Singing Bowl for Beginners: The Complete Guide

singing bowl for beginners

Playing the Singing Bowl is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition that has incredible healing and medicinal properties. You might have already heard of these beautiful singing bowls if you are familiar with meditation and Buddhist tradition.

These Tibetan singing bowls date back to ancient times. Some Tibetan singing bowls are more than 5000 years old. They are probably the oldest tools used in meditation. The Bronze Tibetan bowls date back to the 10th Century BC.

Singing Bowl for Beginners: The Complete Guide 1
Tibetan Singing Bowl

Moreover, there is a widespread belief that these singing bowls are of Buddhist origins but in fact they predate Buddhism. The Buddhist monks found the sound of the singing bowls to be quite relaxing. Hence, these singing bowls have been in use in Buddhist traditions for meditation and healing purposes.

Furthermore, you can read our complete guide on singing bowls for beginners. We have included the history of the singing bowls, their working process, and powerful healing effects. You can also learn about which singing bowls are best for beginners.

Singing Bowl for Beginners: The Complete Guide

What Are Singing Bowls?

Singing bowls or Tibetan singing bowls are ancient bowls that produce vibration and sound when played with a mallet. These singing instruments have a special place in Buddhism and Buddhist spiritual practices. 

Monks have used these spiritual singing bowls for thousands of years. These bowls are quite popular in meditation, sound therapy, yoga classes, healing centers, and others. An alloy of various metals including iron, bronze, copper, gold, silver, and crystals gets used in the making of these singing bowls. 

Moreover, a single singing bowl may even contain various combinations of five to seven different metals. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles. The tones and pitches of these bowls are specific to different chakras. However, a beginner does not need to know all these details.

History of Singing Bowls

Most of the ancient singing bowls are from Tibet, Nepal, and India. The history of singing bowls remains unclear due to the Chinese invasion of Tibet. However, locals believe that the origin of the singing bowls dates back to the Shakyamuni Buddha (560-480 BCE). 

Singing bowls were then used for religious purposes in monasteries. They were then used for prayers, leading chants, meditation, or used as offering or begging bowls. Larger bowls were then used for storing grains and smaller bowls were ideal for eating purposes. 

Moreover, the popularity and use of these singing bowls spread throughout Asia and countries like China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. Japanese and Vietnamese Buddhists use these singing bowls to worship their ancestors and to perform funeral rites.

Modern Day Singing Bowls 

The calming, meditative sounds produced by the singing bowls have been in mainstream use for a long time. Buddhist practitioners use these incredible singing bowls as a practice for meditation. You can find them in monasteries in the Himalayas and other parts of the country. They are also used as an alternative treatment for a physical illness like chronic pain and mental illness like depression.

Moreover, singing bowls are also used as sound therapy and sound baths. Practitioners believe that sound therapy can bring humans to a more healthy state of being. Singing bowls are hence high in demand and used in treating mental illnesses and disorders like depression, anxiety, and even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

The benefits of the singing bowl are also linked with cancer treatment. While there are no scientifically proven papers to back the claim, many cancer patients have found these singing bowls helpful in reducing the symptoms of the illness. Hence, we can conclude that the singing bowls are not directed towards the healing of the cancerous cells. But it is rather directed towards providing relief and balance in the body. 

Furthermore, the vibrations produced from the singing bowls help in cleansing and purifying our mind, body and soul. While the calm meditative state allows the emotional and mental stability of the people. Overall, using a singing bowl has many health benefits.

Also Read: 9 Types of Singing Bowls and their Characteristics

How do Singing Bowls Work?

You might wonder. The actual science behind singing bowls is not at all complicated. Singing bowls create musical notes through vibrations made from mallets or strikers. When the side of the singing bowl gets in contact with a mallet or striker, friction occurs and vibrations get created. 

We can hear and feel these beautiful vibration sounds within our bodies and energy fields. You can also change the speed and pressure of the mallet or striker to change the sounds of the singing bowls. Constant pressure and speed lead to resonance, and thus you can hear the note even after you have stopped playing it.

Singing Bowls and Chakras

singing bowl seven chakras

Singing bowls have powerful effects on our minds and bodies. Many locals believe in their healing powers and their power to stimulate our brainwave patterns through acoustic entertainment. This pattern allows our mind and body to go on a deep relaxation and deep focus. The bowl’s vibration when moved through the body restores balance and peace.

Chakra healing is another important aspect of the singing bowls. Our bodies have different chakras and the singing bowls can open and balance these chakras on our bodies. Different chakras respond to different frequencies produced by singing bowls. A single bowl can have different tunings, and specific tunings impact specific chakras.  

The seven chakras and their corresponding tunings are as follows:

  • Root Chakra: C Note
  • Sacral Chakra: D Note
  • Solar Plexus Chakra: E Note
  • Heart Chakra: F Note
  • Throat Chakra: G Note
  • Third Eye Chakra: A Note
  • Crown Chakra: B Note 

Recommended: 7 Types of Singing Bowl Chakras: Balancing Explained

What are the Benefits of Singing Bowls?

