Bowls is a very simple, yet beneficial app for iPhone and iPod touch. By recreating the true sound of Tibetan singing bowls, the app aims to relax the user and reduce his / her stress, while also boosting their creativity. It does the trick!

Bowls has been developed by a company called Oceanhouse Media. According to the official website, the studio is comprised of an extraordinary team of developers and artists that share a common vision of building outstanding products for the iPhone that enrich lives and better humanity. “We develop original ideas. We partner with great companies. We build exceptional apps and enjoy every minute of it,” the company states. Well, no wonder it has come up with an app like Bowls!

When you fire up the app, you are greeted by the home screen, which reveals the purpose of Bowls: to make relaxing music using authentic (virtual) Tibetan bowls. These virtual singing bowls may not look like much to the untrained eye, but they have quite a history behind them and they're still produced today. Sure, they don't throw in gold with the bronze anymore, but the end result is pretty much the same. These virtual bowls, however, are the real thing – the sounds they produce were recorded by meditation experts Deep Prakash Deoja.



The Bowls main screen and various singing bowls, each producing a completely different sound
(more screens below)

What you do is hit a bowl or bell in the sequence you find most pleasant, while switching through seven different bronze dishes, as well as a number of gongs, bells, and tingsha cymbals. By going slow with the tip of your finger around the rim of a bowl, you will be able to give your ears even more pleasure. You can let a bowl slowly “wear out” its vibes while moving to another, and another, thus creating what is defined as “music.” Future updates should include at least a mode where users can set up a space with their bowls of choice, so that they don't have to “swipe” through them every time they want to hear a different sound.

Without a doubt, Bowls is able to reduce stress and produce a more positive state of mind through the universally pleasant sound of authentic Tibetan singing bowls. The second time I used Bowls, I almost forgot I was reviewing the app. I was able to clear out my mind of a considerable amount of stress, while setting new day-dreaming standards for myself. The program is suitable for those into meditation, acting as a useful preparation tool. Yoga fans can also use Bowls to get the same benefits. The app is a buy!

From what I gather, an app like Bowls can also be used in the purpose of “brainwave entrainment” or “brainwave synchronization,” which describes any practice that aims to cause brainwave frequency to fall into step with a periodic stimulus having a frequency corresponding to the intended brain-state (for example, to induce sleep). It depends upon a “frequency following” response, a naturally occurring phenomenon where the human brain has a tendency to change its dominant EEG frequency towards the frequency of a dominant external stimulus...

...or at least that's what the experts say. You tell us!

Download Bowls via iTunes ($0.99)



Four more Tibetan singing bowls along with their “sidekick” gongs, bells, and tingsha cymbals