With the modern pace of life, stress, anxiety and even depression have become our constant companions. There are many ways to deal with them, from sessions with a psychologist to taking medications. However, experts are increasingly saying that meditation can help reduce anxiety and find harmony.
Among the most mysterious and fascinating practices is meditation using singing bowls. We asked journalist and sound therapist Ekaterina Garanina to talk about the benefits of this type of meditation and what sensations it gives during a session.
The history of the Tibetan singing bowls
The countries of East Asia (especially China and Tibet) are considered the birthplace of resonating vessels.
Musical instruments were used to facilitate meditation and ceremonial rituals.
There are several versions of their occurrence:
- Bowls were invented by the Iranian-speaking peoples of the Himalayas, from where they subsequently spread to other countries. The oldest bowl found was found in the foothills of the Himalayas. Its age is 5 thousand years.
- The creators of sounding bowls were the sages of the ancient Chinese Shang Dynasty.
- Japanese Kannushi priests were the first to use sound therapy as part of religious rituals. It is believed that the predecessor of the bowls was the Japanese gong.
- This musical instrument was originally created in Tibet through the Dalai Lama (spiritual ruler). This is the most common version.
The influence of vibrations on the human body
In ancient times, Tibetan sages noticed that the sound of the Tibetan singing bowl had a healing effect on listeners. Many diseases are weakened or completely cured thanks to sound therapy.
In the 21st century the influence of sounds and music on living organisms was revealed and it was found that each internal human organ has its own resonant frequency.
Relaxation
Vibrations, as well as binaural rhythms that are created as a result of sound production, promote calm and relaxation. In addition, playing the bowl allows you to cleanse a person’s energy and relieve the stress accumulated during the day.
During the listening process a person:
- Strength is restored.
- Tissue regeneration improves.
- Physical and energy clamps are removed.
- Your mood improves.
When listening to the bowls, a person's strength is restored.
Meditation background
Indian bowls are used both for group meditations and for individual yogic practices.
Their use for spiritual practices can be different:
- Creating a background to stop internal dialogue.
- Improved concentration, increased duration of practice.
- Strengthening emotional health.
- Dive into deeper layers of the subconscious (compared to meditation without sound).
Healing
It is important to note that spiritual practice does not guarantee a cure for a serious illness. However, proper and regular use of singing vessels can improve a person’s well-being, give him strength and motivation in the fight against the disease.
To relieve headaches, bowls should be placed near the head.
To have one or another beneficial effect on the body, you need to know some rules:
- To relieve headaches, so that the sound of the bowl is quiet, place the instrument near the head. The meditator’s position is sitting (in the lotus position).
- To improve sleep and combat insomnia, listen to the sound of the bowl while lying on your back, with your eyes closed.
- For stomach pathologies, lie on your back, legs bent, palms gently rubbing your stomach.
- For skin diseases, stay close to the bowl - 10–20 cm (so that you can physically feel the vibrations emanating from it).
Loud, high-pitched sounds help improve blood circulation and cleanse blood vessels of waste and toxins. Low overtones have a good effect on bone tissue and stimulate regeneration processes.
Vibration massage
The benefit of sound vibration massage is that it simultaneously affects all systems of the body.
Both playing and listening to singing vessels allows you to:
- improve the activity of the hematopoietic organs and heart;
- regulate blood pressure (low sounds reduce it, high sounds increase it);
- strengthen or restore extinct reflexes of the musculoskeletal system;
- activate metabolic processes;
- increase the performance of tired muscles;
- stimulate motor activity of the stomach and peristalsis.
Playing singing vessels regulates blood pressure.
To use Tibetan bowls for massage purposes, you must have primary skills (or better yet, undergo training). If vibration massage is performed incorrectly or for a long time, a person may experience discomfort, cramps, sensory disturbances and other disturbances.
Harmonization of space
Every room in a house or apartment is filled with energy flows. They have a strong impact on the well-being of those who live in this area.
Harmonization of space with the help of a resonating bowl leads to:
- neutralization of geopathogenic zones (places causing energy leakage);
- creating an atmosphere of comfort and coziness;
- dispersal and transformation of stagnant energy flows;
- cleansing the space and protecting it from any negative influences.
You can also use this musical instrument during long stays away from home, frequent quarrels, moving, or frequent stress.
Working with chakras
For practices related to the opening of energy centers, only forged bowls are suitable. Experienced yogis recommend using sound vibrations primarily to work with the first 4 chakras. This is due to the fact that in most cases it makes no sense to improve the higher centers until the lower ones are developed.
Yogis recommend using sound vibrations to work with chakras.
List of chakras indicating settings:
- Muladhara. A bowl tuned to C is suitable. The practice strengthens emotional stability, endurance and physical health.
- Svadhisthana. Note "D". Sound vibrations allow you to reveal sexuality, self-confidence and cheerfulness.
