The Ultimate Guide to Singing Bowls: Everything You Need to Know

Everything You Need To Know About a Singing Bowls

The world is full of chaos and humans are full of ‘what if’ and ‘what next’ questions in their heads.  To overcome all these commotions, we seek a soulful break via different spiritual measures be it meditation, yoga, traveling or sound healing.
Well, Singing Bowls are one such common fixture retaining some sort of artistic, scientific, and holistic power for sound healing, relaxation, and stress reduction.
They are also very much common among people as Tibetan / Metal Singing Bowls,  Himalayan Bowls and can be found on Buddhist altars, monasteries, yoga studios, and meditation houses in any corner of the world.

History

Singing Bowls were originally a Buddhist thing (secret) until sapiens from the non-religious group gave it a shot and manifested to commercialization. Originally developed in Nepal but lingered in Tibetan culture, they are made up of wide-ranging metals.

To list them out in the context of Nepal, metals like Copper, Lead, Tin, Iron, Zinc , Silver, and Gold are used to construct such bowls. Both traditional and machine-lathing techniques are used to hammer the heated alloy of metals and give the bowl the desired round shape.

If need be, some spiritual mantras/ chants and symbols are also engraved for spiritual delight.

Types of Singing Bowl

Jambati Singing Bowl

These are the hand-beaten bowls with the hammer marks and are heaviest among all the other singing bowls designed in a u-curved shape producing a very enduring tone.

Thadobati Singing Bowl

The term ‘’Thado’’ in Nepali indicates straight. And as the meaning suggests these bowls have a large flat base with undecorated lips and straight walls.

Ultabati Singing Bowl

Here, the term ‘’Ulta’’somehow signifies crooked. And the bowl is slightly bent below the rim from the upper side. Also, they are expensive and produce low tones in comparison to Jambati bowls. Moreover, they have darkened / black walls and are lightly brushed inside.

Remuna Singing Bowl

These are light-weight singing bowls producing strong sounds similar to Thadobati but have inward-sloping walls with a flat base and beautiful artwork. The bottom half is darker and rougher.

Manipuri Singing Bowl

The term ‘’Manipuri’’ is derived from the word Manipur which is a state in Northeast India. They look gentle with no marks outside and produce a mild tone. The outer wall is sloped outward/ splayed and has dense insides.

Lingam Singing Bowl

These bowls are flat in bottoms and have smooth sides and a protrusion in the center.  It is round-shaped in a distinctive way. The lingam in the singing bowl symbolizes Lord Shiva and it has its own use in ritual and medicinal purposes.

Mani Singing Bowl

Also famous as Rudra Singing Bowls, these can be found in small to medium sizes and have inward-facing lips, flat bottoms, and are broader in the middle. These bowls are often used by monks while taking offerings and they play this bowl with a certain mudra.

Naga / Pedestal Singing Bowl

These are the singing bowls with a cup-like appearance attached to the pedestal base. They have thick walls and rounded flat bottoms. They do have a few markings on the rim and are utilized for ceremonial, sacred, or ritual purposes.

Crystal Singing Bowl

Also known as Quartz singing bowls, these are crystal clear, frosted, mineral fusion bowls mostly vested in commercialization.

Benefits of Singing Bowls

Physical Well Being

Amazingly, the vibrations produced by the singing bowls affect even the smallest part of our body, they relieve physical pain and also purify the toxins from every single cell of the body, improving the immune system, and blood circulation, and lowering blood pressure.

Mental Well Being

The tone emitted by the singing bowl has a next-level impact on our mental body. It tunes into our brain waves, helps us achieve a calmer state of mind, and renders a certain kind of ease and relief. You feel positivity all around you and backs you off from all the stress and anxiety.

Emotional Balance

Well, the vibrational healing properties of a singing bowl radiate positive energy all over your mind, body, and soul. This will help you achieve a balance between your varied emotions.

Also, it will help us release emotion (anger/ stress) stored in our bodies at the cellular level which is caused by some kind of traumatic experience.

Meditational point of view

Well, powerful sound waves that come from rimming the singing bowl, deep down get us into deep concentration, helping us reach a meditative state. And gradually the good vibes allow us to make peace with our mind, body, and soul.

Moreover, if you want to feel a sense of freedom, tuning into these alpha and beta waves of the singing bowl is a must.

After Effects of Singing Bowl

It won’t sound legit to pen down the change you feel after getting into this singing bowl as it is something you need to experience on your own.

But to mention, you will have a relaxed mind, eased feel, calm soul, balanced emotion, better concentration, and a certain relief.