Physical and psychological benefits of Burning Incense.

What is incense?

Incense is an aromatic substance that releases fragrant smoke when burned. Incense is used for aesthetic, religious, spiritual, meditation and cultural reasons.

From Temples and Churches to Homes incense is burnt all around the world. It is not only used for religious purposes but also because of its spiritual aspect and pleasant smell.

There are a lot of religions that actually used incense to wake the spiritual senses and so far Buddhism, Taoism and some Hinduism practices used it as well.

Benefits of Burning Incense

Not just an air freshener

Most people who never or seldom use incense often think of it simply as an air freshener or an odor eater and are unaware of the many benefits it has to the mind and body. Even many regular incense users who use it regularly may not fully appreciate all its physical and psychological benefits.

Below are outlines of why just about every religion and culture since the beginning of time has used incense for its spiritual powers, why tribal healers and physicians throughout history have used incense for its healing powers, why monks have used incense for thousands of years for its concentration powers, why artists use incense to inspire creativity, and why couples use incense to heighten sexual experiences.

Enhancing Concentration & Focus

Whether it is during study or at work, the use of specific incenses enables clear thinking and helps in developing a state of complete awareness. Monks recognized this benefit of incense long ago and use it during their meditation to clear the air as well as their thoughts. Jewelry makers and other workers who require intense concentration also often use incense to help them focus and to switch back and forth between working under the microscope and working away from it.

Stimulating Creativity

Similar to an enjoyable song or beautiful scenery can inspire the imagination, a pleasing aroma can get the creative energy flowing. The many botanical scents of incense can transport one’s mind away to a tropical island, a rain forest, a mountainous range, or any other earthly heaven. The scents of incense can put one in a dream like state where the imagination is set free to roam.

Increasing Motivation and Positive Energy

Incense has long been used by religious and spiritual leaders to purify the air and the soul. Certain incense smoke has antibacterial, fungicidal, and insecticidal properties and, therefore, really does purify the air. It is said that the incense increases positive energy and drives away negative energy. The pure air is like health food for the brain and the body, resulting in an increased motivation and energy level.

Boosting Confidence

With increased focus, creativity, and motivation naturally comes increased confidence. When your body is relaxed and your brain is firing on all cylinders, you’re at your best, and when you’re at your best, you’re at your most confident. Burning incense before a big date, a big test, or a big presentation can really increase your confidence and, therefore, your chances of success.

Heightening Sexual Desire

Everyone knows that pheromones are nature’s aphrodisiac, which is why they are used in perfumes to attract the opposite sex. Similarly, by indulging the sense of smell, incense acts as a powerful aphrodisiac. The scents created by certain incenses stimulate sexual appetite and increase sexual attraction. Additionally, we’ve already covered that incense can boost confidence and enhance focus, and nothing attracts the opposite sex more than confidence and focus. Therefore, even if one were to use incense by himself and then meet up with his partner elsewhere, his increased confidence and focus will naturally turn his partner on. If a couple uses incense together, the smells will kick in the pheromone effect and they most likely will have a hard time keeping their hands off each other.

Preventing Infections

Many types of incense have antibacterial properties and can be used as a disinfectant to kill germs in the environment. In a recent Chinese study, incense was used to sterilize a hospital ward and was found to be just as effective as more standard means of sterilization such as using steam. By keeping your environment sterile, you can prevent infections and disease. Because many herbs, such as Myrrh, also act as antiseptics, gathering the smoke from certain types of incense and rubbing it over a wound may actually help the wound heal faster since the smoke can kill germs on the wound.

Relieving Headaches

Our sense of smell is a direct path to the brain and certain odors trigger an immediate response via the Limbic System. Particular aromas stimulate the brain to produce essential chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine, which cause feelings of happiness, relaxation and contentment. For headache relief, certain incense aromas can help open the nasal passages, while others can lower blood pressure.

