An Introduction to Singing/Healing Bowl Types: Part 3
Everything You Need To Know About Crystal Singing Bowls
I’m going to assume you have missed Parts 1 & 2 in this short series and treat you like a singing bowl newbie. (Please check out them out here) Singing bowls… what exactly are they? And why are they becoming so trendy these days? Who even came up with the idea of a bowl singing? What’s a crystal singing bowl? Just how many types of these bowls are there? And what is their purpose? We’re all wondering the same questions in our hearts, aren’t we? This article is here to answer all these questions and more along the way to help give you an idea of something entirely new!
What Exactly Are Singing Bowls?
A singing bowl is a sort of inverted bell supported from below and has its rim rest on top. It is hit with a bong to produce a musical note to help during meditation. Some of these are rotated with a mallet to create music. These kinds of bells are known as singing bells. Since their origin in China, they have been extensively used throughout the history of east china, Taiwan, Tibet, and other predominantly meditating groups. The western civilization only caught on to this hundreds of years of tradition in the 1970s when they started importing them for singing as they are often marketed as “Tibetian music.” All its music aside, singing bowls were initially invented to help you and me relax from our daily stress. They are pretty effective since they don’t come with any strings attached for a premium subscription and whatnot. They are extremely popular with music therapists, sound healers, and even those who do yoga in private at home. Let’s not forget, these are bells. Not bowls. They are only referred to as bowls by western civilization, but they all mean the same thing. The bells designed to produce a sustained musical note are known as singing bowls or Tibetian singing bowls.
Just How Many Types Of Singing Bowls Are There?
That’s a good question. It turns out there are a lot of them that come in varying sizes, from a few centimeters to even a meter in diameter. Based on the place they’re made and the kind of sound they give along with the material used in making them, the names are just too plenty to list here. Let’s just concentrate on crystal singing bowls for now.
Crystal Singing Bowls
These are bowls that are made out of quarts and are used in meditation to relieve stress. They have been shown to help ease stress consistently and very effectively. But how? How does a piece of quarts made into a bowl do that? Read on… Pure quartz, essentially 99.8% silicon crystal and sand, is put in a spinning mold, in a process that heats the mixture to about 4000 degrees to create a crystal mold. These are clear or frosted and are manufactured in many sizes from 5 to 24 inches. Clear crystal bowls are usually lighter and smaller. You can conveniently play them while holding them in your hands. During the manufacturing process, they can also be customized using modern digital technology to create specific sounds depending on your own needs. Some bowls would even automatically harmonize with each other if they are played together. Our body, on a molecular level, is made of silica. It is what regulates our electromagnetic energy (don’t believe you have electromagnetic energy? Wear some socks and rub your feet on your doormat, I’m pretty sure you’d be surprised). The crystal acts as an oscillator with our mind and body. The vibrational waves affect different portions of our brain and help us move onto an altered state of consciousness. Crystal singing bowls resonate with our chakra within our body and help release all our negative energy. Singing bowls were first found in ancients Buddhism. From there, they’ve followed many traditions and cultures to now finally arrive at our doorstep.
How To Make Crystal Singing Bowls?
Traditionally, singing bowls were made of metal by using an ancient Tibetian formula. Many of these bowls were made of an alloy called “panchaloga” – a Sanskrit term meaning five metal alloy. Copper, zinc, iron, and traces of gold and silver together formed the panchaloga. These bowls were commonly known as the Tibetian singing bowls. But now, thanks to modern technology, we have invented the crystal singing bowls with a complex manufacturing process by heating quartz and sand together in extremely high temperatures. Pretty much like mixing cake and baking cupcakes, only a lot more dangerous, so please don’t try at home. Crystal bowls are made by burning pure quarts at 4000 C and pulling it into shape. The way we make them determines the sounds they give. For example, frosted crystal bowls have an octave higher than regular crystal bowls. We digitally match each crystal bowl to the musical note – C, D, E, F, G, H, A, B to resonate with different chakras of our bodies. Larger bowls have a deeper sound to give us a more grounding effect, while smaller ones have a higher pitch to help us stimulate our higher chakras to help with our spirituality.
How to Play Crystal Singing Bowls
Playing these bowls is a spiritual journey in itself that helps all in both healing and meditation. Many believe crystals to even have living energy which, when matched to ours, can help us feel calm, relaxed, and happy. So let’s learn how to play them. Steps to play the crystal singing bowls:
Choose a quiet and calm space to use your bowl.
If you are using a large bowl, place the rubber ring that comes with the bowl on any flat surface (preferably floor) and let your bowl rest on it.
With smaller bowls, it would be easier to place them in hand and hear them better simply.
Grasp the mallet or striker and gently start to glide the mallet on the outer edge of the rim of the bowl in periodic intervals of time with constant and firm pressure to have a continuous sound.
Remember, quarts are fragile, so be careful when you tap on them and exert pressure on them.
These are incredibly effective when done right, so keep practicing a few times till you hit that sweet spot, and once you do… it’s always great.