Have you ever Meditated with Singing Bowls?

Dhyana or Meditation is the focus of the mind on a particular point or object for a long period without wavering the concentration. It is the power of concentration of the mind that makes meditation happen.

There are various meditation methods. Some use sound as a mechanism to empty the mind from thoughts. Chanting mantras like OM, NamaShivaya, etc are widely used. Modern techniques involve classical instrumental music or playing instruments like Tibetan Bowl.

Tibetan singing bowl is a type of bell which vibrates and can produce a metallic, rich, deep tone when played. It is known as singing bowls or Himalayan bowls. These Tibetan singing bowls are used to promote relaxation and offer powerful healing properties. It is Tibetan Buddhist monks who have long used Tibetan singing bowls in their daily meditation practice.

If you strike the Tibetan singing bowl or circle the rim with a mallet it will produce very unique sounds. It can sound like “OM” with a metallic tone. The 'around the rim' technique will produce a sustained, angelic tone, while the 'striking' technique will create a sound more akin to the ringing of a bell.

It is proved that singing bowls create the sound of void or emptiness which is the expression of the vast universe that has healing properties for the meditator. The sound healing properties of singing bowls have been used effectively to empty the mind which leads to meditation.

The singing bowl can be placed on top of any area of the meditator's body while lying down in Yoga Nidra or Savasana. It is the resonance created with the energy body of the practitioner with that of the bowl's harmonic vibrations that create the necessary relaxation and effective balance.

For activating the individual energy chakras practitioners use very effective singing bowls. This is done by placing the bowl near the specific chakras of the body and creating the vibrations necessary for the sound vibrations.

Traditionally Buddhist meditation uses singing bowls as part of the temple rituals and for their attainment of deep meditative states. Tibetan monks use singing bowls for religious prayers and also for yogic meditation purposes.

 Singing bowls also are used during Buddhist meditation as a way to facilitate entry into deep meditative states. If you play a singing bowl before meditation that allows synchronization of the brain with the sound frequencies produced by the bowl and that will support to get relaxation and focus. We can also fill water into the bowl and the sound will be of the unique nature of that of Jalatharangam of classical music. The sound creates a deep resonance that will dissolve with that of our thought waves.

 The recent research studies found that people expressed reduced amounts of stress, anger, and depressed condition when they have undergone singing bowl meditation. The middle-aged and above middle-aged people expressed these experiences more than the younger ones.

As we all know that our body is made of five elements like earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The use of vibrations of sound especially from a metallic instrument like singing bowls has a similar affinity for the resonance of these bodily elements that make our very body and mind. So the metallic sound vibrations in resonance with that of our thoughts or emotions or blood flow or mind activities are naturally synchronizing by natural affinity.