The best thing about singing bowls is that, like yoga, they belong more to a science then to a religion. You can believe whatever you want to believe but as long as you keep even half an open mind about it listening to singing bowls will allow certain feelings, sensations to arise in you. And yes you could argue that they are a bit strange but once you have given them a chance you might fall in love with them. It is impossible to listen to the sound of one for more than 15 minutes and not feel good. And it’s not like alcohol or any other drug because they do not create an addiction. The singing bowls simply create a marvelous feeling that can be a part of you for several hours.
The best thing, if you are thinking of giving the singing bowls a try, is to try using something small that would look good on a table top even if you never ever use it. That way you can keep a playful attitude about it and not worry if it’s a big thing or not.
Something like this 3 inch blue meditation bowl. It is one of the smallest singing bowls you could find and the beautiful colors on guarantee that you will be able to enjoy it even if you won’t be playing it for very long. Of course the sound itself won’t be the most complex you could get but it might just get you to the point where you are willing to invest more of yourself in this art.
Colors are not mandatory in the singing bowls tradition but they certainly make a pleasing difference to the eye and it is no coincidence that they are blue because that is the color of the heart chakra, the one accessed amplified by the famous “Om Mane Padme Om” mantra of the Tibetans.
That is why we can still find some great 5’ singing bowls that are colored in blue. Of course this would be a good time to turn old school, and go with the classical bronze look and feel. But don’t forget to be playful and just enjoy what you are doing because that is the porpoise of the bowl, to get to enjoy life, enjoy whatsoever you are doing.
Just like any other developing passion you will soon start to find that one or two singing bowls is just not enough and this is particular true in this case because the more you listen to the sounds the more you will realize there is not just one sound, there are cycles upon cycles of harmonic ranges. And some of the more complex ranges can be found only as the singing bowls get bigger.
One of the 6’ ranges of bowls is still quite manageable so it is still easy to find and it will deliver a much richer experience then the smaller ones. It is possible to go even bigger than 7’ to singing bowls that reach 10 inches.
These are more difficult to handle if held in the hand so the support provided with them a certain skill of touching them without putting too much pressure will yield a beautiful complete sound. Also these singing bowls are used also for healing which is their main porpoise and you can read more about that here.