Category Archives: Sound Healing Instruments

Zaphir sound healing chimes

The Best Sound Bath chimes from Koshi to Zaphir

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After over a decade of sound healing practice, I’ve discovered that the right chimes can completely transform a sound bath experience. Today, I want to share two exceptional chime ranges that have become essential tools in my practice: the Zaphir Tuned Wind Chime and the beautiful Koshi Chime collection. I have them all!!

My Personal Favourite and often a favourite of my clients is Zaphir Green Sufi Chimes

Let me start with a personal story. Eight years ago, I acquired my first Zaphir Tuned Wind Chime in the Green Sufi tuning, and it remains one of my most treasured sound healing instruments. This stunning handmade Zaphir wind chime features the gentle Sufi tuning of the musical notes, F A D F A G A D, creating an incredibly soothing and meditative soundscape.

The Green Sufi has a unique quality that I’ve never found in other chimes. Its tone is both grounding and ethereal, making it perfect for opening or closing sound bath sessions. To me, these are the sounds of angels! The way it resonates seems to create an instant sense of calm in any space, helping participants drop into a deeper meditative state almost immediately or to aid them in their return. There’s something truly divine about the harmonics these chimes produce.

What Makes Zaphir Chimes Special

The legendary Zaphir wind chimes (formerly known as Shanti) from the Pyrenees create enchanting, dreamy and relaxing sounds. Each chime is handcrafted and designed around the concept of the four seasons with the Sufi tuning known as the interseasonal although I choose what I play during each session and I personally allow my intuition to guide me so I may play Summer in Winter! and perhaps we are in need of the Sun then!!

Key features that make them ideal for sound healing:

  • Eight precision-tuned metal rods create rich harmonic overtones
  • Recycled cardboard construction gives a warm, organic resonance
  • Perfect size for intimate sound bath settings
  • Durable construction that withstands regular use

The Zaphir range includes five different tunings based on the concept of seasons: Crystalide (spring), Sunray (summer), Twilight (autumn), Blue Moon (winter), and my favourite Sufi which represents the interseasonal – that magical transitional time between seasons. Each brings its own energetic quality to healing work.

Buy Zaphir Green Sufi Chimes on Amazon UK

Other Zaphir Seasonal Tunings:

The Elemental Beauty of Koshi Chimes

While my Zaphir Sufi holds a special place in my heart, I must also recommend the exquisite Koshi Chime collection which I actually started with. Koshi Chimes are inspired by the four elements: Water, Earth, Air, Fire, with warm resonance and melodic tones that wash over you.

What sets Koshi chimes apart is their sophisticated bamboo and metal construction, handcrafted in the French Pyrenees. The four element tunings are: Terra (Earth – G C E F G C E G), Aqua (Water – A D F G A D F A), Aria (Air – A C E A B C E B), and Ignis (Fire – G B D G B D G A).

Using the Four Elements in Sound Healing

Each Koshi chime brings its own energetic signature to sound bath work:

Terra (Earth) – Grounding and stabilising, perfect for helping participants feel rooted and secure Aqua (Water) – Flowing and cleansing, excellent for emotional release work Aria (Air) – Light and uplifting, wonderful for mental clarity and inspiration Ignis (Fire) – Energising and transformative, ideal for breakthrough moments

I often use different elements as I feel guided to during the session and I LOVE pairing them too and playing several at once. I personally like to use my chimes after the last strike of the gong to help bring people back from the journey, ready for a very gentle awakening to full waking consciousness. This transition is crucial – the chimes often act as a bridge between the deep meditative state and returning awareness.

You may like to use Earth (Terra) for grounding, moving through Water (Aqua ) for emotional work, lifting with Air (Aria) for clarity, and sometimes finishing with Fire (Ignis) for transformation and renewal.

Buy Koshi Chimes Set (All 4 Elements) on Amazon UK

Individual Koshi Chimes:

Practical Tips for Using Chimes in Sound Bath

From my years of experience, here are some essential techniques:

Placement and Movement: Hold chimes at different heights and positions around participants. The three-dimensional movement of sound creates a more immersive experience.

Timing: Allow each chime to fully resonate before introducing the next sound. The silence between tones is as important as the sound itself.

Combination: Both Zaphir and Koshi chimes blend beautifully with singing bowls, gongs, and other sound healing instruments. They’re particularly effective as transitional sounds. While these chimes sound absolutely beautiful when played solo, they can also be played together, which brings in another layer of tuning and creates incredibly rich harmonic textures that add depth and complexity to your sound healing sessions.

Volume Control: These chimes are naturally gentle, but you can control intensity through the gentle swing and proximity to participants.

My personal tip: Chimes get tangled so before starting any sound bath, check your chimes are tangle free. I know this sounds a bit basic but I am talking from experience and being chimeless is a tad disappointing. If tangled, hold the chime upside own and give it a little shake if necessary and this usually does the trick. I got this handy tip from Sheila Whittaker.

Why I Recommend Starting with These Ranges

After working with dozens of different chimes over more than a decade, I consistently return to these two ranges because:

  • Consistent Quality: Both brands maintain exceptional craftsmanship standards
  • Therapeutic Tuning: The specific note combinations are chosen for their healing properties
  • Versatility: They work equally well in individual sessions or group sound baths
  • Durability: My eight-year-old Zaphir is still in perfect condition
  • Authentic Craftsmanship: Both are made by skilled artisans who understand sound healing

Important Note: Beware of cheap copies which may not share the same quality or tuning, although they might look similar. The precision tuning and craftsmanship of authentic Zaphir and Koshi chimes is what creates their therapeutic sound qualities – imitations simply cannot replicate this level of sonic excellence.

Making Your Choice

If you’re just starting with chimes in sound healing work, I’d recommend beginning with either the Zaphir Chime – Green Sufi (for its incredible versatility and my personal endorsement) or chimes from the elemental Koshi chime range (for maximum therapeutic options).

For experienced practitioners looking to expand their toolkit, having both ranges gives you an incredibly rich palette of sounds to work with. The combination of Zaphir’s dreamy, meditative qualities with Koshi’s elemental precision creates endless possibilities for healing soundscapes.

Remember, the most important aspect of any sound healing tool is the intention you bring to it. These chimes are simply vessels for channelling healing energy – your practice and presence are what make the magic happen.

Have you used either Zaphir or Koshi chimes in your sound healing practice? I’d love to hear about your experiences and if you’re new to sound bath work, feel free to ask any questions about incorporating chimes into your sessions.

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Musical instruments and the sound bath

My collection of gongs and other wonderful instruments is growing all the time. I keep discovering new and wonderful instruments that I would like to add to the beautiful sound layers within the sound bath. I love how creative I can be. There really are no rules, it is wonderful to play and experiment and provides such a freedom.

Next week I am attending a workshop on making a stringed instrument from scrap materials. So very excited about this. It will be so cool to make my own instrument. It will be a 3 stringed instrument and I will add a photo and perhaps a soundclip to my blog later assuming I am proud of my work! I am hoping that I can eventually make my own drone type instrument with what I learn. Perhaps I am being over ambitious but we shall see. I do love a challenge.

Loving the sounds of the Tanpura (or tambura, tanpuri). It is a long-necked plucked string instrument found in various forms in Indian music. It does not play melody but rather supports and sustains the melody of another instrument or singer by providing a continuous harmonic bourdon or drone. It can have 4 or 5 stings, occasionally 6 and is wonderful for meditation and very like the gong can easily take you to a deep metitational state. Tanpura are various sizes, often known as male or female, the female being the smaller of the two. They compliment one another perfectly and provide a great addition to the sound bath.