Exercises: playing singing bowls, listening and perceiving
Striking or playing a singing bowl leads us to listen deeply. Listening deeply is more than hearing: it means perceiving the sounds with your whole body. During the following singing bowl exercises, open yourself completely to the sounds, physical sensations, thoughts and feelings. The exercises are simple, and you can do them yourself at home at any time with a singing bowl. Listening to the sounds guides you inward and into a soothing silence, while whatever is happening around you fades into the background.
Singing bowl exercise 1: How to play your singing bowl and find inner calm
This exercise is a kind of sound meditation. Make yourself comfortable and place the Peter Hess® Universal Bowl or another high-quality singing bowl directly in front of you on a cushion or another surface that allows it to vibrate.
Strike and hear the nuances of the sound
Now gently strike your singing bowl and take in its sound. You may want to close your eyes to fully immerse yourself in the sounds. Can you hear the different nuances? The higher and lower tones together create a wonderful sound rich in overtones.
Feel the sound
Listen to the sound with your whole body and become one with it. You may feel how your body is touched by the sound vibrations. Can you feel the sound?
Let your breath become calmer
After a while, you can play your singing bowl again. As you listen to the sounds swelling and fading, your breath becomes calmer, deeper and more relaxed. If you like, take a few deep, conscious breaths. The silence after each sound creates a pleasant calm within you. Enjoy the sounds for as long as you like and notice their relaxing, harmonizing effect.
Sense the afterglow
Now put the singing bowl and mallet aside and stay with your eyes closed for a moment to sense the afterglow. You may still feel the sounds even though they have already faded: they continue to resonate within you. How do you feel now, what is going on inside you, how do you perceive your body? Take your time and simply observe without judging.
Closing
Finally, take a few more deep breaths and have a good stretch.
Good to know
If you do not feel the sounds in all areas of your body the first time you practice, that is completely fine. Like so many things in life, perceiving sounds takes practice. We therefore recommend doing the sound exercises regularly: ideally every day, but for a shorter time.
Singing bowl exercise 2: Experiencing the sounds of the singing bowl via the hand reflex zones
In this exercise, try to keep your attention fully on the area of the body being addressed. This way, you can experience how the sound vibrations gradually spread through your body. Used regularly, this short sound meditation can be a valuable companion in everyday life. The whole body is stimulated via the reflex zones. This makes this singing bowl exercise particularly helpful for preventing stress and overload early on or reducing them regularly and for strengthening your own health.
Preparation
Sit comfortably. Open your right hand with the palm facing up. If it is more comfortable for you, you can also rest your hand on a cushion. Now place the singing bowl on your palm.
Strike the singing bowl
Gently strike your singing bowl on the outside of its upper rim. At first, simply listen to the sounds. In the next step, expand your perception to include feeling. Consciously notice the vibrations of the singing bowl in your palm. You feel the delicate vibrations of the sounding singing bowl on your palm and focus all your attention on them. The vibrations move gently across the skin and through the palm.
Feel the vibrations throughout your body
Now expand your attention to your entire body: let the sounds flow through it. Feel how the sound vibrations spread from your palm to your right wrist and then to your right forearm, your right elbow, your right upper arm, your right shoulder, your neck area and finally your entire body.
Switch sides
Take enough time to perceive the sounds in your body. When you are ready, place the singing bowl on your left hand and repeat the process as with your right hand.
Sense the afterglow
Now put the singing bowl and mallet aside and stay with your eyes closed for a moment to sense the afterglow. If you like, take a few deep, conscious breaths. Be fully present with yourself: how do you feel, what is going on inside you, how do you perceive your body?
Closing
Finally, take a few more deep breaths and have a good stretch. Return to everyday life at your own pace.
Would you like even more detailed instructions for a sound exercise? In this video, we show you step by step how to give yourself a sound massage for your hands at home.
Singing bowl exercise 3: Sound relaxation for the abdomen
The abdomen is a particularly sensitive area of the body that can react to stressful situations with digestive problems, abdominal pain or stomachaches. Playing singing bowls creates sounds that are a wonderful way to gently relax the abdomen.
The exercise invites you to consciously perceive the sounds and vibrations in your abdominal area.
Preparation
Lie loosely on your back and make yourself as comfortable as possible. Place the singing bowl on your solar plexus chakra. It is located about a hand’s width above your navel. Make sure that your head and the arm you want to use to strike the singing bowl are well supported so that there is no unnecessary effort or tension.
Strike and play the singing bowl
Now gently play the singing bowl on the outside of its upper rim. If you like, close your eyes and focus your attention entirely on your solar plexus chakra. Notice how the sounds gently massage this area and how a pleasant relaxation gradually spreads from there. Take a deep breath and repeat this process several times.
