Singing Bowls
A calm, cool, peaceful bliss overtakes you, and you enter a state of serenity.
The day’s worries melt away.
Your transformation is accompanied by the smooth, brassy, caramel tones of a singing bowl. Vibrating brass and clear crystal expressions resonate with your body as you release the concerns of your day and dip into a space of spiritual connection.
The sounds (be they deep and throaty or high and clear) of singing bowls have been used for ages to facilitate the transition from worldly concerns to a space of peace and healing. If you are looking to purchase a singing bowl of your own, you have no doubt been captivated by the calming effects of these simple spiritual tools.
With that in mind, Being Zen has put together a list of 11 of the best singing bowls available in 2023.
What Is A Singing Bowl?
This is an example of what a singing bowl sounds like:
Singing bowls are also sometimes referred to as standing bells. Generally, the tone is produced by gently striking the outside of the bowl or rubbing the outer rim in a circular fashion with a wooden mallet.
Singing bowls can be hand-hammered or produced by machines. They are made out of many different materials, but bronze and brass are two of the most common forms. Also commonly referred to as meditation bowls, prayer bowls, chakra bowls, or crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls commonly have religious or spiritual writings etched on the outside of the bowl. They come in many different sizes, from full-size bowls that are several feet deep to small bowls that fit in the palm of your hand.
While the history of singing bowls probably dates back to around 500 BC, it wasn’t until the 1970s that they were commonly imported to the West. Now, singing bowls are a common staple of meditation, yoga, chanting, sound therapy, ASMR, and many more wellness-centered practices across the world.
Singing bowls are available from a wide variety of producers across the world, though they are most commonly manufactured in Nepal and China. They range in price from as little as $10-20 USD for small machine-manufactured bowls, all the way up through several thousand dollars for large and rare hand-crafted pieces.
What, you may wonder, is the best singing bowl for me? Clearly, singing bowls come in many sizes and styles and emit distinctly different tones.
The Different Types Of Singing Bowls
Thadobati Singing Bowls: Thado means straight. The Thadobati bowl is a medium sized singing bowl between 6 and 9 inches in diameter with relatively straight high walls. Believed to be the oldest style of singing bowl, these bowls tend to have thick walls, flat bottoms, and little to no lip.
Jambati Singing Bowls: This Nepali term refers to bowls with a large diameter. Often measuring 8-14 inches in diameter, these bowls have relatively high walls and produce a deep sound. Jambati bowls often have visible hammer marks and circles etched into the metal on the inside of the bowl.
Remuna Singing Bowls: Similar in shape and sound to the Thadobati bowls, these singing bowls have inward sloping walls and flat bottoms. You will frequently find complex artwork adorning the thinner walls of these singing bowls.
Manipuri Singing Bowls: Easily distinguished by its shape, the Manipuri singing bowl is shallow with a sloping base. These bowls tend to be smaller than other singing bowls and emit a higher tone.
Void Singing Bowls: These Tibetan singing bowls can be identified by their “pie-lip” construction where the forged metal has been folded over and trimmed. It is believed that these bowls derived their name from the concept of “void” used in Tibetan Buddhism. This concept holds that the individual is inseparable from the All.
Lingam Singing Bowls: Viewed as the rarest style of singing bowl, this type of bowl has a cone rising up from its center. Taking its name from the Sanskrit word for “phallus,” this bowl was made for ceremonial use and prayer. The Lingam singing bowl produces a full deep tone that sometimes pulses and resonates for an extended period.
Stay In Touch With Being Zen:
The 11 Best Singing Bowls Available in 2023
1) Ohm Store Tibetan Singing Bowl Set
This beautiful 3.5-inch singing bowl. Handmade in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, comes with a handsewn cushion and a wooden striker. Small enough to fit into your hand, this modestly priced singing bowl generates a strong clear tone sure to encourage a state of spiritual peace. Embellished with simple lines and bearing hammer strikes, this earthy piece will enhance any meditative practice.
Buy On Amazon
2) Silent Mind-Tibetan Singing Bowl
This 4-inch singing bowl comes with a striker and a handmade resting pillow. Exhibiting an antique Tibetan design, this lovely bowl emits a mesmerizing tone that will hang in the air as you enjoy your daily yoga or meditation practice. Ideal for sound healing and meditative practices, this bowl fits easily into your hand.
Buy On Amazon
3) Being Zen Premium 5″ Singing Bowl
This high-quality brass singing bowl comes with a wooden handcrafted striker and a beautiful vibrantly colored pillow-rest. Emitting a strong clear tone, this lovely 5-inch singing bowl is an ideal addition to your spiritual practice. This stunning bowl, engraved with the traditional Tibetan Buddhist mantra “on mani padme hun,” emits a clear B note that resonates through the body. This note corresponds with the crown chakra.
