From Joan Steel
Kate Miller was our guest speaker on Himalayan Singing Bowls. She told us of their history in Nepal, Tibet and other Buddhist countries, and of how they have been used for hundreds of years in monasteries as both artifacts and in rituals.

Kate spoke of her many visits to Nepal and how she came to love and understand the properties of the bowls. When the bowls are gonged or stirred, they give out a beautifully haunting sound which is first of all strange, but then very relaxing. We not only heard the sound of the bowls, but felt the very strong vibrations given off when they are stirred. It is this vibrational energy that is so effective in meditation, relaxation and energy balancing. Kate explained how each bowl resonates with different energy centres in the body, chakras, and how the bowls can balanced this energy for wellbeing.

We were all able to experience how to play the bowls by gonging or stirring round the rim with a velvet covered wooden mallet, and we finished the session by participating in making our own harmonies.