About Tibetan Singing Bowls

In Section 6 "Controling Your Pain," I spoke about the various methods I use to help manage my pain. The use of Tibetan Singing Bowls was one method I failed to mention. Not long after I began making meditation a regular part of my pain management, I purchased, and began to frequently use, a singing bowl. Singing bowls are an ancient method used by, shocker, Tibetan monks and dates back thousands of years.

Authentic singing bowels are made from seven different metals. Each metal represents a planet in our solar system and is connected to each of the seven “chakras.” In the Tibetan belief system, the human body has seven vital energy points known as chakras. Each are located at various parts of the body starting from the top of the head to the base of the pelvis. Each chakra is represented by its own color and musical note. The system of how singing bowls relates to chakras is pretty deep, and I understand only a fraction of it. Personally, I don't delve too deep into that aspect of using these bowls.

Singing bowls from Tibet are hand hammered the same way they have been for thousands of years. Each bowl has its own sound and musical note. Typically, a set of seven bowls is used in meditation so the seven chakras are affected by the sounds.

There are two ways to make a bowl sing. The first is to strike it with a wooden mallet that is often padded, though not always. A large and high quality bowl can chime for several minutes after it’s been struck. The second method is to go around the rim or outside of the bowl with a wooden mallet that often has leather wrapped around it. If you’ve ever made a crystal class hum by rubbing your finger around the rim of it, the idea is the same.

Seven-metal singing bowls tend to be a bit expensive. I paid nearly $80 for the one I have. The copper bowl I first purchased was around $45. Now that I’ve experienced the difference between the two bowls, I will only buy seven-metal bowls in the future. Some day I hope to have a full collection of seven bowls, one for each chakra. I’m curious to see how bowls that target the various chakras will feel.

Obviously the cost of a bowl will largely depend on its age and size. You can buy very old singing bowls, but of course they will be more expensive. The size of singing bowls can range in diameter from a few inches to over eighteen inches. Some have very deep tones while others are high. I personally favor the bowls that have a deeper sound to them.