Singing bowl series · Beside someone lying down
Striking a bowl beside someone lying down: hand in the way? Check how you sit
Six short clips from one singing bowl class in Da Lat. One learner, one body pillow playing the person lying down, and me repeating one thing: where she sits.
The mallet brushes the pillow
The learner kneels at the bowl and brings the mallet in. It brushes the pillow straight away.
“It touches right away. This is only a stand-in. With a real person, that’s the shoulder.”
Lucky the pillow doesn’t flinch.
She switches legs and strikes again. I ask if her hand is still in the way. Before, it was her knee.
The mallet isn’t wrong. The hand isn’t wrong either. What blocks the way is lower down.
Before that, I said it three times
That brush didn’t come from nowhere. From the start of class, I kept reminding her. It sounded like I was talking about the hand. Really, I was talking about how she sat.
“The hand, the hand, the hand”
The first time, all I managed was: the hand, the hand, the hand. Then I stepped in next to her.
“Face it straight on. Bend down a little.”
My first words weren’t about the hand. They were about where she stood. Only then: which hand, which side, how do you hold the mallet.
Too close, stiff hand
Next time, she knelt right up against the bowl. So close that her hand had no room and had to fold in to strike.
“See how stiff your hand is? You are moving so carefully.”
Moving carefully looks careful. But sit too close and your hand has nowhere to go. I told her: a bit further away.
Fine, I’ll kneel and show you
Twice was enough talking. This time I knelt down and did it. Face the bowl. Lower yourself calmly. Steady your legs. Let your muscles go.
Don’t sit folded up in front of the bowl. Sit like that for a while and your muscles tighten. You get tired.
“Face it and strike with enough weight, and it rings long, and you don’t use much effort.”
Sitting in the right place is first of all so you don’t wear yourself out.
Then came the brush at the top of this page. This time it wasn’t the distance. It was the knee.
Which knee, which leg, which hand?
After the brush, I didn’t take her hand and turn it. I asked, so she could name it herself:
- Which knee?The one sticking up, right in the path of the hand going down to the bowl.
- Which leg?The one holding you up. Switch legs and the knee switches sides too.
- Which hand?The mallet hand. It needs a straight path to the bowl.
Her answer: then I’ll switch to the other hand.
Switching hands works too. Me, I’m very right-handed.
There is no rule of which hand or leg for everyone. There is one thing to check: does the hand have a clear path down to the bowl?
Am I too picky, or is she just new?
Same old question: which hand strikes?
A few rounds later, I was still saying: remember your legs and hands.
Then I owned up.
“Honestly, it’s just me being very picky.”
Her hands and legs weren’t bad at all. But to do it best, it’s the same old question: with your knee like that, which hand strikes?
A few more rounds and you’ll remember
You can’t remember this legs-and-hands business with your head. You have to walk around the person lying down a few times.
Remember the technique. Remember the manner too: unhurried, no rush.
“There’s time to meditate.”
Your students will brush the pillow too
That day, I corrected in this order:
- Look at the seat before the handStiff hand, hand in the way? Look down first: how close they sit, which knee sticks up.
- Words not working? Show itSaid it twice and nothing changed? Kneel down and do it once so they can watch.
- Ask so they name it“Which knee, which leg, which hand?” Then wait. If they choose differently from you and the hand still has a clear path, that’s fine.
- Give them more roundsOne correction isn’t a habit yet. It takes a few more rounds.
When a learner is fumbling, say this first: “Okay, stay calm. Relax.” Then correct.
That day the pillow got brushed once. With a real person, once is already a lot.
Sit right. Then the hand is free.
About the footage
The six clips are six continuous parts cut from one video of a singing bowl class in Da Lat. No scenes were joined; the frame was only cropped. People speak Vietnamese: Vietnamese subtitles on top, English below. Subtitles only use lines we could hear clearly; unclear parts stay blank. When the learner switches legs, the words were unclear, so that clip has a label, not subtitles.