- Manipura. Corresponds to the note "E". The development of the 3rd chakra is associated with intelligence, willpower and leadership.
- Anahata. Note "F". Working with the heart chakra increases financial well-being in life and normalizes family relationships.
- Vishuddha. An instrument tuned to the note "G". Chakra associated with creativity, communication and intuition.
- Ajna. The note "A". Disclosure of extrasensory abilities (clairvoyance, telepathy, astral vision, etc.).
- Sahasrara. Note "B". Connection with the Universal Mind, connection to higher knowledge and Divine Love.
Scientific opinion
According to research by Japanese scientists, playing singing vessels has a positive effect on the electrical activity of the brain. A similar effect can only occur in close proximity to the instrument. When listening to recordings, no therapeutic effect on the body occurs.
Playing singing bowls has a positive effect on brain function.
Other studies have also been conducted:
- In the early 2000s. a group of Italian oncologists proved that Tibetan bowls speed up the body’s recovery after chemotherapy. Sound therapy also improved the well-being and mood of patients.
- Tibetan researchers discovered that while playing bowls, a person's so-called "Depression Index" This makes it possible to use a musical instrument for psychotherapy.
- Dutch scientists conducted a series of experiments with bowls, as a result of which their ability to disinfect water was discovered.
However, so far there is no evidence of a direct cure for this or that disease.
Scientific medicine recommends using an exotic instrument only as an auxiliary therapy, and not as a primary therapy.
Benefits of this practice
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Singing bowl meditation has a number of benefits that set it apart from other similar practices. Firstly, over time, sessions of such therapy do not lose the novelty of sensations: it is impossible to produce exactly the same melody - each time the sound turns out different and, therefore, evokes different emotions and feelings. Each new session becomes a real surprise.
The longer you practice, the more interesting observations you will have. Thus, cups relieve pain during the female cycle and can relieve mild pain, including dizziness, migraines, and a feeling of heaviness in the head. With the help of bowls you can work out panic attacks and tension. More than once clients have said that after a massage or meditation, negativity goes away and a feeling of lightness and relaxation appears.
Practice allows you to look inside yourself: what am I missing, is everything okay with me, what do I want now, how do I feel? You constantly ask yourself these questions and analyze the answers, first during meditation, and then outside of it. And you automatically start working on sensations. At the same time, your life is quietly changing for the better.
And another hour of meditation is an hour of luxury for yourself: in silence, without gadgets and other distractions. Some clients relax so much that they fall asleep: it is in this state that resources are reloaded and fresh thoughts come.
The bowls work. There is no magic in this, just sound therapy and personal awareness.
How to Prepare to Play Singing Bowls
The performer does not need to know the music to play the Tibetan bowl.
However, there are several basic rules that must be followed:
- Before performing, prepare a small pillow or thick cloth. In this case, the vessel must stand steadily and not wobble from side to side.
- Wipe the wooden stick, which is moved over the surface of the instrument, with a damp cloth.
- Ventilate the room in which you plan to play music.
- For some types of vibration massage, prepare certain essential oils, candles and incense.
To play the Tibetan bowl you don't need to know the sheet music.
Contraindications
Massage with sound Tibetan bowls is contraindicated for people who have:
- acute febrile conditions with elevated body temperature,
- thrombophlebitis and thrombosis,
- arrhythmia,
- kidney or gallstones,
- tendency to bleed
- certain blood diseases
- purulent processes (any localization),
- certain diseases of hair, skin and nails,
- pronounced varicose veins,
- aneurysm of the heart and aorta,
- thrombosis,
- acute inflammation of the lymphatic or blood vessels,
- malignant tumors,
- certain diseases of the gastrointestinal tract with a tendency to bleeding,
- acute myocardial ischemia,
- chronic osteomyelitis,
- certain allergic diseases,
- cerebral vascular sclerosis,
- acute respiratory and viral diseases.
This type of massage is contraindicated for pregnant women, small children and people with a pacemaker.
How to choose a singing bowl
The main aspect when choosing a Tibetan bowl is intuition. If the process of producing sound involves the phenomenon of frisson (goosebumps), then this instrument is best suited.
In addition, it is advisable to know why the vessel is being purchased - for meditative practices, treatment, professional training or playing at home.
Size
When studying the shape of the bowl, it is important to pay attention to the correct bends. Large instruments are more likely to have physical defects (cracks, unevenness, dents).
The sound also depends on their size:
- Large (more than 20 cm in diameter). The sound is low, clear, without rattling, rich in undertones. Vibrations can be felt well during the game.
- Medium (from 14 to 20 cm). The sonority is balanced, without a predominance of the extreme registers. The disadvantage of such bowls is the rapid attenuation of sound.