Buy On Amazon
4) Thamelmart 4″ Tibetan Singing Bowl Set:
Created in a small, family-run, business in Nepal, this petite hand-crafted singing bowl comes with a hand sewn silk cushion and wooden striker. Decorated with the Auspicious Seven Lucky Symbols, this lovely 4inch bowl, emits a personal tone. The bowl’s exact sound depends upon the specific composition of the Seven Metals use in its construction and the exact cast of the form of the bowl.
Buy On Amazon
5) Your First Yoga Singing Bowl Set
This lovely 3.2-inch handmade brass bowl is ideal for traveling. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, this simple singing bowl comes with a peach wood striker and a brightly colored silk cushion. This inexpensive little bowl offers peaceful hanging tones to help you set the ambiance when taking your practice away from home.
Buy On Amazon
6) Artncraft Tibetan Singing Bowl with Striker
This inexpensive 4.5-inch Tibetan singing bowl, made with seven metals, comes with a wooden striker. Painted both inside and out with decorative elements, this lovely little bowl offers an enchanting tone when struck with the accompanying striker.
Buy On Amazon
7) Tibetan Singing Bowl Set with Traditional Prayer Flag:
Painted in a lovely bright color, this metal singing bowl comes with a matching hand sewn pillow, Tibetan Pray Flags, and a wooden striker. Spanning approximately 4-inches, this beautiful bowl resonates with a strong and clear F sharp.
Buy On Amazon
8) Thamelmart 8.5″ Root Chakra Hand Hammered Singing Bowl
Emitting deep tones that reverberate throughout your space and are associated with the Root Chakra, this antique finished brass bowl will be a welcome addition to any practice. The set comes with a handmade 8.5-inch wide brass bowl measuring approximately 3.75-inches deep, a wrapped wooden striker, Tingsha Cymbals, a drum stick, and a colorful silk cushion.
Buy On Amazon
9) SBN Set of 5 Hand Hammered Tibetan Singing Bowls
This set of handcrafted brass Buddhists singing bowls, made with the Seven Auspicious Metals, will delight practitioners seeking a range of tones. Each bowl comes with its own wooden striker and resting cushion. When struck, each bowl emits a tone associated with one of the five chakras.
Buy On Amazon
10) TOPFUND 8″ Crystal Singing Bowl
Made of quartz crystal, this modern twist on the traditional singing bowl offers the owner a strong clear tone. This particular bowl emits a clear F note associated with the heart chakra. More fragile than their brass counterparts, this bowl is ideal for the practitioner seeking a simple modern look and clear tone. The set comes complete with a high-quality crystal bowl, a rubber mallet for striking, and an O ring for resting.
Buy On Amazon
Finding The Right Singing Bowl
Regardless of your personal taste and intention, there is a singing bowl out there for you. Each of these bowls offers beauty in both appearance and sound. Many of the bowls reviewed here are economically priced, so you can easily make them a thoughtful gift or buy a variety to adorn all of your sacred spaces.
What Is A Singing Bowl?
A singing bowl is a type of standing bell that produces a sustained musical note. Generally, a tone is produced by either striking the outside of the bowl or rubbing the outer rim in a circular fashion. Singing bowls can be hand-hammered or machine produced and they are made from many different materials. Also commonly referred to as meditation bowls, prayer bowls, chakra bowls, or crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls commonly have religious or spiritual writings etched on the outside of the bowl, and they come in many different sizes, shapes, and designs.
What Is Written On A Singing Bowl?
There are many different writings often featured on singing bowls, but one of the most common (including the Being Zen Singing Bowl), is Om mani padme hum, a traditional Tibetan mantra. Om mani padme hum has many different translations and interpretations, but the 14th Dalai Lama described it as follows:
“….The six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha…”
It is said that the translation of a mantra is less important than the mantra itself, so apply Om mani padme hum (or whatever the mantra may be) to your own practice!
What Are Singing Bowls Made Of?
Singing bowls are most commonly made out of brass alloy. Older antique bowls are sometimes made out of an alloy of copper and tin, known as “bell metal”. It is sometimes said that traditional singing bowls are made out of an alloy of seven metals, each representing a heavenly body. Gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin, and lead are the most common metals mentioned. Crystal singing bowls are sometimes made of synthetic crystal. It can be difficult to tell the difference between an antique bowl and a modern singing bowl, and the sounds produced by both are often indistinguishable.
