Centuries ago, bowls were made in Tibet by Buddist monks that are now being revered here in America by therapists and healers not just for their beautiful and harmonic sounds, but also for their potential healing qualities.
Called Tibetan song bowls, they are carried in the palm of the hand and tapped with a puja, or wooden stick wrapped with twine, producing unique and long-lasting vibratory “songs” that are multiphonic, -simultaneously producing multiple harmonic overtones The pitch depends upon the size, thickness and weight of the bowls. The contact application and force also influence the sounds.
How the bowls were made centuries ago is apparently a lost art form. New ones are being produced, yet most will agree they do not achieve the deep. haunting tones of the ancient bowls. Apparently they were made with a secret combination of metals. It is often thought to have been gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin and lead to correspond with the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, respectively. Where contemporary bowls are often cast bronze, early ones were hammered by hand over time.
The beautiful hum that resonates from the bowls is believed to
facilitate mediation, and to encourage physical, emotional and
spiritual healing.
Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, former director of Medical Oncology at the Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center and New York Hospital explains, "If we accept that sound is vibration and we know that vibration touches every part of our physical being, then we understand that sound is heard not only through our ears but through every cell in our bodies. One reason sound heals on a physical level is because it so deeply touches and transforms us on the emotional and spiritual planes. Sound can redress imbalances on every level of physiologic functioning and can play a positive role in the treatment of virtually any medical disorder."
Dr. Gaynor, who also wrote the Book, “The Healing Power of Sound:
Recovery from Life-Threatening Illness Using Sound Voice and Music,”
also notes, "Sound enters the healing equation from several
directions: It may alter cellular functions through energetic
effects; it may entrain biological systems to function more
homeostatically; it may calm the mind and therefore the body; or it
may have emotional effects, which influence neurotransmitters and
neuropeptides, which in turn help to regulate the immune system--the
healer within."