INSTRUMENT SPOTLIGHT: TIBETAN BOWLS
I often received energy healing sessions from my mum, prior to finding myself in the same line of work. She would end every session by striking a Tibetan Bowl, and using Tingsha Cymbals, running both over the entire body as I laid on the table. The sounds stirred something in me - it intrigued me, but I carried on with life without exploring that thought further. I was young and had bigger fish to fry apparently.
When I headed to Taranaki with a suitcase full of clothes and mum's old Tibetan Singing Bowl, I could barely play it, and had little faith that I'd ever be very good at playing it. As my fellow students started to arrive, we began comparing our bowls, sharing the stories of how we acquired them, and playing them all.
These bowls are a mainstay of Eastern Spiritual places. I've seen many an old dusty tibetan on the top shelf in a practitioners clinic, holding crystals on an altar, a treasured token brought back from distant travels. Many of my fellow students were also gifted theirs by mothers, mentors, handed down and bringing new life to the bowl.
Tibetan singing bowls are often said to have ancient roots, going back thousands of years. Most scholars agree they likely became more widespread in the Himalayan region (Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan) in the last few hundred years and were possibly tied to Buddhist rituals.
These ancient beauties are everywhere for a reason - they can seriously stir the pot.
The bowl vibrates when struck or rubbed. These vibrations create sound waves that your ears (and body) pick up. The tones are often rich with overtones — meaning you’re hearing more than one note at a time — which creates a deep, calming effect. Studies suggest these vibrations can help slow brain waves, reduce stress, and even lower heart rate.
As at writing this, I own three Tibetan bowls, and I continue to borrow mums - that bowl is the matriarch of the sound family. They all have their own energies/personalities, one is earthy and gentle, one is loud and celestial, one is velvety yet determined. When you connect with a bowl, you get to know it intimately; what it can do, what it doesn't like doing, how it reacts to different stimuli.
I use the Tibetan bowls in two different ways - on the body and off the body.
I may place a bowl on someone's body if I feel they need a more physical, vibrational experience of the bowls. When played off the body, the vibrations are making their impact, but this physical connection steps it up to the next level. The bowl is much more in touch with a client and their flow when in contact with the physical body.
The use of Tibetan Bowls OFF the body is not to be overlooked, for it is also profoundly powerful. I feel that when they’re played this way, they’re more targeted to the nervous system and the brain. The sound of a Tibetan Bowl ringing can stir the deepest memories of your body and soul, and bring them to the surface to be explored, transmuted and healed in a pain free way. They may stir up some tears, but that's just a sign that the good vibrations are working.
These bowls are an absolute staple of my healing kit, they were the first exposure to the world of sound and vibrational healing.