How to Use a Singing Bowl for Meditation A focus on productivity and mindfulness has created a lot of buzz around meditation, which has proven to reduce stress and improve focus. Effective against both anxiety and depression, meditation strengthens the mind to provide you complete control over your emotions. However, doing meditation right is the only way to avail many of the benefits offered by this practice. In this article, you’ll learn how to use a singing bowl for meditation.
How to Meditate with the Singing Bowl? • When you meditate, you usually focus on your breath: either the air going in and out of your nose or your chest rising and falling. • While this traditional method works, you can enhance your ability to focus and stay in the moment by using a singing bowl. • • The harmonious melody created when the bowl is stuck provides a great focal point. • • This is precisely why buddhist monks use a singing bowl to enhance their own meditation practice and gain enlightenment. • • Benefits of using a singing bowl for meditation include: • Harmony produced on striking the bowl provides a point to focus on. • When the mind is distracted, you can hit the bowl to bring back your focus to the present. • Melody produced by the bowl has a relaxing and positive effect on the brain. • Melody has a positive impact on brain waves
Tibetan singing bowl
How to hold the singing bowl properly? • Although it may sound easy, many people don’t place the bowl properly, resulting in a cacophonous sound which irritates the mind. And since the bowls are made of different materials, they need to be handled differently. • Let’s look at the proper way to hold a singing bowl: • Light bowl: hold it in your hand. • Heavy bowl: place it on a surface. • Decide if you want to hold the bowl in your hand or place it on a surface, then proceed with the methods described below.
Hold a Singing Bowl in the Hand • It is better to hold a light singing bowl in your hand, as you’ll have to strike it with a little more force to generate the right type of melody. • Here are the tips that will help you with the same: • Hold out the preferred hand for resting the bowl on. • Either rest that hand on a surface such as a table or on your lap. Resting on the lap is recommended, as it lets you sit more comfortably. • Either balance the bowl on your fingertips or place the bowl on your palm. • Try to gently balance the bowl and feel its weight.
Place Singing Bowl on a Surface • Heavier singing bowls should be placed on a surface to minimize the strain from hands. • You can rest the bowl on a surface such as a table or cushion that’s in front of you. However, place the bowl as close to you as possible. Doing so minimizes the strain from your lower back and enables you to relax. • Generate Melodies with a Singing Bowl • While you’ve already seen how to handle the tibetan singing bowl, getting the right melody depends as much on placement as on your skill. Using the striker correctly may take time, but here are some tips to help you with the same. • Strike Gently: Instead of striking with a lot of force, which will break your concentration, you should strike gently to create a harmonious melody that slowly fades away. • Strike the thickest part: when you strike the thickest part of the bowl, it generates a perfect vibrating sound that hits all the right spots.