striking the side of the bowl with the mallet. The two playing methods produce quite distinctive sounds.
• Though they are often referred to as Tibetan Singing Bowls, they are more accurately called Himalayan Bowls, as they are present throughout the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Nepal, India. They can also be found in various manifestations in Japan, Korea, China, and Mongolia.
• Today, singing bowls are used to aid meditation, religious practice, relaxation, and healthcare.
• When used in sound healing, singing bowls are sometimes referred to as healing bowls or chakra bowls. In sound healing, or “sound massage,” the bowls are played around and sometimes placed on the body of the receiver of the treatment. The practitioner uses the resonance of the bowls’ harmonic vibrations within the human body for balancing and relaxation. Some sound healers seek to activate or balance the body’s chakras, or energy centers.
• The “singing” sound is remarkable, a powerful, long-lasting harmonic hum that can be both invigorating and calming at the same time.
• The traditional methods of producing the bowls have been lost for at least 50 years, but the manufacturing methods used today can produce bowls with beautiful tones. Today, bowls are both hand-hammered and machine-made, or a combination of the two. The best modern bowls are considered to come from Nepal.
• Modern bowls are most likely to be made of a type of bronze called “bell metal,” composed of a mix of copper and tin.
• Antique bowls were also typically made of high-quality bronze, with combinations of various other metals, including gold, silver, and even highly-prized meteoric iron, which the Tibetans call “sky-metal” or thogcha. The presence of multiple kinds of ore is thought to be the source of the multiphonic overtones of some antique bowls, and along with the mellow tones created by age, accounts for the high value placed on antique singing bowls.
• It can be very challenging to tell the difference between a true antique singing bowl and a new bowl, as it is relatively easy to “age” the appearance of a new bowl so that it closely resembles an antique. High-quality new bowls are capable of beautiful tones, but only age can produce the richest, mellowest tones. Only a handful of experts in the world can authenticate the age and value of singing bowls, so you should use caution with sellers who offer “antique” or even “old” bowls without evidence of authentication.

And if you’re interested in experiencing Tibetan culture in Lhasa, you can learn how to travel to Tibet here.

Tibetan Singing Bowl

To make sound with a Tibetan singing bowl, solidly press the going with a little hammer in a round movement against the bowls outside edge or edge. At the point when you hear a brilliant, clear tone, you can hinder the movement and your all stress gone. Utilize your full arm to move, as opposed to simply pivoting your wrist, gives you amazing vibes.

The sound mending can you with clearing lively blockages and hence encourage recuperating on physical and mental health. A portion of the advantages of sound treatment includes lower feelings of anxiety and less emotional episodes.

Benefits, you get with Tibetan Singing Bowl’s sound

1. Relief from all stress issues
2. Get rid of depression problem
3. Decreases pressure and uneasiness essentially
4. Brings down annoyance and circulatory strain
5. Improves course and builds bloodstream
6. Profound unwinding and help with discomfort
7. Increments mental and passionate lucidity
8. Advances quietness, bliss, and prosperity

The sound from Tibetan Singing Bowls entrains the cerebrum to move into the Theta cerebrum wave frequencies that initiate profound reflective and tranquil states, lucidity of psyche, and instinct. The sound vibrations away from our sensory system, drawing in our unwinding reflex and hindering the pressure or torment reaction. The sound gives you positive vibes to make your mental as well as physical health well.

Why Buy Tibetan Singing Bowls From Silent Mind?

When you buy one of our bowls, not only are you choosing an authentic product that has been handcrafted just outside Kathmandu, you are also supporting the Nepalese economy, which is still in recovery after the devastating earthquake of 2015.

A cataclysmic earthquake struck the country in April of 2015. It registered 7.8 on the Richter Scale and took the lives of 9,000 people, while an additional 22,000 were injured.

Kathmandu’s economy suffered heavily, especially with the quake’s impact on tourism, their lifeblood. Nepalese locals are desperate for business and many have resorted to crafts.

