Burning incense dates back to ancient times in human history. Sources dating back to the Incas indicate that incense was used in many ceremo...
Burning incense dates back to ancient times in human history. Sources dating back to the Incas indicate that incense was used in many ceremonies and healing rituals of that period.
People had strong awareness about how to benefit from nature in times when their connection with the earth was much stronger. Therefore, the use of incense has found its place in various cultures, religions and ancient teachings.
Unraveling the history of the spiritual and healing traditions of this sacred practice reveals the importance of incense in promoting mindfulness, peace, inner peace, and a deep connection with the universe.
The incense used by ancient civilizations in many sessions and ceremonies has a very strong and rapid purification feature on our body and living spaces. With their unique and magnificent scents, they create a peaceful atmosphere that evokes nature in spaces.
Here are 10 ways to incorporate this fragrant serenity into your life!
1. Deepen your concentration while meditating
It is important to remember that our mind and energy need to stop, rest and purify as much as our physical body. That's why daily routines that we can implement in our living spaces are very important. In this sense, we should invite meditation, breathing exercises and yoga into our lives at some point.
At all these moments, incense creates a perfect atmosphere for us by purifying the energy of our application area.
You can choose scents that help improve concentration and focus, such as mint, citrus and olive.
Carefully burn dry olive branches in a terracotta incense container. It will be a great experience to move the smoke around your body and in your work area before your practice and let it mix with the air throughout our practice.
Your purified energy and high vibration aura; It will help your focus be deeper, your connection with your heart stronger and your nervous system more ready during the day.
2. Get rid of negative energy
Whenever you're going to start a project, perform a ritual, or even do some yoga, burning incense beforehand can balance the energy of the environment. In Cypriot culture, burning a dry olive branch is a ritual of purification and cleansing negative energy.
3. Connect to your memories and history
Our sense of smell is the most direct of the five senses. Our senses send information to the brain through a very complex nervous system process. While visual, auditory and tactile senses must first come to the cerebral cortex of the brain and be processed there, unlike other senses, smell comes directly to the limbic system in the brain, where emotions are processed, and is evaluated there. Our memory and our sense of smell are intertwined.
Therefore, volatile compounds inhaled through smell have many effects on our nervous system. While some scents take us to our memories and different places, others can change our mood by creating serious changes in our body; It can relax, bring peace or motivate.
4. Opening your heart center
If you feel like your heart chakra is a little closed, some scents can help open it. Jasmine and rose are two wonderful things to connect with in love.
5. Relax and unwind
Studies have shown that certain scents can have a calming effect on our nervous systems, especially scents such as lavender, bergamot, clary sage, and sandalwood. You can use lavender or sandalwood to create a meditation environment and a state of peace.
6. Incorporate the fire element into your rituals
In many traditions, such as Ayurveda (a system of alternative medicine based on the Indian subcontinent) and traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that true healing requires balancing natural elements before healing can begin. Using incense as a source of fire alongside other elements (water, earth, air, and ether/space) during meditation and rituals can deepen and balance your practice.
7. Starting a new routine
If you have a structure that improves itself with a sense of routine, burning incense while going to bed in the evening or getting ready in the morning can help you start or end the day with the right energy.
8. As a timer
It takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour for incense sticks to burn completely. When you start studying, meditating, or journaling, immediately burn incense in the aroma you like and continue until it wears out. Fragrance is a much gentler timekeeper than a watch or phone.
9. Be aware and present
Stimulating the senses is a great way to participate in the present moment.
It promotes a strong sense of awareness that allows us to know ourselves better and appreciate everything around us.
With an enlightening journey into the mystical world of incense, find a scent you like and enjoy the moment by integrating with that scent.
10. To get grounded
Even though we are physically distanced from nature in a fast-paced life network between city life and office-home, our inner world is actually one with nature. And these busy days further increase the urge to return to the essence and run to mother earth.
Feeling the green grass under your feet, breathing in the wind touching your hair through the leaves, watching the sunset in the tiny waves hugging your ankles..
We usually wait for the weekend to be one with nature, to return to our essence and to renew our energy. But for those who spend most of the day at a desk, grounding the body is very important.
The cedar and vetiver you burn during the day are perfect scents for grounding. Feeling overwhelmed or anxious? Light one of these scents and take deep breaths for a greater sense of calm in the moment.
Incense has gained a deep-rooted place in our lives in many different forms and aromas. Thanks to the plant-based ingredients they contain, they help us calm our minds, focus, increase our concentration, and they continue to support our emotional world for centuries.
As Carl F. Neal, an incense student and professional incense maker for over thirty years, says, “Incense is a way to decorate our room/space in seconds.” We can also add the word “ourselves” to this.
Incense is the most natural way to change ourselves and our environment in seconds. The beauty of it is that we can redecorate and change it with every different type of incense burned.
Things to Consider When Using Incense
Of course, whenever you use incense, it's important to keep safety in mind. Here are small reminders that will be useful to keep in mind;Open a window during or after burning.Light one stick at a time. Too much smoke can be harmful to your lungs, especially if you have asthma or another lung condition.Do not use incense with synthetic or artificial properties.
Choose sustainably grown, all-natural incense.
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