Large Standing Singing Bowls

Extra Large Singing Bowls – Big Standing, Foot and Mother Bowls You Can Stand In

These are the largest singing bowls we make: extra large bowls from 15 to 24 inches, big enough to stand in. You step into the bowl barefoot, it is struck, and the vibration rises through the soles of your feet and into the body. Each one is hand-hammered in Nepal by a team of smiths, and when you order, Sunita Poudel, our founder and a certified sound healer, plays the bowls of that size and chooses yours, from her experience in practice. How healer selection works.

One bowl, three names. People search for a standing singing bowl, a foot singing bowl and a mother singing bowl, and they are usually looking for the same instrument. The sections below explain each use.

Standing singing bowls: a bowl you stand in

A standing singing bowl is too large and heavy to hold. It sits on the floor on its cushion, and it can be used in two ways.

• Standing in it. You stand barefoot in the centre of the bowl while it is struck on the outside wall with a felt mallet. The whole bowl vibrates under you, and the sound rises around the body.
• Standing or kneeling beside it. Played from the side as a floor bowl, it gives a very low tone with a long sustain. This is how it is used as the foundation of a sound bath.

Every bowl in this category is made for standing in. That is why they start at 15 inches: a smaller bowl does not give the feet enough room, and the wall and base need the mass to carry a person's weight and still ring.

Foot singing bowls: sound through the feet

A foot singing bowl is a standing bowl used for the feet. With both feet flat on the base, a strike on the wall is felt first in the soles, then in the ankles and legs, and then higher. People describe it as a strong, steadying, full-body vibration.

How to stand in a singing bowl

1. Place the bowl on its cushion or ring, on a flat floor where it cannot slide.
2. Step in barefoot, one foot at a time, and stand with both feet flat near the centre. Hold a hand or a chair back while you step in.
3. Have someone strike the outside wall gently with the felt mallet, about a hand's width below the rim. Start softly.
4. Let each strike ring out before the next one. Three or four strikes are enough to begin with.
5. Step out slowly, one foot at a time.

Use a second person to play the bowl while you are standing in it, and steady yourself if your balance is not good. If you are pregnant, have a pacemaker or have a medical condition, ask your doctor before using strong vibration on the body.

Mother singing bowls: the bowl for earthing the energy

In a healer's kit, the mother bowl is the bowl for earthing the energy. It is the largest and deepest bowl, the one a session starts from and returns to. Its low tone holds the room steady while smaller, higher bowls are played over it, and it is the bowl used when the work is about grounding.

If you already own a working set of smaller bowls, a mother bowl is usually the next instrument to add. To see how it fits with a full set, look at our chakra singing bowl sets and the guide to setting up singing bowls for a sound bath.

How big is an extra large singing bowl

Our big singing bowls run from 15 inches up to 24 inches. The measurements below are for our plain extra large standing bowl and are approximate, because every bowl is made by hand. Carved bowls vary a little.

What changes as a bowl gets larger:

• The tone drops. These bowls sit in a low register that a hand-held bowl cannot reach.
• Sustain lengthens. A large bowl rings for a long time after one strike, which is what makes it a foundation under other bowls.
• There is more room for the feet. A wider base is more comfortable to stand in.
• The room matters. A bowl this size can overwhelm a small room. In a large studio it comes into its own.

If you want a deep bowl but do not need to stand in it, a 10 to 13 inch bowl from our hand-hammered singing bowls may suit you better, and the singing bowl size guide compares every size. Tell us the room and the practice and we will tell you honestly which you need.

Plain or hand-engraved

You can choose a plain extra large standing bowl, with the hammer marks left visible, or a bowl carved across its whole surface. At this diameter the wall is a large canvas, and the carving is done freehand with chisel and hammer by thanka-trained artists. A single bowl can occupy an artist for the better part of a week.

The designs in the collection:

• Buddha and Buddha Foot. The Buddha figure or the Buddhapada, the sacred footprint, often with the seven chakras and Shree Yantra worked around it. A fitting design for a bowl you stand in.
• Chakra Yogi. A seated figure with the seven chakras marked along the spine. Useful for teaching, because the mapping is visible.
• Shree Yantra. Nine interlocking triangles, the central diagram of Hindu sacred geometry, cut at a scale where the whole structure is legible.
• Flower of Life. Overlapping circles in six-fold symmetry, usually with a Tibetan mantra surround. The most requested non-denominational choice.
• Green Tara. The mother of liberation, with Tibetan mantras, the Eight Auspicious Symbols and Flower of Life work.
• Shiva Nataraja. Shiva as lord of the dance, with Shree Yantra and Om. The most intricate figure work we cut.
• Om. Tibetan Om with mantra carving across the body.
• Extra large full moon bowl. A giant plain bowl forged on a full moon night. More in full moon singing bowls.

The terminology guide explains the symbols in more depth, and there is smaller-scale carved work in Om and mantra carved singing bowls.

The bowl is hammered first, then carved, and only then is its sound judged. So the tone we check, and the tone on any video we send you, is the tone of the finished bowl.

Why the selection matters more at this size

A flaw in a small bowl is a disappointment. A flaw in a bowl this size, shipped from Nepal, is an expensive problem for both of us. So these get the closest attention of anything we sell.