Helping a Nation Rise from the Rubble

Donation is a wonderful thing, but buying local products- such as their beautiful Tibetan singing bowls– helps stimulate the economy and bring back people’s livelihoods and sense of purpose.

We are committed to seeing through the recovery of Nepal from this horrific ordeal, ensuring we fairly negotiate our pricing arrangement with our manufacturer, who we have developed a great friendship with.

To that end, we will continue to cultivate our business relationship for many years to come. We want to be part of the new community that rises from this rubble. Hopefully, we can bring our friends from the Western world into the fold, too.

We thank you greatly for being a part of that effort. We thought it was critical that you know how much more you are doing as you enjoy your singing bowls.

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How To Use Your Singing Bowl Every Day

At Silent Mind, there’s always a singing bowl playing, whether we’re testing out a new design, or taking a wellness break. Still, we realize that for some of our customers, using a singing bowl regularly is a new concept.

We believe that singing bowls are one of the most rewarding, powerful tools you can keep on hand. That’s why we’d like to share some of our favorite ways to use them daily.

This way, you’ll get the most value out of your singing bowl. Eventually, you might notice you’re getting more than you dreamed possible.

Meditation

Many new friends come to us looking to deepen their meditation practice. Like us, they’ve been captivated by the research asserting that meditation is an effective way to cope with stress.

Even if you only meditate for a few minutes daily, open and close your sitting with a few strikes of the bowl. If you have trouble quieting the mind, try a sound meditation instead.

Begin as you normally would in terms of posture and setting, but play your singing bowl throughout the sitting. Whether you’re striking or playing around the rim, focus on the sound and vibration, especially as it ebbs and flows under your direction.

Bedtime

Historically, singing bowls have been used to mark a transition in a ritual or practice. Today, we hear from grateful teachers all over the world who use our singing bowls in their classrooms to accomplish something quite similar.

Singing bowls are ideal for gently heralding anyone into a different activity or state of mind. You may not be a teacher, but you can use singing bowls every evening to mindfully transition your children into bedtime mode.

Yes, it works for adults, too. Sleep is our body’s time to rest and heal. There’s no better way to send your body the message that it’s time to settle in than with the sound of a singing bowl.

Inspiration

Getting stuck or feeling at a loss for what to do are common human experiences. Often, all we need is to take a step back and clear the mind. In these moments, the best course of action can present itself.

Singing bowls are an excellent way to get focused. The sound and vibration cancel out more chaotic frequencies that can cloud our judgment.

Tibetan Singing Bowls: What and How to Play Singing Bowls in Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan music bowls, often called “singing bowls”, are a kind of bell used in Tibetan Buddhist meditation. Instead of hanging upside down and being struck, the bowl sits upright, and a wooden puja stick is used to vibrate the rim of the bowl, making its unique “singing” sound.

These bowls have been used in Tibetan Buddhism for centuries, and are an integral part of learning the Buddhist teachings as well as being used in meditation to attain enlightenment.

Origin and History

The origin of the singing bowls is lost in the mists of time. There are many debates on where they first came from, and many say that bowls made of the same materials came from ancient Mesopotamia. Similar bowls made from the same seven metals that have been unearthed in Persia (now Iraq) have been dated to be as old as 3,000 BC. However, since there are no written records of their origins, one can only speculate on the mystery of their beginnings. Some say that the great master, Padmasambhava, brought them to Tibet from India in around 800 AD. What is known is that the bowls could not have originated in Tibet, since the precious metals that are used in the making of the bowls are not found in the region.

One thing that is known is that the bowls have been made in Nepal for over a thousand years, with Nepali artisans hammering the seven metals into one alloy by hand, and shaping them into the bowls that are seen in the monasteries of Tibet. Therefore, the name Tibetan Singing Bowls does not denote the makers but are named for the peoples who used them. However, while the bowls are definitely Himalayan made, they were never Himalayan in origin, and this technology came to the Himalayas very late in Tibet’s history.

