My First Sound Healing Set
How I Chose My Bowls and Learned to Play
Sound healing found me when I wasn’t exactly looking for it—but I was looking for alignment. What started as a job hunt quickly became the beginning of a much deeper journey. This is the story of how I found my first two Himalayan singing bowls—and how they found me.
A Meaningful Discovery on Pearl Street
Three months ago, I moved to the Boulder area to pursue a degree in Art Therapy at Naropa University. Once I got settled into my apartment, I set out to find a job—and more importantly, a space that felt aligned with where I was headed both spiritually and creatively. That search led me to Pearl Street, where I wandered into a handful of restaurants and shops, but nothing quite clicked.
Then I stepped into Sarina’s.
Immediately, I felt something shift. The scent of lavender drifted through the air from an Atma Buti diffuser, glowing violet through tumbled pieces of aventurine. Crystals sparkled across every surface, flanked by Buddhist and Hindu iconography, malas, bracelets, and bowls I didn’t yet know would change my life. The whole place radiated warmth, peace, and quiet power. I knew I had found something.
Drawn to the bowls, I picked up a hand-hammered bronze one and invited it to play. The vibrations streamed through the palm of my hand, up my arm, and into my tingling elbow. My racing thoughts slowed. It felt like a gentle electric pulse flowing through my body, calming me from the inside out.
Taking It Deeper: Level 1 Training and the Warehouse
That moment at Sarina’s was the spark, but I didn’t purchase my first bowls right away. A few weeks later, I took the Level 1 Atma Buti sound healing course, where I got hands-on experience with authentic Himalayan bowls. That’s when everything began to deepen.
Not long after, I visited the Now N Zen warehouse—connected to Sarina’s—where they had just received a new shipment of bowls.
Walking into that space felt like entering a sacred vault of ancient vibration. Shelves and tables were covered with beautiful, hand-hammered Himalayan bowls of all sizes, tones, and textures. I sat down and began to explore, playing one after another. For nearly two hours, I experimented—doing the Atma Buti clearing technique, listening carefully, feeling into the bowls, and watching how the vibrations moved through me.
The Bowls That Chose Me
Some bowls sang softly. Others cut out too quickly or felt hollow. But a few truly stood out—deep, grounded, full-bodied tones that stayed with me long after the sound had faded. That’s when I laid eyes—and intuition—on two bowls that stopped me in my tracks: a 12-inch F note, and a 6.5-inch B note.
These bowls didn’t whimper or fade out like others I’d tried. They held strong, with rich, deep resonances that filled the space and settled into my body. I didn’t pick them based on their chakra associations, even though I later found out that F is connected with both the heart and root, and B with the crown.
What mattered most was how they made me feel. The tone of the F bowl felt warm, grounded, and open. When I played the B bowl in front of my third eye chakra, I felt it ruminate—shifting the water in my brain, stirring something subtle and real. The two notes complemented each other effortlessly—one large and steady, the other small and light, but equally powerful.
Learning to Listen Differently
Learning to play them was another journey. At first, it took patience to figure out pressure, angle, and rhythm. The F bowl felt natural right away. The B bowl asked me to slow down and really focus. But both taught me something vital—to tune in not just with my ears, but with my whole body.
Reflections from the Beginning of the Path
Looking back, I realize I didn’t just choose a sound healing set. I chose a new way of being. These bowls continue to guide me—not just in sessions, but in how I meditate, listen, and hold space.
And honestly? I think they chose me, too.
Author: Angelo Arnold
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