What are Sound Bowls, and What is a Sound Bowl Session?
What are Sound Bowls?
Sound Bowls, or Singing Bowls, are musical instruments which, when struck or scraped produce sounds via vibration. These instruments are known as idiophones, which also include gongs, bells, and other instruments. When struck by mallets or other instruments they create sounds which invoke meditative states and relaxation. Originally, the Tibetan bowls were made of pure copper, but now they are made of varieties of metals. Some are made of the seven metal medley: a mixture of copper, tin, zinc, iron, lead, gold and silver, which are seven Earth metals for the seven chakras of the human body and spirit. Others are made from pure copper, or bronze-near identical to their original designs. The other types of singing bowls are referred to as crystal sound bowls, which are made of 99.9% pure crushed quartz and sand that is heated to a high temperature and then formed into different size bowls tuned to certain musical notes. Different healers may use different materials- similar to Reiki- which best match their healing styles.
What is a Sound Bowl Session?
A typical sound bowl session may proceed in several different ways. One of the most ubiquitous ways a sound bowl session starts is with a person lying on the floor, with the bowls placed around the body. Depending on the healer and their individual style, bowls may be placed around the body, on the body, or in many other different ways to best relax and heal your spirit. Once the bowls are in place, the healer may strike and drive the mallet around the rim of the sound bowls, creating their signature sound. These sounds are meant to help a person enter a deep, meditative state, help calm the mind, relax the spirit, and strengthen the body.
Now, how does Khris conduct her sessions?
Khris is much more personal in her approach, starting from the very beginning of a session. She will first have a person lie on a mat, providing pillows for the neck and knees, creating the most relaxing experience. She will begin with the bowls circled around her, playing them in both harmonious and dissonant ways, creating vibrations to encourage energetic movement within the body.
The crystal bowls create different harmonic vibrations meant to connect with a specific chakra. This movement brings about a calm state, which leads to the next step. Tibetan Bowls and Chimes will then be brought to the person, enhancing the experience of meditation as each instrument is rung, and their vibrations bring the mind to a deeper state of tranquility. This personal and hands-on approach is what separates Khris from the norm and cements her as a unique healer in a world of healers.
What is the Origin of Singing Bowls?
There are multiple tellings of the origin of sound/singing bowls. While now they are widely known as ‘Tibetan Singing Bowls’, and are mostly used in the Tibetan region- most agree the true origin of these bowls are far more ancient, and hotly debated. The most accepted history of the bowls is that they originated in the Himalayas; specifically in the Nepalese and Indian regions, before spreading outwards to China, Japan, the Middle East, Egypt, and their namesake- Tibet. The rest of the sound bowls history is something many have different takes on. Some state that singing bowls- specifically those made of copper and other metals, are thought to have originated from Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago. They are said to have then made their way to India, Tibet, Nepal, and other areas of the East roughly 2,000 years ago. Others state that the origin of these bowls is much more ancient, and began in the 16th century BC in China. The one aspect most can agree on, however, is the modern origin of the bowls and their written history, is in the East. It’s understood that these bowls began a mass importation into Europe and North America in the 1970's, when spirituality and the understanding of self (past the physical) became mainstream.
How Do Sound Bowls Work?
As with much of the spiritual world, sound bowls scientific impact on the human mind and spirit has yet to be explored. With hundreds of thousands of years of research done by healers and specialists, however, the affects these bowls have on people have been well documented. Sound bowls affect our mind and body through vibration. When watching water in a bowl that’s been struck we can see that it’s greatly affected by the vibrations of the bowls sound. Seeing as our body is full of fluids and liquid, it’s easy to understand how our bodies can be affected by vibrations. Once a sound bowl has been struck by a mallet, it creates a strong vibration. That vibration may be changed and lengthened by circling the rim of the bowl with the mallet. These sounds create what is known as a parasympathetic responses in the body, per Sound Therapist and Meditation Teacher Sara Auster. Ms. Auster adds, “waves made by striking or singing bowls produce harmonics that can move you into different brainwave states”. Reiki Master/ Healer Susy Schieffelin spoke on the benefits of Sound Bowls, stating the bowls have unique vibrations which “have the capacity to shift energy, clear blockages, and restore the mind, body, and spirit to a balanced state”. Research has, while limited, backed up these claims through evidence that certain tones and frequencies have the ability to calm the body and mind.