Making of Tibetan Singing Bowls

Tibetan singing bowls have been made the same way for centuries, but the art has since been lost during the move to more modern methods. Bowls are made more these days by machines, although they fail to get the perfect tone that the hand-made bowls achieve. Traditionally, the bowls were made by hand, hammering out their shape from sheets of metal alloy. Bowls that are more modern are mostly made from a kind of bronze alloy known as “bell metal”, which is a mix of copper and tin. However, traditionally, the bowls were made from very high-quality bronze, with a mix of other metals. This unique alloy also contained gold, silver, mercury, lead, and meteorite iron. This iron, which is known as thogcha, or “sky metal” in Tibet, was highly prized for its pure iron content, with minimal amounts of trace elements. This could only be obtained by meteorite iron, as the atmospheric burn-off removed many of the impurities in the ore.

The quality and composition of the bowls, using multiple metals in the alloy, is thought to be the reason for the high quality of sounds from the antique bowls. Combined with age and design, these three elements are what make the antique bowls so sought-after in the modern market. While modern bowls can produce beautiful sounds, they cannot compare with the unique quality of the antique bowls.

Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation gift

According to Tibetan oral tradition, the existence of singing bowls dates back to the time of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (560 – 480 B.C.) The tradition was brought from India to Tibet, along with the teachings of the Buddha, by the great tantric master Padmasambhava in the 8th century A.D.

Singing bowls produce sounds that invoke a deep state of relaxation which naturally assists one in entering into meditation, the ultimate goal being enlightenment. They are a quintessential aid to meditation and can be found on private Buddhist altars, and in temples, monasteries and meditation halls throughout the world.

Spiral Singing Bowl Meditation Gift Box Set- 4″

Metallurgical analysis of bowls vary, from a predominantly two metal alloy of copper and tin with trace iron content to an eight alloy of copper and tin with traces of iron, lead, zinc, gold, silver, and mercury.

In addition to their traditional usage for meditation, Tibetan singing bowls are used for deep relaxation, stress reduction, holistic healing, Reiki, chakra balancing, and World music. Many people find that the rich blend of harmonic overtones that the bowls produce has a direct effect on their chakras.

Playing the bowl usually causes an immediate centering effect. The tones set up a “frequency following response” that creates a balancing left/right brain synchronization. Meditating on the subtle sounds of the Tibetan singing bowl tunes one in to the universal sound within and without.

Previously used in Tibet for meditation and ceremonial purposes, Tibetan Singing Bowls are struck with a mallet or rubbed around the rim to produce a fascinating blend of harmonic resonance and rich overtones. Generally, smaller diameter Singing Bowls have higher tones, while the larger bowls produce a wider dynamic range of sound with rich deeper Om tones.

Peace Singing Bowl Meditation Gift Box with Pillow

Our Tibetan Singing Bowls come in sizes from our mini bowls at 2 inches in diameter to larger bowls 11 inches in diameter. Each Tibetan Singing Bowl comes with a wooden mallet. Many come with their own Singing Bowl Cushions typically made of silk-brocade and cotton. But if not, we also have cushions available and sold separately in many colors and sizes. Many of our bowls are sold in beautiful lotus paper boxes making them perfect for gift giving.

Singing Bowl Mallet Meditation

Every singing bowl sound sample recorded on our web site has been played with the following variety of mallets. Tibetan Singing bowls can sound completely different whether they are struck with wool, leather, or wood; and you can isolate completely different tones depending upon the mallet and the playing technique you use. All of the mallets produce different sounds from the bowls and learning which ones to use with which bowls- and how to use them- is an ongoing discovery.

Back in the late ’70s’ in Kathmandu, we know the Nepalese played singing bowls with Roti sticks. Historically, any plain wood dowel may have been used. But the harsh sound created by the wood striking the metal also had the effect of sharply kicking up the female overtone and hence burying the deeper, more subtle sound of the fundamental tone. Hence, the wool padded mallet!

