While Incense offers a pleasing aroma, its core benefit goes way beyond what can be sensed with the nose! It communicates directly with the soul.
Unlike perfume, incense is not applied directly to a person’s skin, but instead is released into a person’s environment. As such, incense conditions that environment infusing it with a positive and soothing atmosphere, in which a person can relax and center himself.
Types of Incense
There are different types of incense and I urge you to stick to 100% natural fragrances. These might be a bit more expensive, but that is totally worth it!
Incense is made with dried leaves, flowers and other natural material, such as resin, in the case of myhr. Different ingredients result in a different fragrance and benefits.
Some incense is to purify and cleanse the air. Other incense is geared towards focusing the mind, feeling loved, save and/or centered within yourself. Others again help with meditation, quieting the mind and inner stillness. Many ancient incense formulas are medicinal. All these can and are often used as part of spiritual and healing rituals. Incense is used in spiritual rituals in temples and churches. Incense is also often used during Reiki sessions, yoga practice and meditation.
How to burn incense? Most incense is in the form of a stick, which you then light on one side. Immediately blow out the flame and let the stick with leaves slowly burn till the end.
Other type of incense comes in the shape of a cone or grid, which is lit, flame blown out and placed onto a hot piece of coal, to smolder down and release its lovely fragrant energy.
Incense Ingredients
Ingredients vary. Some incense recipes were created thousands of years ago. Sandalwood is a great base aroma that is present in most (ancient) incense recipe. Sandalwood does not only smell sweetly divine, it is also a burning agent. Its aroma tends to last a long time. Other common ingredients of incense that you are likely already familiar with includes juniper, clove and cinnamon. Indian incense may include ingredients that are unknown to the west such as sahi jeera, kusum flower, ashvagandha, and many other scents.
What is interesting is that many ingredients of good quality incense have almost no scent until they are heated.
Burning incense is a healing, soothing and uplifting. Burn it, inhale it to recharge and find inner peace. You will find that it transforms an ordinary moment into a very special, peaceful bliss.
My Favorite Incense
Nag Champa is my all-time favorite incense blend that is versatile in its use. It is pleasant smelling, centering the mind, purifying (your mind as well as other not-so-great odors in your home) and it helps to get you to go quickly into that spiritual-meditative zone. Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa is an ancient, spiritual & healing formula that I use every day after I air out my home, before and during Reiki treatments and during yoga and meditation. With prolonged use, your house will absorb the wonderful qualities of the incense and will be an oasis to come into.
My next most favorite incense is this one, Japanese Morning Star Sandalwood Incense. They remind me of another era in my life. Very restful, and while not certified organic, I am sure it is also a rather natural incense. It has a wonderful smell! Try it! It is not that expensive. Or rather, inexpensive. Japanese incense is different from Indian incense in that there is no central stick inside. The incense is pressed in short, thin sticks, which are put one by one in a tiny incense holder. But more commonly, a few sticks are burned together in a tiny jar of uncooked rice grains.