The History Of Singing Bowls
There is a lot that we don’t know about the history and origin of singing bowls. It is often said that they originated during the pre-Buddhist Tibetan religious tradition known as “Bon”, but there is actually little evidence linking singing bowls to early Tibetan texts. Some scholars say that they originated as food bowls in ancient Buddhist communities, but again, there is much disagreement as to the validity of such claims. It is more likely that traditional standing bellswere an active part of early Tibetan Buddhist rituals, though there was little emphasis placed on the “singing” aspect of such instruments.
Others say that singing bowls date as far back as 560-480 BC and were brought from India to Tibet along with Buddhism in the 8th century AD. Again, evidence for such speculation is sparse, but oral traditions suggest that singing bowls made an appearance in Eastern culture far earlier than historical texts indicate.
Regardless of the true origin of singing bowls, their modern-day uses are plentiful.
How Are Singing Bowls Used?
- Some people use the relaxing tone of a singing bowl to signal the start or end of a meditation session.
- Singing bowls are commonly used in Western yoga classes to transition between the different elements of a program.
- In energy healing, the vibrations of a singing bowl are thought to carry restorative powers and are used to aide the Chakra alignment.
- Sometimes, a bowl is even placed directly on a person’s body, allowing the vibration to act as a massage, helping to relax strained or tense muscles.
- The sustained tone of a singing bowl can be used as a guided meditation device, alongside traditional chanting or prayer rituals. Focusing deeply on the sustained tone is thought to be another form of meditation, similar to a mantra in transcendental meditation, or the effect of traditional Buddhist chanting.
Of course, this list barely scratches the surface of the many different ways in which people use singing bowls today.
How Do You Play A Singing Bowl?
There are many different methods for producing sound from a singing bowl.
However, to truly practice with a singing bowl, it’s important to realize that playing the bowl is only half of the practice! Listening is the other half, and it’s equally important.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to playing a singing bowl, recommended for beginners without much experience:
Sit in a comfortable spot. Some people might prefer a meditation cushion on the floor, but a chair will work just as well. Sit wherever you are comfortable!
- Before playing your singing bowl, start by focusing on your breath for a few moments. Similar to a vipassana meditation practice, focusing on the breath helps to calm the everyday noise of the mind. When playing a singing bowl, just play the singing bowl.
- Gently strike the outside of the bowl with the soft end of the wooden mallet.
- Listen. Truly listen to the tone produced by striking the outside of the meditation bowl. Try to focus on each overtone, and listen through the entire sustain until the tone completely dies down. This might take 30 seconds. Patience is key!
- Now, strike the bowl gently again with the soft end of the mallet. This time, after 2 or 3 seconds, turn the mallet over and bring the wooden end to outside of the rim. Gently rub the outside of the bowl with the wooden end of the mallet in a slow, circular fashion. It will probably take some practice to get used to the amount of pressure required, but as you rub the outside rim, you should hear the bowl slowly start to “sing”. The bowl will produce a slow, sustaining tone that will gradually increase in volume as you continue to move the striker.
- Listen! Focus on the sound that is produced by rubbing the outside of the bowl. Listen to how the overtones change while rubbing the bowl versus striking the bowl. Try to notice the subtleties in the sound produced by each end of the striker. If you feel your mind start to wander, calmly come back to the sound of the singing bowl. That is the practice!
- You might ask yourself: where does the striker end? Where does the bowl begin? Who is hearing the sound of the singing bowl?
- Try playing the meditation bowl again, but this time, instead of striking the bowl with the mallet first, simply start by rubbing the outside of the top edge of the bowl. Try using both the wooden end of the striker and the soft end. It’s possible to make it sing with either, and each material produces a distinctive sound! You might have to experiment with different levels of pressure depending on which end you use. Sometimes, as the bowl starts to vibrate and “sing”, it’s easy to lose contact with the rim, interrupting the sound. It simply takes practice to get the feel just right and sustain the singing overtone.
- Most importantly: listen! Each time you play the bowl, remember to listen. It’s not about achieving the perfect sound. It’s about hearing each note. It’s about being present and focusing just on the sound as it is being played. It’s neither good nor bad. It just is. Playing a singing bowl is really no different than sitting on the cushion to meditate, or chanting with a group at a temple. The point is to listen. Y
- our mind will wander, and that’s okay. When you notice, come back and listen once more. Whatever path you happen to be on, focusing on the sound of the singing bowl is just another way to practice.
All of this is to say, there’s no one right way to play a singing bowl. Experiment, and find the way that is most pleasing to you!
Whatever it happens to be, we hope that discovering the tradition of Tibetan singing bowls will be a meaningful addition to your practice.