WOOL PADDED MALLET

This wooden mallet, semi-padded with monk’s wool, softens the struck sound of a singing bowl. A Bodhisattva basic, the padded mallet is designed to bring all of the bowls’ frequencies up to at equal volume. We played with different thicknesses of the dowel, which is made of Sheesham, a Himalayan hardwood. In time, we found if the dowels were roughly 30 mm. thick, that was about right for producing a balanced struck tone in most medium-sized singing bowls and even some of the Highwalls as well. This type of mallet produces most of the bowl strikes you hear in the recordings on our web site. The wooden handle provides a rimming surface as well.

HOW TO USE IT FOR STRIKING

Using the wool padded end, strike the Tibetan singing bowl on its mid-exterior wall, or on the interior upper wall. Acoustically, upper octave tones carry louder than deeper tones, due to their increased saturation of sound waves. So when we strike a singing bowl with a padded mallet, we hear the richness of the fundamental tone much more clearly in the mix. Avoid striking the bowl on the top of the lip, as this will produce too much of a percussive hit.

HOW TO USE IT FOR RIMMING

1. Sit as if you were sitting for meditation, with your spine straight and relaxed, your shoulders level and your breath generous but natural. Make sure to release any unnecessary tension in your arms, shoulders, and face, as Tibetan singing bowls are bio-feedback instruments and they tend to be really quiet when we’re holding tension in our bodies.
2. Hold the singing bowl on the palm of your non-dominant hand, with your fingers energized and held closely together. This is important so that your fingers and thumb do not involuntarily wrap around the base of the bowl while playing, which will dampen the sound. Hold the bowl about Solar Plexus level, slightly tilted so that the aperture of the bowl is opening into the direction where your mallet is coming from.
3. With your dominant hand, grasp the mallet in its center and hold it as if you were about to sign your name with the wooden end of the mallet. Make sure the covered part of the mallet is snuggled securely in the web between the thumb and the index finger, and that there is never any gap there while playing. So your grasp on the mallet should be firm but never strained.
4. Position the mallet at a 35% angle against the outside edge of the lip of the bowl. With an even pressure, rub the mallet in at least 4 or 5 revolutions, or until you begin to hear the female overtone build. Use a full arm motion, like you’re stirring a pot of soup. Try to keep your wrist as straight as possible.
5. Once the female overtone starts to comes up bright and clear, reduce your speed and press a little bit more firmly. If you hear “chattering” against the lip of the bowl, either reduce your speed, even more, increase your pressure, or both. Watch the bowl as you continue to rub the rim, and listen to the bowl’s voice. Adjust your angle, pressure, and speed accordingly. When you bring it all together, the female overtone should sound sweet and clear.

Although it is tempting to close your eyes when first starting to play, I find that it’s helpful at least in the beginning to keep them open and to observe what you’re doing carefully. This practice also gives the focus necessary to clear the mind. If there is chatter on the inside lap of the circle, check to see if your angle and speed are consistent all 360 degrees. Once the tone is even and smooth and you’re really connected to the bowl- then close them if you like.

Tibetan Singing Bowl Mallet Meditation

A very simple and elegant tool for meditation and creating space for yoga and awareness is the singing bowl. Children are naturally are drawn to instruments and can be guided into focused attention when sounding them provided that they are shown how to hold the bowls with reverence and care.

You can get a singing bowl at any Tibetan store or online for a wide range of prices. It’s a good idea to try a number of different bowls to get a feeling for the sound you like the best.

Begin by sitting up tall in a cross-legged seat with your singing bowl resting in the open palm of one hand and your mallet held relaxed on the other hand. Invite the sound of the bowl by circling the mallet around the outside the bowl until the sound has grown as loud as you enjoy. As soon as the bowl is sounding on its own without the mallet, begin counting your breaths.

