Our bodies are made up of up to 60% water, creating a malleable ground for transformation on all fronts. At the microscopic level, crystalline structures serve as the blueprint communicating how our bodies will function daily. The ancients knew this information for a long time and used it to their advantage when working with the natural world to harness energy and promote healing.
The words we speak to the music we listen to show a strong pull between the effects sound has on our physical, emotional, and energetic bodies. To this day, crystal singing bowls have become integrated into modern modalities to harmonize mental states, reconfigure physical ailments, and inspire a more profound presence.
Vibrational mechanisms behind singing bowls
Quartz crystal is the central ingredient found in crystal singing bowls. This is due to their powerful ability to amplify energy. When struck, quartz serves as a conduit that magnifies thought, intention and directs brainwaves to an alpha or theta state-similar to what you might experience during meditation or deep slumber. As the vibrations travel through space and ultimately hit our bodies, the sound continues to move through our physical components, clearing out stagnant energies or blockages.
While the effects aren’t visible to the naked eye, sound is a highly structured and sophisticated mechanism. To get a brief understanding of how sound moves through matter, we can look at cymatics and Dr. Masaru Emoto’s Japanese water experiments where geometric shapes were altered through vibration. Dr. Emoto was also an avid supporter of the 528 Hz solfeggio frequency, known as the love frequency, experienced as the core of everything.
Different frequencies correlate with different channels of vibrations that can dramatically alter the energetic bodies. If you are feeling called to connect with sound in this way, there are many options available such as attending sound baths, working one-on-one with a sound therapist, or using your crystal singing bowl at home.
Why work with crystal singing bowls for self-healing?
I need to emphasize crystal singing bowls are an incredible external mechanism that can invite harmony to our experience. With that being said, remember external tools reflect what our internal worlds are capable of. While immensely helpful, we must meet these modalities with pure intention and respect rather than as a crutch or escape.
When working with crystal singing bowls for self-regulation, many options are available, depending on what you feel you need most. For example, many bowls range in color, size, and musical note that correlate with specific properties. For example, if you feel stuck in creative expression or connection, this may suggest your sacral chakra is blocked. Working with an orange crystal singing bowl helps direct the frequency matched to assist in clearing these energies.
The overall effects singing bowls promote include reduced stress levels, relieving pain, nourish the emotional body, cleanse the chakra system, and strengthen the immune system to name a few.
Singing bowls correlate with each chakra center
Root Chakra: Red, C Note
Sacral Chakra: Orange, D Note
Solar Plexus: Yellow, E Note,
Heart Chakra: Green, F Note,
Throat Chakra: Blue, G Note,
Third Eye: Indigo, A Note,
Crown: Purple, B Note.
How do you work with singing bowls intentionally?
Working with vibrational forces is incredibly liberating when breaking down old thought patterns centered around healing. There is a place for both eastern and western practices to come together in a cohesive and integral approach. With this freedom comes a deeper level of care and responsibility, especially in our modern world where consumerism is at the forefront of quick solutions. When utilizing sound therapy, I have found the following approaches to be immensely helpful in embodying an integrated experience that creates a sort of dance or relationship with the tool of my choice.
How to play your crystal singing bowl
There are many techniques, but the striking and rimming approach is the most accessible for beginners. To strike, use the felt-padded striker or suede mallet and hit your quartz crystal bowl on its side. This is what creates the high initial pitch that can ring on for extended moments. From here, you can keep it at that or transition to the rimming approach. This is where you’ll take the felt-padded striker and gently motion it along the edge of the bowl as if you were mixing a nourishing pot of soup.
Mantra
Mantras are a powerful way to work with sound from an internal space and move the waters within. If you are starting on this journey, you can create your own mantra affirmations or connect with Sanskrit chants to deepen your state of entrainment.
When you verbally repeat a mantra in tandem with your crystal bowl, the sounds reverberate through waves and offer new forms of clarity. An example might include, “I create a fruitful life through authentic expression.” However, selecting or creating your mantra is up to you and depends on what you are calling in or clearing.
Meditation
Singing bowls can offer a deeper level to meditations by clearing out vibratory fluctuations in the mind. When sitting to meditate, you might find it helpful to strike your singing bowl one to three times to neutralize the space. In different meditation modalities, such as Zazen, striking the bowl helps indicate transitions between sitting and walking meditations. Since this is your practice, you can decide how to integrate this into your flow best.
In fact, the act of playing a singing bowl can be its own meditation, depending on your approach, posture, and intention. You may even feel guided to lead others through a meditation or yoga practice or implement alchemy singing bowls. Your intuition is your greatest guide and will lead you to the tools most resonant for your process.
External Resources
“Frequency + Intent = Healing”
Chakras and notes and singing bowls
Why I Bought My Own Tibetan Singing Bowl for Meditation