Move the singing bowl
After striking the singing bowl a few times on your solar plexus chakra, slide it a little further down onto your lower abdomen so that the singing bowl touches your pubic bone. Now gently strike the singing bowl here a few times. Take your time between strikes and feel the vibration spreading. Then slide the singing bowl back onto your solar plexus chakra and strike it there again about three to five times.
Sense the afterglow
What do you feel now and how are you? Simply notice without judging. Put the singing bowl and mallet aside and stay with your eyes closed for a moment to sense the afterglow. If you like, take a few deep, conscious breaths. You may still feel the sounds even though the audible sound has already faded.
Closing
Finally, have a good long stretch before you open your eyes and bring your attention fully back to the here and now.
Singing bowl exercise 4: Playing the singing bowl in the evening as a ritual to help you fall asleep
The sounds of the singing bowl always have a holistic effect on body, mind and soul and help racing thoughts come to rest. After a stressful day, the sound relaxation for the abdomen from exercise 3 is a good way to fall asleep and sleep through the night more easily. As you listen to the sounds and perceive the vibrations, the burden of everyday life gradually falls away from you.
You can use this evening ritual to let the images of the day pass by without holding on to them. Playing the singing bowl helps you do this as a neutral observer. This way, you can see what went particularly well and what was lovely, and also what was not so pleasant and what you might want to do differently next time. Then let your thoughts slowly come to rest so that your body relaxes more and more. It is quite possible that you will drift into a deep sleep right after the exercise.
The evening sounds also work wonderfully as a bedtime ritual with children. You can look back on the day together or accompany the bedtime story with the sounds. There are many possibilities.
Singing bowl exercise 5: Foot bath with a singing bowl
A foot bath with sound can be a very special experience. The vibrations of the singing bowl spread evenly through the water and flow from there into your feet and legs. For this very gentle way of taking in the sounds, you need a tub large enough to hold both your feet and a singing bowl.
This singing bowl exercise can help you ground yourself and relax and recharge your whole body with the power of sound.
Preparation
Fill the tub about halfway with warm water so that the water reaches above your ankles. If you like, add a few drops of pure essential oil. Lavender or peppermint oil, for example, are good for relaxing your feet and legs.
Placing the singing bowl
Place the tub in front of a chair and make yourself comfortable. You should be able to rest your feet in the warm water in a relaxed way. Now place the singing bowl on the surface of the water, ideally in front of or between your feet.
Creating sound
Pick up your singing bowl mallet and gently strike the singing bowl. Watch for a moment as the sound vibrations spread through the water and reach your legs.
Relax and perceive
Now close your eyes and feel how the sounds reach your body and gently massage it, rising upward from your feet. Imagine the sounds flowing through you like water and mindfully making their way through your body. Strike the singing bowl again as soon as the sound fades. Repeat this five to six times and enjoy the pleasant relaxation.
Ending the exercise
Let the vibrations slowly fade away and sense the afterglow for a few breaths. When you are ready, open your eyes, have a good stretch, take your feet out of the water and dry them. Take the singing bowl out of the water and carefully dry it as well.
Singing bowl exercise 6: Consciously connecting breath and sound
In this singing bowl exercise, you consciously connect your breathing with the sound of a singing bowl. Both can help you bring your attention back to the moment again and again and find a deep inner calm.
Preparation
Find a quiet place and sit comfortably. Place your singing bowl in front of you on a singing bowl cushion. If you like, close your eyes and first notice your natural breathing for a few breaths. Where can you feel the movement of your breath in your body?
Perceive breath and sound
Gently strike your singing bowl and listen to its sound. Notice how it arises, changes and slowly fades away. At the same time, observe your breathing without having to change it consciously. How does your breath flow when the sound of the singing bowl reaches you?
Play with your attention
Now you can consciously shift your attention between breath and sound. Stay fully with your breathing for a few breaths. Then strike the singing bowl again and turn your attention to the sound. Perhaps you will also manage to perceive both at the same time.
Repeat this shift a few times and observe with curiosity how your perception changes.
Sense the afterglow
Let the singing bowl fade out completely and put the mallet aside. Sense the afterglow for a moment: how do you perceive your breath now? How does your body feel? Is there anything that has changed?
Take your time before you turn your attention outward again.
Tip: This short singing bowl exercise also works wonderfully as a way into a meditation or as a mindful break in everyday life.
Playing the gong and experiencing deep relaxation
Much like the singing bowl exercises, you can also play a gong to reach a state of deep relaxation. Today, the gong plays an important role in sound and music therapy. This form of therapy has received more and more attention in recent years, as experiencing frequencies makes stress reduction, deep relaxation, overcoming fears and being in harmony with yourself possible.
Good to know
Like singing bowls, the gong has the advantage that its frequencies, especially the overtones, develop and spread slowly instead of quickly dying away as with other instruments. This means that these frequencies can be felt and internalized better with the whole body. If you open yourself up to it, playing the gong can help you experience balance and inner calm.