Sunita Poudel, our founder and a certified sound healer trained at the Golden Temple Singing Bowl & Healing Center in Patan Durbar Square, plays every large bowl before it leaves. What she checks:

• A grounded fundamental that is steady and does not beat against itself. Large bowls are more prone to this, because a slight wall inconsistency is amplified by the mass.
• Long, even sustain. The whole purpose of a bowl this size is that it rings on.
• A sound base and wall. A standing bowl has to carry weight. A hairline flaw changes how the tone decays before it can be seen, and it will spread.
• Rim response all the way round. Harder to achieve at this diameter and more obvious when it fails.
• Carving quality on engraved bowls: consistent line depth across a large surface, no slips, figures correctly proportioned.

Ask and we will record your actual bowl, struck and rim-played, and send you the video before it ships. That is also why we don't publish stock sound clips.

Who these are for

• Sound healers offering standing or foot sessions. One client at a time, standing in the bowl, as a session on its own or as the opening of a longer treatment.
• Sound healers running sound baths. The mother bowl is the foundation the rest of the kit sits on. Start with it, return to it, end on it.
• Yoga studios and retreat centres. One bowl that carries to the back of a full room and holds a savasana.
• Bodywork and vibrational therapy. Placed near a treatment table, the low tone travels through the floor and the body.
• Home practice. A few minutes standing in the bowl is a simple daily grounding practice.

Playing and looking after a large bowl

Technique is different at this size. Use a felt mallet for striking and a thick leather-wrapped mallet for the rim, with more arm and less wrist, and a slower circuit around the rim than on a hand-held bowl. Our plain extra large standing bowl comes with both mallets and a cushion, and the product page for each bowl lists exactly what is included.

How to play a singing bowl covers the fundamentals, and the free singing bowl healing course goes into session structure, placement and how to build a session around a foundation bowl. Spare mallets and cushions are in accessories.

Shipping something this size

Large bowls leave Kathmandu within 3–4 business days by DHL Express with tracking. They are packed so the rim cannot take a knock in transit, because a dented rim on a bowl this size cannot be repaired in any meaningful way.

Duties and import taxes are the buyer's responsibility and vary by country. On a parcel of this weight they are worth checking before you order. Full detail is on our delivery information page.

Custom sizes, studios and trade

We can make a standing bowl to your specification: a particular diameter, a finish, an engraved design, or your studio name or logo carved into the bowl. Personal engraving is free. A custom carved bowl takes longer than the standard 3–4 business days, and we will give you a real date before you order. Start a custom bowl or contact us for trade pricing. The rest of the range is in Tibetan singing bowls.

• Made to stand in extra large bowls from 15 to 24 inches, hand-hammered in Nepal
• Standing, foot and mother bowl one bowl for all three uses
• Healer-selected played and chosen for your order before it leaves Kathmandu
• Recording on request hear your actual bowl before it ships
• Free engraving a name, a dedication or a studio name, at no extra cost
• Ships in 3–4 business days by DHL Express worldwide with tracking
• Secure checkout Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, on an SSL-encrypted connection

Common questions about large standing singing bowls

What is a large standing singing bowl?
An extra large metal singing bowl, usually 15 to 24 inches across, that rests on the floor and is wide and strong enough for a person to stand in. When it is struck, the vibration travels up through the feet and is felt in the whole body.

Can you stand in a singing bowl?
Yes, in a bowl made for it. Every bowl in this category is 15 inches or larger and is made for standing in. Stand barefoot with both feet flat near the centre, and have someone strike the outside wall gently with a felt mallet.

What is a foot singing bowl?
A large standing bowl used for the feet. You stand in it, and the vibration is felt first in the soles of the feet and then through the legs and body. It is the same instrument as a standing singing bowl.

What is a mother singing bowl?
The mother bowl is the bowl for earthing the energy. It is the largest and deepest bowl in a healer's kit, the one a session starts from and returns to, and the one used for grounding.

How big is an extra large singing bowl?
Ours start at 15 inches. The plain extra large standing bowl comes in 16, 18, 20 and 22 inch diameters, weighing from about 5.5 kg to about 13.5 kg, and the largest bowls we make are 24 inches across.

What size singing bowl do I need to stand in?
At least 15 inches. A 16 or 18 inch bowl suits home practice and most adults. A 20, 22 or 24 inch bowl gives more room for the feet and a deeper tone, and suits studios and client work.

Do I need a different mallet for a big singing bowl?
Yes. A felt mallet for striking and a thick leather-wrapped mallet for the rim. A small wooden mallet will not drive a bowl this size properly.

Is a large standing bowl suitable for a beginner?
Anyone can use one, and standing in a bowl needs no playing skill at all. If you want a bowl to learn rim-playing on, start with a smaller bowl and add this later.

Does the engraving affect the sound?
Carving removes a little metal, so we judge the sound only after the carving is finished. The tone we check is the tone of the completed bowl.

Can I hear the bowl before buying?
Yes, and at this size we encourage it. Ask and we will record that exact bowl, struck and rim-played, and send you the video before dispatch.

How is a bowl this size shipped?
Packed so the rim is protected, and sent from Kathmandu by DHL Express with tracking within 3–4 business days. Duties and import taxes are the buyer's responsibility and vary by country.

Can you make a custom size or design?
Yes, including specific diameters, finishes, engraved designs and studio names carved into the bowl. Custom carved bowls take longer than standard orders. Start here.

How do I look after it?
Wipe it dry after use. Carved lines hold more dust. See cleansing and charging a Tibetan singing bowl.