Singing bowl

A singing bowl is a bowl-shaped instrument, made from metal alloy or crystal, that produces a long, resonant tone when struck or when a mallet is circled around its rim. In a home practice it is most often used as a simple marker, a strike to open a session, another to close it, or a sustained tone to signal the start or end of a meditation timer.

Metal bowls tend to produce a warmer, more layered tone and come in a wide range of sizes, while crystal bowls are typically larger, louder and produce a purer single tone. Either style works fine as a practice marker, the choice usually comes down to preferred sound and how much space there is to store one.

The common confusion is expecting a specific therapeutic effect from the sound itself, when for most home practitioners its real value is simpler: a consistent, calming cue that signals the brain to shift from daily activity into practice mode, and back out again at the end.