Singing Bowl

What Does Singing Bowl Mean?

A singing bowl is a particular kind of standing bell that is inverted and played by rotating a mallet around the outer rim in order to create a resonant, musical note. It can also be played in the more traditional way by simply striking the edge of the bowl. They range in size from just a few centimeters to a meter across.

As well as being used for making music, singing bowls have become popular with yogis. They may be played during a yoga class or to rouse the class from savasana. They may also be used in meditation or healing practices.

Yogapedia Explains Singing Bowl

Although standing bells are thought to have originated in China as early as the 11th to 13th century B.C.E., singing bowl variations arrived much later. Some of the earliest known examples of singing bowls were imported to the West in the early 1970s. Although the bowls are sometimes called “Tibetan singing bowls,” it is now believed that to play them by rubbing them to make them “sing” rather than striking them is a modern phenomenon, and the imported bowls do not originate from Tibet geographically or culturally.

Singing bowls are sometimes used for alternative healing, especially by those who believe that the sound vibrations they produce can affect the chakras. Their music is often associated with transformative mental states and deep relaxation. Many find the sound soothing and beneficial for enhancing spiritual practice.

Most singing bowls are made from bell metal, an alloy of copper and tin, sometimes with other elements added. In recent years in the West, crystal singing bowls made of quartz have become popular. These are considered by some to produce a more potent effect than the more traditional metal bells.