Singing bowls have numerous benefits. They have healing effects and improve our overall mental and physical well-being. Some of the benefits of singing bowls are as follows. 

  • Relaxation and clarity of the mind  
  • Cleansing of the Chakra  
  • Reduces the pain caused by cancer treatment 
  • Soothe illnesses symptoms
  • Improve blood pressure
  • Reduces stress and anxiety 
  • Helps in anger management  
  • Cleanse and purifies crystals
  • Increase blood flow in the body
  • Overall well-being and contentment 
  • Improve the immune system of the body
  • Helps to enhance sleep patterns
  • Remove negative energy from your home

How to Play the Singing Bowls?

Watch this video on playing singing bowl for beginners

Are you wondering how you can achieve the best technique of playing the singing bowls? Well, there are several ways to play the singing bowl that ranges from beginner to advanced.

For beginners, the two basic ways to play a singing bowl is striking and rimming. Some advanced techniques like the “Wah Wah” method or singing bowl with water are difficult for beginners. You will need a singing bowl and a mallet or striker along with a resting spot to play the singing bowl.

Striking method

In the striking method, you can use a wooden or padded striker, and strike the side of the singing bowl. A wooden striker will have a high-pitched, metallic tone. Similarly, a felt-padded mallet will create a warm, and gentler tone. You should not hit your singing bowl too hard while striking the bowl as it might crack or make the bowl fall. 

Some people also use a cushion, or mat underneath to keep the singing bowl steady. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the singing bowl and place it on your flat palm. Remove rings and other ornaments as the contact of these objects can cause unwanted vibrations.

Rimming method 

The Rimming method is comparatively more difficult than the striking method. You can use a leather-wrapped or wooden mallet for playing the striker. You should also hold the singing bowl in a comfortable position. You should hold the mallet-like holding a pen while writing. 

Moreover, you can also grip the mallet with all five fingers like when stirring something in a pot. You can make the singing bowl sing through this technique but it requires quite a bit of patience. You should circle the bowl numerous times to make the bowl sing. It requires a lot of practice to achieve the correct sound. 

Furthermore, make sure to apply even pressure on the mallet while circling clockwise around the rim of the bowl. You should keep a steady pace to allow the sound to build over time. This creates a beautiful, peaceful sound that has healing effects. You need regular practice to get skilled at this singing bowl practice. It will improve your mental and emotional well-being, and also improve the singing bowl’s ability to sing. 

When played frequently, the singing bowl creates grooves in the side of the mallet, which helps to get a better grip on the singing bowl’s rim. You will get a deeper and mellower tune as the singing bowls age. 

What Are the Best Singing Bowls for Beginners? 

Singing bowls come in various shapes, sizes, styles, and prices. For beginners, an antique bowl is not favorable. While they are of high quality, they are also quite difficult to play and are quite expensive. A small to medium-sized machine-made bowl is ideal for someone experimenting with the singing bowls for the first time. 

Furthermore, machine-made bowls are smoother and are easier to play with. They give a cleaner, and more even note when struck by a mallet. A quality, machine-made bowl is affordable and hence ideal for beginners.

Top 3 Things Beginners Should Know about Singing Bowls

The basic stuff that beginners should know about singing bowls are as follows:

Practice with Patience

Practise is essential to get the best of the singing bowls. You should avoid getting discouraged as the singing bowls do not make a great sound at first. Therefore, you should practice well with the singing bowls. 

You should also be patient with the bowl. Playing the singing bowl is a relaxing experience and if you are tense the whole objective of the singing bowl goes to waste.  

Find the Right Mallet and Cushion

Finding the right mallet and cushion is ideal for playing the singing bowl. A wrong mallet can make your experience with the singing bowl bitter. A larger mallet and cushion is ideal for a bowl with a large surface area while a smaller mallet and cushion is ideal for a smaller bowl.

Find the Perfect Spot 

A vibration on the singing bowl is smooth, free from interference on a stable spot. You will also get the harmonic tones at an equal volume. It requires patience, effort, pressure, speed, and angle to find the sweet spot.

Besides that, you also need to experiment and get the best method or mallets for your singing bowls. You also should listen to the different tones of the singing bowls and decide the best method, accessories, and place.

The Final Say

Singing bowls are traditional instruments that are quite common in Tibetan Buddhist traditions. These bowls have incredible healing and medicinal properties. Buddhist monks have used these singing bowls for meditation and healing purposes. 

We hope our “Singing Bowl for Beginners: The Complete Guide” helped you in learning about these beautiful singing bowls in detail. You can now choose the best singing bowls based on your desire and requirements.

Contact us, if you would like to buy a singing bowl. We will directly ship it to your destination.

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