Using Crystal Singing Bowls
These days, crystal singing bowls are becoming very much the rage as people look for simple ways to improve their meditation practice and reach deeper states of calm. Made from clear quartz or other quartz stones, these bowls have a basic but elegant tone. Knowing how they function can make working with them and gaining their benefits much easier.
The bowls are effective because of sound. A basic premise of physics is that anything that moves is in a state of vibration and those vibrations cause or emit a sound of one sort or another. This sound may not resonate in the human ear which only hears within certain frequencies, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. We are also aware of sound through our bodies which can sense vibrations.
What the singing bowls do is take sound and organize it – they provide a sense of order. Basically, ordered sound is what we call music. The order is designed to elicit certain responses – pleasure or excitement, say. We experience music these days mostly in the form of entertainment, but it has a long history in many cultures as a means of healing and entering meditative states.
Singing bowls are made of crushed stones – specifically, crushed quartzes. These crystals are usually very fine – often close to one hundred percent pure. They are heated to a melting point and then formed into the bowls. Once they cool and harden, the bowls can be played using mallets with soft tips – either a suede-covered knob or even a rubber ball.
What you use to strike the bowl will have a big effect on how it sounds. Also, the strength with which you play the bowl can cause the sound to vary considerably. The notes that are produced are not necessarily the result of the bowl’s size. However, the larger bowls usually produce tones that last longer and have a deeper and richer quality.
Singing bowls need to be held upright – as if they are about to be filled with water – and then gently struck along the surface. After the note begins to sound, you move the mallet in a slow circle along the bowl’s rim. This can both deepen and lengthen the tone.
If you want to work with crystal singing bowls you have two options. The first is to get a CD or download and listen in the privacy of your own home. You can also seek out a qualified practitioner and experience the bowls in a group setting. In either case, keep your mind open and have fun!