This unique Buddhist ritual tool gets its name from its shape. In terms of purpose, it is not a bowl at all! Rather, it is an inverted, broad-bottomed bell resting upon a base. Known by various names – Tibetan Singing bowl, Himalayan bowl, medicine bowl and rin gong, this bell was crafted in countries where Buddhism flourished, from India, Tibet and Nepal to China, Korea and Japan. The best bowls are deemed to come from the Himalayan region.
The bowls are multi-phonic instruments, traditionally hammered into shape by hand. As they age, their tones become mellower and deeper. An alloy of copper, zinc, tin, iron and zinc – the traditional Sanskrit Panchaloha or “five metals” besides other metals was used to fashion singing bowls. Many antique bowls contain precious metals like gold and silver, while the most valuable ones contain “sky iron”, derived from fallen meteorites. Antique bowls are often engraved with abstract designs. Bowls made of simpler alloys produce a single tone.
The singing bowl is used during Buddhist practices like meditation, prayer and trance induction. Friction created by a mallet rubbed around its rim produces astonishingly complex and continuous overtones of great harmony. A more mellow tone can be produced by striking the bowl with a mallet wrapped in soft material. Typically, the bowl is struck during a particular point in the chanting of a mantra or prayer song to mark time. Chinese Buddhists are known to use another ritual tool, the wooden fish, along with the singing bowl.
These ancient musical implements, dating back perhaps to the 10th century or even earlier, are popularly used today outside Buddhist practice in alternative medicine like sound and music therapy and yoga or simply enjoyed for their rich and beautiful sound.
Tibetan Singing Bowl Set — Meditation Sound Bowl Handcrafted in Nepal for Healing and Mindfulness
Available from these sellers. This item does not ship to India. Please check other sellers who may ship internationally. Learn more Due to increased demand, we temporarily have reduced product selection available for delivery to your region. We are working to improve selection availability as soon as possible. Size: Singing Bowl
- AUTHENTIC HAND HAMMERED 3.5” TIBETAN SINGING BOWL SET — This high-quality handcrafted meditation bowl set includes a wooden striker and hand sewn cushion. It is hand hammered in the Himalayan Foothills by Nepalese artisans to be as unique as you are and to create an ambience for emotional calming & healing.
- ENHANCES YOGA, MEDITATION, PRAYER, CHAKRA HEALING AND MINDSET — Ohm’s Tibetan singing bowls are used worldwide for yoga, meditation and spiritual healing by energy healers, spirituality practitioners, teachers of all kinds and those just looking to experience a beautiful daily resonance. The sound and vibrations promote a relaxed state perfect for deep meditation, creative thinking and intuitive messages.
- EASILY PLAY MESMERIZING TONES FOR HOLISTIC HEALING — Healing processes are initiated through en training our brainwaves to synchronize with the perfect resonance of the bowls. You can easily play peaceful and mesmerizing tones on this unique Tibetan singing bowl to create a type of energy medicine that reduces stress and promotes spiritual, mental and physical healing.
- IDEAL SIZE TO BRING ANYWHERE — This bowl set is compact and can easily travel with you everywhere. Bring to yoga classes, the office or retreats. It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet sings with pure, layered tones.
- HAND INSPECTED AND TESTED FOR GUARANTEED PERFECT SOUND QUALITY — Ohm Store ensures it produces and sells only the highest quality and best playing Tibetan singing bowl sets by hand inspecting and testing each set for perfect sound quality. We back our quality with a lifetime guarantee.
Standing bell
A standing bell or resting bell is an inverted bell, supported from below with the rim uppermost. Such bells are normally bowl-shaped, and exist in a wide range of sizes, from a few centimeters to a meter in diameter. They are often played by striking, but some—known as singing bowls—may also be played by rotating a mallet around the outside rim to produce a sustained musical note.
Struck bowls are used in some Buddhist religious practices to accompany periods of meditation and chanting. Struck and singing bowls are widely used for music making, meditation and relaxation, as well for personal spirituality. They have become popular with music therapists, sound healers and yoga practitioners.
Standing bells originated in China. An early form called nano took the shape of a stemmed goblet, mounted with rim uppermost, and struck on the outside with a mallet. The manufacture and use of bowls specifically for ‘singing’ is believed to be a modern phenomenon. Bowls that were capable of singing began to be imported to the West from around the early 1970s. Since then they have become a popular instrument in the US-originating new-age genre often marketed as ‘Tibetan music’.
Tibetan singing bowls are a type of bell that vibrates and produces a rich, deep tone when played. Also known as singing bowls or Himalayan bowls, Tibetan singing bowls are said to promote relaxation and offer powerful healing properties.
Buddhist monks have long used Tibetan singing bowls in meditation practice. In addition, some wellness practitioners (including music therapists, massage therapists, and yoga therapists) use Tibetan singing bowls during treatment.
Uses for Tibetan Singing Bowls
People use Tibetan singing bowls for many purposes, including stress reduction and pain relief. Some people use the bowls in combination with other healing practices, such as meditation and deep breathing.
Many proponents claim that the vibrations of a singing bowl can produce beneficial changes in the body by reducing stress, “harmonizing” the cells, and “balancing the body’s energy system.” Some also claim that Tibetan singing bowls can stimulate the immune system and produce beneficial changes in brain waves.
Benefits
Very few scientific studies have examined the potential benefits of Tibetan singing bowls, despite their long history of use.
One of the available studies is a report from the Swiss journal Research in Complementary Medicine. For the study, 54 people with chronic pain originating from the spine were assigned to either six sessions of singing bowl therapy, a placebo treatment, or no treatment at all.
Study results showed that members of the singing bowl group and the placebo group experienced a significant decrease in pain intensity. The study’s authors also found that both the singing bowl therapy and the placebo therapy had a stress-reducing effect on participants.
Given these findings, the study’s authors concluded that singing bowl therapy’s effectiveness for pain relief could not be confirmed.1
A preliminary study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion in 2014 examined the benefits of starting a directed relaxation session with 12 minutes of singing bowls and found a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure and heart rate compared to silence before a directed relaxation session.2
How to Use a Singing Bowl
To create sound with a singing bowl, firmly press the accompanying mallet in a circular motion against the bowl’s outside edge or rim. When you hear a bright, clear tone, you can slow down the motion. Use your full arm to make the motion, rather than just rotating your wrist.
You can also make the same circular motion against the outside belly of the bowl. Additionally, you can gently strike the bowl before beginning the circular motion.
Where to Find Tibetan Singing Bowls
Widely available for purchase online, Tibetan singing bowls are also sold at some meditation centers, yoga studios, music shops, and stores that specialize in new age products. Proponents suggest that higher-quality bowls tend to produce more resonant sounds.