Choosing &Playing A
Bowl
" don't be afraid to experiment and play - Change the stick, how you hold the bowl and find what works for you"
Choosing a bowl, stick and cushions –
you need all three to complement each other -" its not all about the Bowl "
The Puja Stick.
I list the stick first as in order to generate the sound you need to get the bowl to vibrate and you need to find a Puja stock that you are comfortable with – A person with a large hand may chose a large stick but combined with a small bowl can result in the user pushing the bowl off their hand.
Puja Sticks are simple wooden shaped tools for playing bowls – one end is open wood and the other end is covered in suede/leather. The preferred end to play/strike a bowl with is the suede/leather covered end.
Other sticks can have a simple cotton end and wooden end – the cotton end will allow you to strike a bowl but will not work when rubbed around the edge. Mallets with large Cotton heads can be used for striking larger bowls.
Keep trying different sticks with different bowls and find your combination
Note. Bowls over 24CM are better struck than rubbed and in general the smaller the bowl the smaller the stick and smaller bowls (less than 10CM diameter) can be harder to play than larger bowls.
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The Bowl.
Bowls are all individual, selecting a bowl is about the bowl selecting you. Bowls (and Puja sticks) work in partnership with you being …. With the Connection!!! When you have "your" bowl in your hand you will know.
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Choosing a Set of Bowls.
Whilst Avaja sell sets of 7 Chakra Bowls (and sets of 19) we realise that each idividual may want to buy bowls one at a time - a good way to start is by buying F (Root) B (Crown) and D (Heart) Bowls as these are commonly used in different therapies. Please contact us if you would like further information
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The Cushion.
This is more a personal choice in terms of aesthetics – How does the bowl sit on the cushion? is it both balance with the eye and balanced physically. Whilst the bowl may sit on the cushion the bowl can also be played on the cushion – for this reason I prefer a “donut” cushion as it offers a more stable base where the bowl can sit in the depression and also because the open centre allows the bowl to vibrate more than a flat cushion.
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How to play your Bowl
Striking your Bowl.
Place your bowl flat on your weaker hand and hold the Puja stick in your dominant hand. Strike the bowl firmly once with the bottom third of the stick hitting the top of the Bowl between the top edge and the bowls widest part. Remove the stick. The sound produced can be experimented with - strike the bowl on a different side, vary the energy you strike the bowl with, try flicking the stick slightly upwards when it hits the bowl (requires a bit more practice)
Making your Bowl “sing”.
Place your bowl flat on your weaker hand and hold the Puja stick in your dominant hand. Now visualize putting energy into the bowl and producing a sound. Firmly apply pressure with the Puja stick (bottom half of the leather end) to the bowl in a place between the bowls lip and its widest part, move the stick around the bowl still applying the pressure (you may need to vary this yourself and practice)
Some bowls may require priming with energy before doing this by first striking the bowl and then rubbing the stick around the bowl as previously described.
Note. Keep trying many combinations of bowls and sticks – it’s a personal preference as to what works for you and don’t forget the cushion!!!
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