Incense has been used for thousands of years as part of spirituality. India, China, Japan and countries in the middle east have long traditions of incense. European churches use resin incense as part of ceremonies, and civilisations in the Americas have used smudge sticks as part of cleansing rituals.
Using incense is a great way to channel your spirituality as it stimulates and heightens so many of our senses. Not only that, but an incense stick act as a great timer and something physical to bring us back into the present moment for activities like mindfulness, meditation and yoga.
We’re often asked which incense is best for yoga. Here are our top tips for choosing incense for yoga and meditation:
Find something you like
Incense can vary so much. Each scent is unique so find something you truly love. Whether that’s strong, punchy, earthy, or subtle.
Recognise that scent isn’t static
Smelling an incense stick straight out of the box isn’t the same as burning it. That’s why all our boxes are labelled with “smelling notes”. These describe how incense scent develops over time:
Top notes: the smell of your incense straight out of the box
Heat notes: the instant scent after lighting your incense and extinguishing the flame
Base notes: the scent after your incense smoke has developed and interacted with your environment. This is the scent that lasts.
Stay safe
More important than anything - you can’t relax or ground yourself spirituality if your space isn’t safe:
Ventilate your space well
Light incense before your practice, if you can
Keep burning incense away from anything that can knock it over (including limbs doing asanas!)
Our favourite incense boxes for yoga and meditation:
The Meditative Box: earthy, woody and grounding.
The Nag Champa Box: floral, spicy, rich and awakening.
The Japan Box: fresh, delicate, grassy and relaxing.