Arriving in Kathmandu
Arriving in the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu Airport, I was met with an overwhelming cacophony of sound. The beeping of mopeds, the cries of hawkers, and the revving of traffic gave an extra layer of atmosphere on top of my already heightened feelings of excitement at what was to be a truly wonderful adventure. Everything was vibrant, chaotic, and buzzy. I was here not just to discover the sounds of the city but to explore how the power of sound can help us in our day-to-day lives—and to learn how I can use it to help others, as well as myself.
The Power of Sound
My journey with sound as a tool to aid meditation has not been long, but one that has pulled me in quickly. It is a well-known fact that music sets the mood for any occasion—what would Jaws be without its climatic, menacing theme music or what would a successful dance party look like without an upbeat soundtrack to get us moving? They would both feel pretty flat.
We commonly listen to music that matches our emotions—love songs if we are broken-hearted or our favorite 90s song if we are nostalgic. So using sound as a method to help us achieve a state of deep meditation or relaxation to reset our emotional and mental state makes complete sense to me, as we are already naturally inclined to respond to any sounds around us in a multitude of ways.
The Himalayan Singing Bowls
The Nepalese have been using the Himalayan Sound Bowls (or Tibetan bowls) for over 2500 years—not just to aid meditation but also as a form of healing therapy through the vibrational qualities and the euphoric sounds that the bowls produce. This ancient practice appears to be increasing in popularity in the Western world, alongside other forms of sound meditation and therapies.
As we explore more mindfulness techniques to counteract our busy and sometimes pressured lives, sound meditation is evolving and growing. My experience in Nepal would lead me to discover how this practice can help us balance our physical, mental, and spiritual energy.
A Journey into the Mountains
My journey took me from Kathmandu east to Pokhara, then a 2-hour drive into the countryside and a hike up to a secluded meditation center in the mountains. The view was breathtaking—the peaks of the Annapurna region jutting up into the sky in what seemed like a painting in its perfection. The stark white of the snowy caps against the vibrant blues (and sometimes pinks, purples, oranges, and reds depending on the time of day) of the sky made it challenging to tear my attention away.
Here I learned about the Singing Bowls; experiencing sound meditations, learning the theories and benefits, and then playing my own sessions. It opened up my eyes to how deep and beneficial this practice is.
Sound Meditation: A Gateway to Relaxation
Being able to focus on demand and regulate our nervous systems can be a real challenge day-to-day. We are told about the benefits of meditation, but this does not come easy to many people. Sound meditation (at least for me) is a method that makes meditation more accessible. From the first strike of the bowl, I am more quickly transported into an Alpha (relaxed state) or even Theta (deep meditation or light sleep) brainwaves than I would be through silent meditation techniques.
How Do Singing Bowls Work?
Imagine this: a bowl is full of water, and when the side of the bowl is struck, the water ripples and vibrates, sending patterns running across the surface. Our bodies are made of 60% water. When the vibrations of the Singing Bowls are coursing through us, it can stimulate our blood vessels and nerves on a cellular level, making it deeply effective to relax us and also to balance out and unblock our energy centres (Chakras).
The idea of making sound visible is a concept called cymatics, first discovered in the 18th Century by Ernst Chladni, using sand on metal plates.
Our Vagus nerve starts in our brainstem, branching out to our ears and extending down to our abdomen—so stimulation of this nerve through the sounds and vibrations of the bowls can reach far beyond our ears, giving our bodies a sense of deep relaxation and mood regulation.
What Are the Benefits of the Singing Bowls?
- Gaining clarity and higher intuition
- Mood regulation
- Stress and tension release
- Balancing out of Chakras (our energy centers), clearing any blockages to energy flow to increase creativity and motivation
- Release stuck emotions
- Improves sleep
- Regulates focus
- Connection with higher self
- Release overthinking
- Pleasure
Whilst it may not be able to exclusively heal in a medical sense, sound meditations are an aid to identifying the root of physical and mental blockages that need to be cleansed. It can be a pathway to healing.
Reaching a heightened state of meditation and relaxation can promote a higher sense of wellness, which filters to every part of our bodies, leading to better strength and immunity.
A Scientific Perspective
In 2018, Gerrit Nitsche discovered the use of combining singing bowls and binaural frequencies, which he calls binaural entrainment. This technique has the potential to enhance the brain’s electrical activity and improve mental states such as relaxation or meditation—giving us clarity and heightened awareness we seek.
When we hear the sound of more than one singing bowl at the same time, we are experiencing different audio frequencies, and our brain starts to bridge the gap between them, enhancing brainwave activity.¹
Conclusion
My experience of sound meditation through the Singing Bowls when I was in Nepal was one that I am truly privileged to have had. The teachings I received showed me that not only is the art of the Singing Bowls a wise ancient practice but is one that can be taken into our modern world and adapted to support new and evolving needs.
In a world where we crave better focus, clarity, and a sense of peace—for me, the journey starts with sound and the singing bowls.
Watch this space as I share more.
¹ https://www.soundofhimalaya.com/about – 2018, Gerrit Nitsche