- Small (less than 14 cm in diameter). They have high volume and sharp sound. Most often they are sold as a set, where each bowl is tuned to its own tonality.
The sound of the bowl depends on its size.
Stick
It is important to choose the right stick to make the vessel sound.
To choose a resonator, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- The surface of the stick is enameled or covered with felt or soft suede fabric.
- Wood – beech or teak.
- To practice percussion technique, the mallet has a weight at the end.
- The length of the stick corresponds to the size of the bowl.
For beginners, it is better to focus on medium-sized resonators, because... They are the easiest way to practice the technique and basics of sound production.
Surface material
Modern instruments are made of brass or bronze, often with the addition of precious metals.
Modern bowls are made of brass or bronze.
Moreover, the more metals a bowl contains, the better its vibration and acoustic characteristics:
- silver – 0.002% (responsible for high-pitched sounds);
- tin – 28.6% (gives richness);
- gold – 0.001% (strengthens the middle register);
- lead – 0.001% (adds harshness to the sound);
- copper – 71.3% (provides strength to the bowl and volume to the sound);
- iron – 0.3% (forms bass);
- mercury – 0.01% (increases vibrations).
Fullness
To obtain a deeper timbre of sound, the bowl can be filled with water (half or 1/3). However, only forged tools of medium or large size are suitable for this.
How often should sessions be repeated and when will the first effect appear?
Sessions can be repeated as often as you want, because this is a powerful tool for self-ecology, especially if the work is associated with mental stress and stress. During class you work through these moments, relax and leave with a smile and a different energy level. The more you practice, the sooner positive changes will occur. But you shouldn’t expect a quick effect: someone falls asleep after two months, and after another two they notice changes at the level of thinking. It all depends on personal goals. If this is your way of relaxation and it brings you joy, go. If you get more pleasure from cross-stitching or running, do embroidery and run.
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Ways to play the singing bowl
There are 2 main types of sound production - friction of the stick against the edge of the bowl and impact. Anyone can master them at an intermediate level. The difficulty lies in extracting sounds of different timbres and registers using the same resonator.
Every person can master sound production.
Friction
The most common technique. Before playing, it is important to make sure that the bowl is positioned stable and does not move when touched.
Next you need:
- Take the stick in one hand.
- Using light pressure, move it along the edge of the bowl, creating a sound.
- To extract additional overtones while recording, slowly rotate the stick around its axis.
During the game, the wrist should be at the same level and not move while turning the resonator. The main difficulty when playing with friction is to move the stick continuously, with the same pressure throughout the entire circumference. It is important to move the stick at the same speed, without speeding up or slowing down the pace.
Any effort contributes to an instant change in sonority.
Beginners are recommended to experiment with the pressure and speed of the stick at first in order to quickly master this technique.
Percussion technique
Similar to playing bells. To produce sound you will need a beater with a weight on the end.
The striking technique is not difficult.
The basics of technology are not difficult at all:
- Take the stick in one hand (the other can hold a small bowl at this time).
- It is easy to hit the inner surface with the resonator.
- For a loud sound, strike closer to the edge. A muffled sound can be obtained by hitting the mallet in the depths of the bowl.
How to massage with a singing bowl
To perform a full-fledged sound massage, it is advisable to have several Tibetan vessels of various sizes. A person will need a mattress or a thick rug.
The procedure itself goes like this:
- The person lies on his back, trying to relax his whole body.
- Bowls are placed around his body: near the feet, on the sides near the knees, hips and shoulders. One is placed near the back of the head. In some Indian traditions, instruments are placed on the person.
- The healer-musician plays each bowl alternately, most often alternating the friction technique with the percussion technique.
- If during the process any bowl suddenly changes its sound, this means that there is a painful place next to it.
To perform a massage, a person lies on his back.
The average massage time is from 5 to 20 minutes.
Increases concentration
Concentration is the main guarantee of effectiveness in any therapeutic practice. It is attention that can, again and again, return us to the object, and lost attention can lead us away from it.
Thus, when playing the singing bowl, a person automatically listens and “peers” into his inner sensations. They, as a rule, change already in the first minutes of interaction with the singing bowl. Over time, this activity (exercise), having become a habit, can not only teach you to maintain attention, but also develop its range.
Uses for chakras
The practice is performed with the help of a partner. The general rule when playing to develop the chakras is that a person’s attention should be focused in the area of the energy center, on how the instrument sings.
The chakras are located as follows:
- Muladhara - at the tailbone.
- Svadhisthana - at the junction of the spine and sacrum.
- Manipura is in the solar plexus.
- Anahata – close to the heart.
- Vishuddha - in the throat area.
- Ajna - between the eyebrows.
- Sahasrara - at the back of the head.
The practice is performed to develop the chakras.
Experienced yogis recommend using friction rather than percussion techniques in this practice. When playing, the bowl should be placed next to the chakra.
