February 2017 - Spectrum Wellbeing Blog

Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls and Healing

Many people use crystal bowls alongside healing systems such as Reiki or with treatments such as aromatherapy or reflexology. The sound produced by bowls seems to work on the energy system of the human body balancing clearing and grounding. Some people use bowls at the end of a healing session where it can provide a calming end to the treatment. Others prefer to start by playing bowls or using them at some point during the session. When to use the sound of singing bowls is best left to the therapist’s intuition and knowledge of how their therapy works best.

Some people want to use particular bowls with specific notes although we feel that any bowl will do good work regardless of whether it is clear or frosted, large or small. It is advised to play singing bowls gently, at least initially, and to be guided by the reaction of the person receiving the treatment or therapy.

The energy of crystal bowls can be directed or modified using crystals and other techniques which we will cover in another post.

Meditation and Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls

One of the main difficulties people find with meditation is unwanted thoughts that appear. All too often one thought leads to another and the person meditating only becomes aware of these thoughts after several minutes.

Playing a bowl produces a sound which the person meditating will be aware of, but this sound seems to inhibit thoughts. The bowl should be played very gently so that the sound is not overwhelming or too intense. The sound does not necessarily need to continue throughout. Bowls can be played for a few minutes at the beginning to help all of the people get into the meditation. At the end the sound of a crystal bowl can gently end the meditation without anyone needing to speak. This technique works well equally well with groups of people.

Space Clearing with Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls

Sound is a well known technique for space clearing and improving the energy in rooms. Some people prefer to move the bowl around the room to play in different position. Because of the power of crystal bowls, there is really no need to do this. The bowl can be played to work on all areas of the room or space that you are clearing.

Space clearing needs to be repeated at regular intervals.

Crystal Singing Bowls as Musical Instruments

Glass Harmonica or Armonica

Benjamin Franklin invented the glass harmonica or armonica using a series of tuned glass bowls mounted on a shaft operated with a treadle. Mozart, Beethoven and many others composed pieces incorporating this instrument.

Some people now use crystal bowls alongside other musical instruments. If you want bowls to be accurately tuned to a particular note please get in touch and we can let you know which bowls are most closely tuned.

Having said this, something about the quality and complexity of the sound of crystal bowls mean that they often break the rules of harmony. Playing combinations of notes that would be discordant on other instruments often produces interesting harmonies.

We are often asked about choosing crystal bowls so this seems a good topic to start off our new blog.

There are three types of crystal singing bowls – frosted, clear and practitioner. All are made from pure quartz. To some extent the choice is down to personal preference but there are several factors you may like to consider when choosing a bowl.

Choosing Frosted Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls

These are the most popular and probably the best known type of crystal bowl. The quartz is smooth on the inside and textured on the outside which gives them their frosted appearance. Larger bowls tend to have deeper notes and a longer resonance although any size of frosted crystal bowl will be very resonant.

These are the easiest bowls to play as the soft rubber bowl playing stick is very forgiving. Some people choose to play frosted bowls with suede-covered wooden sticks, but we feel these are more difficult to use and make a scraping noise as they go around the bowl.

If you want to have a frosted singing bowl that is easily portable we suggest that you choose a bowl 14 inches or less in diameter. Larger bowls can be very heavy and awkward to carry around.

We stock bowls from 10 inches to 18 inches in diameter (about 25 to 38 cm). We avoid 8 inch and smaller frosted bowls which we find are often disappointing compared to the larger ones.

Look at our current stock and order Frosted Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls. The prices include a rubber ring to hold the bowl steady and a rubber ball playing stick.

Choosing Clear Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls

These bowls are smaller than frosted bowls and are made from quartz tubing which is completely clear. We stock bowls from 130mm to 202mm in diameter (about 5 to 8 inches). Like frosted singing bowls they are placed on a rubber ring to make them easier to play using a hard rubber ball playing stick.

There is a knack to playing these bowls, similar to the method of playing metal Tibetan singing bowls, and they are not quite as simple to play as frosted bowls. The stick needs to be kept at an even pressure on the surface of the quartz to avoid clanging noises. After a bit of practice you will be able to play these well.

Most clear bowls play fairly high pitched notes although larger bowls, such as 180 or 202mm diameter, can play surprisingly deep notes. Some larger clear quartz bowls can play more than one note or sound. Some play two distinct notes according to where the playing stick is placed, while others sound as if they are playing a chord.

Clear singing bowls make a sound that is more direct than that of frosted bowls. Some people are attracted to this quality of sound while others prefer the gentler quality of sound produced by frosted bowls. This is where personal preference will guide your choice.

Look at our current stock and order Clear Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls. Prices include a rubber ring and a playing stick.

Choosing Practitioner Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls

Practitioner bowls are clear bowls fitted with a tubular handle. They can be moved around easily as you play them with the same kind of hard rubber playing stick that you use for clear crystal bowls. The quality of sound is exactly the same as clear crystal bowls. It is possible to put small crystals inside the handle if you wish. You will need a cork or something similar to hold these in place. We stock them in various sizes from 150mm to 180mm diameter (about 6 to 7.2 inches).

Look at our current stock and order Clear Quartz Crystal Practitioner Singing Bowls. Prices include a playing stick.

Month: February 2017

How to Use Crystal Singing Bowls