One breath is comprised of one inhale plus the exhale. Count how many times you can do a complete breath cycle before you can no longer hear the bowl. You might notice you get distracted. Just notice and see how many breaths you can count before you lose track. Notice if you find yourself amused, annoyed, distracted, or soothed. Notice and let it go.

An even simpler meditation that I like to do at the beginning of class is to direct the children to sit up tall with the backs of their hands resting on their knees. When they are focused on me with still bodies and quiet mouths, I tell them to rest their eyes so that their ears can listen for the sound of the Tibetan singing bowl growing, then fading. “See if you can catch the moment when the sound disappears.” This simple technique can be used with even toddlers, as there is something very compelling about the bowl sounding.

There are countless ways the singing bowl can be used to create a meditative space with your children. One of my favorites is to use it as a tool to bring the family to a moment of shared silence when voices begin to rise in conflict. Do you use the singing bowl in your home? Please share your singing bowl experience in the comment space below.

Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension

Poor mood and elevated anxiety are linked to increased incidence of disease. This study examined the effects of sound meditation, specifically Tibetan singing bowl meditation, on mood, anxiety, pain, and spiritual well-being. Sixty-two women and men (mean age 49.7 years) participated. As compared with pre-meditation, following the sound meditation participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood (all Ps <.001). Additionally, participants who were previously naïve to this type of meditation experienced a significantly greater reduction in tension compared with participants experienced in this meditation (P < .001). The feeling of spiritual well-being significantly increased across all participants (P < .001). Tibetan singing bowl meditation may be a feasible low-cost low technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well-being. This meditation type may be especially useful in decreasing tension in individuals who have not previously practiced this form of meditation.

Heart disease, diabetes, addiction, and mental health issues have all been linked to stress and tension. Meditation, including systems such as mindfulness-based meditations, has shown promise in inducing the relaxation response and helping alleviate anxiety and improve well-being. The relaxation response is the body’s physiological response in relaxation, including lowered blood pressure to counter the fight-or-flight response and activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. As promising as mindfulness and other meditation systems may be, a common complaint is time, patience, and discipline required to learn meditation. Thus, a form of relaxation and stress relief that does not require a steep learning curve or a great deal of discipline to utilize could potentially be a huge benefit to human wellness and health.

The authors set out to examine the possibility that merely lying down and listening to the high-intensity, low-frequency combination of singing bowls, gongs, and bells in a sound meditation could induce a deep relaxation response and positively affect mood and sense of well-being. Sound healing has been used for centuries and been utilized in various forms by cultures the world over, including native peoples. Australian aboriginal tribes have used the didgeridoo as a sound healing instrument for over 40,000 years. Ancient instruments have also been used for religious and spiritual ceremonies such as Tibetan (also called “Himalayan”) singing bowls. Tibetan singing bowls are metal bowls usually consisting of a combination of metal alloys and originally used by Tibetan monks for spiritual ceremonies.

While sound healing is not a new concept, there is a paucity of research in areas such as Tibetan singing bowls. The majority of singing bowl studies relate to the physics of these musical instruments, including the sonic and wave properties, as well as attempting to model the singing bowl’s acoustic characteristics. In one study, singing bowls were used for emotional healing with high-risk youth as part of what was termed the best self-visualization method. The bowls were used in a psychotherapy model in combination with deep breathing, visualization, and loving-kindness meditation. The authors reported that this combination of healing methods may be a catalyst for emotional and psychological healing in counseling sessions.

The purpose of the present study was to further advance research in this area by examining the possible effects of singing bowls and sound healing on mood, anxiety, physical pain, and spiritual well-being, and to lay the foundation for a future more formal randomized control trial.

How Tibetan Singing Bowls Affect Our Body?

Sound therapy with Tibetan singing bowls is an ancient form of regeneration. The first bowls were made from an alloy of various metals and were used already 6000 years ago in the Far East. Tibetan singing bowls area a mysterious acoustic phenomenon, which was discovered by “spiritual tourists” in the Himalayas and after the Chinese invasion of Tibet appeared also in Europe and the USA.

