Tibetan Singing Bowls: Relax, Meditate, and Heal
Singing bowls have been used in cultures for meditation, relaxation, and healing for thousands of years. A singing bowl is a circular bowl that works kind of like a bell. They have melodious sounds when they are rang. The most popular kind of singing bowl is the Tibetan singing bowl. Singing bowls come from other places like Nepal and India as well. Tibetan singing bowls have been used by the Llamas of Tibet for thousands of years. Since it was deemed a sacred art the Llamas kept them secret and they were not discovered until the Chinese invasion of the 1950's. Their VSA Singing Bowl School popularity grew during the culture wars of the 1960's and has been growing ever since.
A traditional singing bowl is made with a mixture of seven different metals. Most bowls today that are sold are only made with anywhere from three to five typically. The sounds that these bowls make are said to create a deep sense of relaxation and create a sense of peace in your mind and body. Singing bowls are used in healing by placing them on the body and then ringing them. The vibrations from the bowls travel through the body and can be used to pinpoint certain areas depending on the ailment. This is considered a vibration massage, as you'll see with VSA Singing Bowl Certification. The bowls can also be used by themselves to create a relaxing sound.
To play a singing bowl you can either tap it with a small soft headed mallet or to rub the bowl with a wooden dowel. The former creates a ringing sound akin to a bell while the latter creates a continuous tone. A good singing bowl will have various tones that it creates depending on where you strike it or on how you move the dowel around the bowl.
For a vibration massage a client will lay on their back and after they are comfortable the singing bowl will be placed on their chest. The Vibrational Sound Association (VSA) bowls are then struck and rung sending vibrations throughout your body while creating relaxing sounds. The bowls can be placed on different parts of the body to align with a client's chakras.
Singing bowls can be used for your own personal meditation or for a relaxing massage. They are often used in yoga classes and other forms of intense group meditations and exercises. To find a Tibetan singing bowl you can look online. There is also a lot of other great information available about other methods of sound and vibration therapies.
