Live Better: Incense to Soothe Your Soul (And Make Your House Smell Amazing)

Incense is a blend of natural wood resin mixed with herbs, botanicals and essential oils to create a fragrant, slow-burning smoke that infuses the air with its fragrance. And although incense has been used for centuries in ceremonies and rituals around the world, it’s never been easier to find just the right scent to create serenity in your home. Here’s how.

One benefit of incense is it can eliminate impurities in the air around you. In ancient times, ceremonial smoke was believed to purify the atmosphere. While science hasn’t been able to verify that yet, incense certainly does mask and eliminate some unpleasant odors.

Due to the resin content, incense burns down slowly and creates a small amount of thick smoke. Incense sticks burn longer than cones, but cones offer easier cleanup because the ash stays in the cone shape, rather than falling off the end of the stick. Simply watching the smoke rise (or fall if you have an inverted incense burner) can become a simple act of multi-sensory meditation.

Incense can be used to set a tone for a task or time of day. Light up a stick when you’re relaxing in the bath or getting ready for bed to give your body a cue that it’s time to slow down.

Bringing your body into balance is tricky when you are in a state of overwhelm. Some people find that incense is a great tool to help slow things down and restore the body and brain connection, especially when incorporated in a mediation practice.