The sound of Tibetan singing bowls and the gong harmonizes and allows deep relaxation of both sides of the brain. It stimulates stress relief on all levels and the elimination of toxins from the body. After sound therapy emotions are calm and the mind clearer and the sound vibrations have an effect on the body after the singing bowls have been played on it.

After sound therapy we are tuned again …

The bowl sings ”ommmmm”, which revives the basic DNA codes and activates the codes that we haven’t yet perceived or we had suppressed till now. Tibetan singing bowls are one of the strongest musical instruments for healing with sound therapy and vibrations. They are called singing bowls because their exotic sound continues to float for a long time after we have played on them.

Why are these bowls so special?

Tibetan bowls are forged with alloys that usually contain from five to seven precious metals, which are connected to the planets of our galaxy: lead (Saturn), tin (Jupiter), iron (Mars), copper (Venus), mercury (Mercury), silver (the Moon) and gold (the Sun). The size of the bowl and the ratio between the metals affect the tone, vibration, and quality of sound produced by the bowl. Bowls vary in shapes and look as they are used for sound therapy in different ways and with different accessories. The most commonly used accessory is the so-called “strikers”, which are used to strike to bowls or wooden mallets that are rotated around the rim of the bowl. Besides Tibetan bowls, there are also Nepalese, Japanese, Bengalese and crystal bowls – the latter is made out of glass.

How does sound affect our body?

The sound is undoubtedly one of the most powerful media, as it can take the human spirit in different states of consciousness.

Besides their traditional use for meditation, Tibetan singing bowls are used for deep relaxation and muscle regeneration, to relieve pain in the joints, muscles, and shoulders, to ease pain related to sciatica, the digestive system, headaches, and migraine or spine injuries, to improve circulation, release tensions or blockages, to open the energy flow, eliminate the toxins from the body. When we relax with the sounds of Tibetan bowls or the gong, our concentration improves and our emotional tensions and blockages are eased. The sound with its vibrations can ease mental or emotional pain (low self-esteem, worries, fear, anger, anxiety, depression, insomnia). Tibetan singing bowls and their unique tones are used to stabilize blood pressure, to ease asthma-related issues, to renew the functioning of the adrenal gland, to open and stabilize the meridians, and to improve the synaptic responses in our brain. They also help children with hyperactive disorders and they stimulate the immune system.

Let Me Introduce You to a Tibetan Singing Bowl

When you travel, you become more aware of different cultures and practices. The more you learn, the more you will benefit. When I first discovered a Tibetan singing bowl, it was no different. I was truly fascinated with the harmonious sound and vibrations is created. I wanted to know more about what it was, how it worked, why people use it, and so much more!

What is a Tibetan singing bowl?

It’s a bowl. And it’s a bell. It’s also a complex musical instrument, originating from the Himalayan countries, but most associated with Tibet. My Tibetan singing bowl is created from panchaloga, a 5-metal alloy of copper, zinc, iron, and traces of silver and gold. The presence of several different ores produces multiphonic overtones when the bowl is rubbed or struck like a bell. The “singing” sound is quite remarkable and can be both energizing and soothing at the same time. It can be quite large or small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Its pitch can be low or high, depending on its size and other variables, like whether or not it is filled with water or the surface of the mallet.

What is the history of singing bowls?

Tibetan singing bowls go back over 2000 years. Originally hand-hammered, each bowl was unique in its tones and ‘singing’. Singing bowls have been used to aid in meditation, religious practice, relaxation, and healing. They have been found primarily in Tibet, India, and Nepal, but also in Japan, Korea, China, and Mongolia. There is a common association between singing bowls and Buddhism, but the use of singing bowls predates Buddhism. The first singing bowls are said to have been made in Mesopotamia over 5000 years ago, making them one of the oldest artisan crafts in human history.

