Singing bowls can be made from a variety of materials, both classical and contemporary. Traditional Japanese bowls are often made from cast iron or clay. Cast iron bowls are great for those who want a more classical, elegant bowl, while contemporary bowl designs are more flexible and can really reflect the person's individual style. A bowl can be quite simply made from glass or porcelain, but most people prefer a bowl that is decorated with strings of coloured or shaped rice.
There are many types of singing bowls from the famous silver sky imports store. The most popular ones are upright, which rest on a table or stand and are often made from wood. An upright bowl is basically a small, square-shaped bell which sits upright on a table. Such bowls usually exist in a range of diameters, from some centimetres to a meter in diameter. Some people use upright singing bowls for meditation, as they allow you to meditate against the sound of the bell itself. Others use them simply for visualisation, since they help you focus your mind.
The most important aspect of any meditation technique, whether using singing bowls or any other method, is still the sound of the voice itself. In my own practice, I like to start by going into a very relaxed state and gently blowing into the bowl - the sound will come from my diaphragm rather than from my lips. Then I choose a colour (usually green) and focus on observing and moving toward some kind of resolution or peace within myself. Sometimes this resolve comes to me quite quickly; sometimes it comes on gradually over a period of days or weeks. Whatever the case, the key is maintaining attention - keeping my eyes fixed on the crystal sound rather than my breath, which is easy to do if I close my eyes and focus on the movement and colour of the crystal. Check at silverskyimports.com/ to get a detailed info on purchasing the best type of these singing bowls for your meditation today.
My first experience of using singing bowls to connect with energy came when I was reciting a poem by Tibetan Buddhist teacher to a small group of students in our San Francisco campus. While reciting the poem in my usual way, I noticed that I was becoming more aware of each breath as it went down the bowl. As I continued with the recitation, the clarity of the sounds became more intense, until there was a clear synergy of sound all the way through the bowl. As I continued, the clarity seemed to deepen even more, until I had a perfect singing of the poem, one that came out much crisper and clearer than it had when I was reciting the poem without the use of a singing bowl. It took a few weeks of practice, but as soon as I started using the bowl again for this purpose, the clarity it gave me during the meditation became even more enhanced.
Since then, I have used the singing bowls for meditation every day, even if it's just for a few moments when I wake up in the morning, or when I go for a walk. While the sound bowl makes the sound of my voice clearer, it also makes me think more clearly. It gives me access to other types of information that I wouldn't have been able to get to otherwise. When you are just starting your practice with singing bowls, it may be hard to find the right type of guidance, but as your practices grow you will discover that you can draw on many types of information for your meditation.
One aspect of using the singing bowls for meditation that I haven't explored yet is to change the sound of the bowl itself. In doing this, you can change the vibrations that you get from it, as well. Different bowl sounds can correspond to different emotions, or states of mind. By changing the pitch or quality of the sound, you can create new ways to connect with other kinds of information.
