Singing bowl meditation

An ancient form of meditation using sound from metal bowls is going mainstream.

Left, Lawrence Michael Enderle, a sound energy practitioner, leads a Tibetan Singing Bowls meditation class at Balance Wellness 360 in Dubai for Andra Irimia, right, who meditates to the sounds created by Enderle. Clint McLean for The NationalShow less

When the sound energy practitioner Lawrence Michael Enderle gently strikes a range of 21 engraved bell metal bronze bowls with a mallet, the repeating sound vibrations can drop a person's brainwave frequency from 25 cycles per second to as low as seven to eight transitions, which is a state of calm.
Called Tibetan Singing Bowls, they have been hammered by artisans in the Himalayas to create tones that, for hundreds of years, were exclusive to rituals in monasteries but are now a well-known meditation technique.
"Sound and vibrations have such a powerful impact on people," says Enderle, who has been using sound mediums in meditation since 1999.
"When you strike these bowls, it gives you certain tones. When you allow them to ring, you get deeper tones. The brain naturally wants to follow these sounds and frequencies. Science says we are vibratory beings. So what the harmonic vibrations from the bowls do is realign our out-of-tune frequencies."
Some of the bowls he uses for sessions are around 300 years old and gifted to him by his teacher. "My bowls range from 50 to 300 years. The energy that is in them is great. They must have sat at monastery altars for 100 to 200 years."
During a one-hour session he creates combinations with multiple bowls to cleanse the chakras, or energy centres, in the body, according to yogic teachings. "You combine two bowls to make a new sound and by combining seven or 14 at a time, depending on the energy that is needed, you create layers of sounds, frequency over frequency."
The soothing rhythm and lingering hum is believed to allow the meditator to shift from the alpha state, where we begin to relax and visualise, then the theta state of meditation, which brings heightened receptivity and old memories and the delta phase of sleep, where the brainwave frequencies slow down for healing.
He also uses the technique to help people manage and alleviate certain physical aches and pains. Sometimes water is used in the bowls to create undertones to create stress and then countering it with simultaneous overtones for a rapid release and relaxation.
Enderle says the method relieves stress by opening the senses and increasing awareness.
"The idea is to calm the mind and relax the body. This helps us be confident about different options to the problems in our life. We help bring the person to live in the present. Make plans, but be committed to do the task at hand today and tomorrow will take care of itself."
• Enderle is directing sessions at Balance Wellness 360 in Oasis Centre every Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. A single class is Dh95. He also takes on private sessions. He can be contacted via [e-mail]
[e-mail]