Who uses a Tibetan singing bowl?

I was truly amazed at how widespread the use of singing bowls is. Certainly still a cultural practice in Himalayan countries, its use has spread to many people for many purposes. I was first exposed to a singing bowl by my husband’s aunt, who works as a music therapist. Today, you will find singing bowls being used in yoga classes, music instruction (they are a great way to teach about harmonics!), spas, meditation sessions, in sound healing, for stress reduction, and even just for entertainment. If you travel a lot like I do, you could use a singing bowl to calm your nerves before flying OR to keep your children entertained.

When I received my Tibetan singing bowl, I was with my three-year-old grandson. He was very interested in learning how to use it. For a young child, the easiest way to use a singing bowl is to strike it like a bell. He liked being able to make the bowl be “quiet” or “loud”.

As I learned how to make the bowl ‘sing’, my grandson immediately picked up on the tones it was producing. Notice how he tries to match the tone with his own voice. But it’s tricky because there’s more than one tone playing!

Tibetan Singing Bowl- Sound Bowl Meditation and Healing

Have you heard of the benefits of singing bowl meditation? In this post, we discuss recent studies that examined the effect of Tibetan singing bowls on our mood and well-being. The result of the studies has amazing implications. Read on to learn more!

In our modern world, stress and tension-induced diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as addiction and mental illness, are becoming increasingly common. Meditation is becoming more mainstream and is often recommended to encourage relaxation, help alleviate anxiety, and improve well-being. However, many find meditation to be a challenging practice that can take many years if not decades to master. Fortunately, the benefits of meditation can be much more easily attained (or enhanced) by using a Tibetan singing bowl.

Tibetan singing bowls are metal bowls usually made from a combination of metal alloys and originally used by Tibetan monks for spiritual ceremonies. Over the past several hundred years, years, singing bowls have been used more commonly for sound healing.

But what is sound healing? When played, Tibetan singing bowls make a vibration or sound called resonance which is the frequency at which an object naturally vibrates. Our bodies each have their own natural resonance, and vibration medicine advocates suggest that disease is a result of those natural resonances becoming out of tune due to stress, illness, or environmental factors.

Interestingly, there is very little scientific research on the subject of sound healing. Accordingly, a team of researchers at the University of California delved further into the subject and recently published their findings.

They studied 62 participants, both male and female, with an average age of 49.7 years. Prior to and following the sound healing session, all participants completed standardized questionnaires to assess tension, anger, confusion, depression, anxiety, and spiritual well-being. Participants also completed questionnaires which included questions regarding any prior experience with meditation or singing bowls, substance use, medications, over-the-counter or herbal supplements, and whether they were experiencing any physical pain and to what degree.

Participants laid on yoga mats with their heads near the instruments and listened to the sound meditation for approximately 60 minutes. The musical instruments used consisted of Tibetan singing bowls, crystal singing bowls, gongs, Ting-shas (tiny cymbals), Borges (bells), didgeridoos, and other small bells. The Tibetan singing bowls were primarily played for 95% of the time during the sound meditation, while the other instruments were only played for 5% of the time.

Depending on the size of the room and the number of participants, anywhere from 30 to 80 singing bowls were played with at least two Tibetan singing bowls near each participant’s head. A musician leads the sound meditation using cloth-covered mallets to strike the bowls and rub the rims of the bowl.

The results of the sound meditation were striking. The researchers found a significant difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment in tension, anger, confusion, depression, anxiety, and spiritual well-being across participants.

We invite you to get your own Tibetan singing bowl or crystal singing bowl today!

Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being

Poor mood and elevated anxiety are linked to increased incidence of disease. This study examined the effects of sound meditation, specifically Tibetan singing bowl meditation, on mood, anxiety, pain, and spiritual well-being. Sixty-two women and men participated. As compared with pre-meditation, following the sound meditation participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood. Additionally, participants who were previously naïve to this type of meditation experienced a significantly greater reduction in tension compared with participants experienced in this meditation. The feeling of spiritual well-being significantly increased across all participants. Tibetan singing bowl meditation may be a feasible low-cost low technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well-being. This meditation type may be especially useful in decreasing tension in individuals who have not previously practiced this form of meditation.

