The Benefits of Incense

The burning of incense and resins is as ancient as humans themselves. It’s a practice that has been used to express love for the universe and honoring a countless pantheon of deities.

The derivation of the word is from the Latin word incendere. The meaning of incendere is to burn. In ancient Egypt, priests used to burn incense for fumigating ceremonies and tombs. It was usually used in sacred ceremonies reserved for holy temples. The burning of incense is a fundamental part of our human experience. With modern human development, those same experiences and traditions are carried on, into our homes. Here are the Supernatural benefits of burning incense!

Incense as a Timer

Once an incense gets lighted up, it takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to burn down completely. You can spark them when you start your meditation, working, or during meetings. Its fragrance can also be a gentler timekeeper, rather than the abrasiveness of a clock or an alarm. For ancient humans, they used incense to measure time in place of candles.

Meditation

In many religious practices, burning incense is believed to deepen our attention and empower our spiritual focus. The aroma of incense can help you tap in your spiritual connections. It calms the environment and your mind, cleansing the space for inner and outer journeys. It is best used as a premeditation ritual at the beginning of each session.

Aids Sleep

Incense can be beneficial for helping you fall asleep. Lavender, Chamomile, and Vetiver induce a calming and restfulness for a busy mind. Light your favorite incense 15-20 minutes before you go to bed. Let the aroma rotate around the room. Make sure to time it so the incense burns out before you fall asleep. It’s a safer nighttime practice than using candles.

Yoga Practice

The scent of incense helps you to boost your energy and focus on your workout. Incense helps to block odors during the yoga session, so the incense will keep distractions from odors low, especially when paired with incense during a meditative practice.

Medicinal Uses

Scents released from incense produce serotonin in your body. It can be an alternative to taking pharmaceuticals. It is a wonderful non pharmacological method of raising the healthy hormones your brain needs to function and it improves your overall mood as well.

Serotonin is a natural mood stabilizer as it helps in sleeping, eating, and digestion. It also helps to reduce depression, headaches, and anxiety. Try using Rose incense for a soft dose of Serotonin.

Creativity Enhancement

A well-selected scent of incense stimulates your ability ideas and improves mental health. Aloes wood-based incense has uplifting fragrances like lemongrass, Ylang-Ylang, citrus scents, etc. It determines your creative zone and finds your flow while you do kinds of stuff like writing, painting. It creates space in your mind for beautiful notes.

Purifies Air

Certain floral perfumes of incense have an antibacterial property that can help to purify your home. It is also an easy, quick method to get rid of any unwanted smells. Myrrh, Citrus, Cedar, and Sandalwood are beautiful air purifiers.

It brings a sense of new beginnings. Using incense to purify air gives you a fresh cleansing feel. Some studies suggest it can help in eliminating diverse pathogenic bacteria from the air within closed spaces. A benefit our ancient ancestors felt spiritually, hence its constant use in holy places and temples.

Generosity and Mindfulness

There is a belief that incense allows you to center yourself. You can light up the incense and let the aroma flow through your mind and body. It is a simple way to do something without any expectations in return. Just the natural flow of life carrying us along. A peaceful nature of a ritual that cleanses your home and your mind, allowing for a softer day.

There are so many benefits to having a ritual like burning incense in your life. The health benefits may just be as a stress reducer, but as we all know, less stress is a happier home. At Supernatural, we’re true believers in the practice of burning incense. We designed and handcrafted our own set of Supernatural Incense Dishes, their perfect balance makes the ritual use of incense that much easier to begin!