Place the singing bowl on a ring-shaped pillow on a table or the ground. Most singing bowls come with a ring pillow to display and use them on. If your bowl does not have a ring-shaped pillow, hold it in the palm of your nondominant hand if it is small enough. If the bowl is too large, set it atop a folded towel on a table.
Hold the bowl's mallet mid-way down its shaft in your dominant hand. All fingers should be touching the mallet, pointing downward toward its head. The mallet's head is the thicker, often padded, section used to play the singing bowl.
Tap the head of the mallet against the singing bowl gently, to make a ringing sound. This warms up the singing bowl, preparing it for playing.
Press the head of the mallet against the outer rim of the singing bowl and rotate it clockwise. Use your entire arm to rotate the head of the mallet around the rim of the bowl, rather than just your wrist. Maintain firm pressure on the bowl; this is what causes the vibrations that make it sing. Keep the mallet pointing straight up and down as you rotate.
Experiment with the amount of pressure you apply to the bowl and the speed at which you rotate the mallet around the rim. Rotating too fast, or applying improper pressure, can leave your singing bowl quiet.