Heart disease, diabetes, addiction, and mental health issues have all been linked to stress and tension. Meditation, including systems such as mindfulness-based meditations, has shown promise in inducing the relaxation response and helping alleviate anxiety and improve well-being. The relaxation response is the body’s physiological response in relaxation, including lowered blood pressure to counter the fight-or-flight response and activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. As promising as mindfulness and other meditation systems may be, a common complaint is time, patience, and discipline required to learn meditation. Thus, a form of relaxation and stress relief that does not require a steep learning curve or a great deal of discipline to utilize could potentially be a huge benefit to human wellness and health.

The authors set out to examine the possibility that merely lying down and listening to the high-intensity, low-frequency combination of singing bowls, gongs, and bells in a sound meditation could induce a deep relaxation response and positively affect mood and sense of well-being. Sound healing has been used for centuries and been utilized in various forms by cultures the world over, including native peoples. Australian aboriginal tribes have used the didgeridoo as a sound healing instrument for over 40 000 years. Ancient instruments have also been used for religious and spiritual ceremonies such as Tibetan (also called “Himalayan”) singing bowls. Tibetan singing bowls are metal bowls usually consisting of a combination of metal alloys and originally used by Tibetan monks for spiritual ceremonies.

While sound healing is not a new concept, there is a paucity of research in areas such as Tibetan or quartz crystal singing bowls. The majority of singing bowl studies relate to the physics of these musical instruments, including the sonic and wave properties, as well as attempting to model the singing bowl’s acoustic characteristics. In one study, singing bowls were used for emotional healing with high-risk youth as part of what was termed the best self-visualization method. The bowls were used in a psychotherapy model in combination with deep breathing, visualization, and loving-kindness meditation. The authors reported that this combination of healing methods may be a catalyst for emotional and psychological healing in counseling sessions.

The purpose of the present study was to further advance research in this area by examining the possible effects of singing bowls and sound healing on mood, anxiety, physical pain, and spiritual well-being, and to lay the foundation for a future more formal randomized control trial.

Tibetan Singing Bowl Therapy Reduces Stress, Physical and Emotional Strain

With busy schedules and hectic lives, it’s easy to feel overcome with stress. When you’re stressed, your brain sounds the “fight or flight” alarms, triggering a surge of hormones, an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar. It alters the immune, digestive and reproductive system and according to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress can cause tension headaches, migraines, increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack, and stroke, lead to stomach ulcers and more. The Mayo Clinic says it can also lead to anxiety, depression, sleep problems, weight gain, and impair memory and concentration.

Many of us have go-to stress reducers like exercise, spending time outdoors, socializing, massage and maybe meditation. Another option, although not new, is the ancient practice of sound therapy.

For years, people have used soothing sounds to assist in meditation, relaxation, or even sleep. Sound therapy, a healing practice used in many ancient cultures, takes these healing sounds a step further, using vibrations to possibly heal physical aches and pains, reduce stress or other mental and emotional issues. It also is believed to relieve a blockage of the chakras or the energy points in the body.

“So many of us need to slow down and relax,” said Maria Dummermuth, a fitness instructor and certified Tibetan singing bowl healer who has been using singing bowls for healing for the past two years.

Dummermuth, 42, earned her certification in singing bowl therapy from the Atmabuti School of Vibrational Healing in Boulder, Colo., in April of 2016 after teaching fitness classes- from yoga to BodyPump and everywhere in between- for years.

When we are in pain or are ill, she said it may be because our cells have “vibrated out of balance.”

“Sound and vibration bring you into a more centered space,” she said, explaining that the therapy can release pain and tension by vibrating those cells “back into balance.”