Fighting Depression

A study from an international team of scientists has discovered how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain that alleviate anxiety or depression. Incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, was administered to mice and found to stimulate TRPV3, a protein which helps reduce anxiety and depression symptoms. The compound significantly affected brain areas known to be involved in emotions as well as in nerve circuits that are affected by current anxiety and depression drugs.

Reducing Anxiety & Tension

The calming effects of incense are well known by Monks and spiritual leaders. Certain incense aromas work to slow down the heart rate and soothe nerves. These calming effects help to relieve built up tension in the muscles, enabling incense to also be used as a muscle relaxer.

In the hustle and bustle of today’s world levels of anxiety are increasing all the time and those who are feeling anxious often seek non-medical help to treat their condition and since incense sticks are a great way to naturally treat anxiety, they have been used for many years. Pine is considered to be the best incense for anxiety

Aids Insomnia

As a result of the calming effects of burning incense, incense can also be used to induce sleep. The sedative properties of incense make it a great natural treatment to aid insomnia. This list is not quite thorough from the complete effects of incense that can have on the body and mind. There is a wide variety of plants and different parts of the plant used in incense, and each of these plants contains many different chemicals and compounds that effect the body. Inhaling these compounds is just another way of introducing them into the body, not much different than putting them into a pill form and ingesting them. The only difference is that inhaling them via incense has been done for thousands of years and is 100% natural, safe, and non-addicting. Therefore, incense should be considered as an effective remedy in treating such ailments as headaches and depression before resorting to prescription drugs. Because of all the benefits to the mind and body, it is wise to use incense on a regular basis to maintain health and happiness.

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT BURNING INCENSE:

Burning incense in the bible is mentioned as

Exodus 30:7-9
“Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. “When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. “You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering, and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.

The safeness and non-addictiveness is only true for 100% natural plant-based incense. Any incense that contains synthetic materials or is burned using charcoal may have undesirable effects on the body. Also, though incense is a great natural remedy, for more serious conditions or disease, please always consult a doctor and follow his prescriptions.

The most significant benefits of meditation

Eastern philosophies have recognized the health benefits of meditation for thousands of years. Meditation lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system and delivers an overall improvement in your ability to concentrate. And the best part about meditation is you don’t need to be a Buddhist monk to experience the many health benefits of meditation.

The studies on the health benefits of meditation are numerous and the benefits proven seem endless as well. It has been stated that long-term mediators experience 80 percent less heart disease and 50 percent less cancer than non-mediators and that females who meditate have an average of 47 percent more DHEA, the youth-related hormone, than those who don’t. This hormone helps heighten memory, lower stress levels, preserve sexual function and maintain weight.

Various benefits from research studies indicate that meditation:

Improves both Physical and Emotional Responses to Stress. With stress playing a role as a contributing factor in major modern killers – there’s no time like now to get yours under control. A study conducted at the Department of Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand found that after meditation, serum cortisol levels were significantly reduced, serum total protein level significantly increased, and systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and pulse rate significantly reduced. Read related article for stress reduction from meditation.

Improves Concentration. Meditation, according to Penn neuroscientist Amishi Jha and Michael Baime, director of Penn’s Stress Management Program, is an active and effortful process that literally changes the way the brain works. Their study is the first to examine how meditation may modify the three subcomponents of attention, including the ability to prioritize and manage tasks and goals, the ability to voluntarily focus on specific information and the ability to stay alert to the environment.

Decreases Blood Pressure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 out of 3 American adults have high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure increases one’s chances of developing heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and kidney disease. According to a study conducted at the University of Kentucky meditation is an effective treatment for controlling high blood pressure with the added benefit of bypassing possible side effects and hazards of anti-hypertension drugs. The study’s lead author, Dr. James W. Anderson, professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, associated meditation with approximate reductions of 4.7 mm systolic blood pressure and 3.2 mm diastolic blood pressure and said that blood pressure reductions of this magnitude would be expected to be accompanied by significant reductions in risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Read related article on meditation for physical health.

There is a long list of studies and results that indicate superior benefits of meditation which help conditions as:

Allergies
Anxiety disorders
Asthma
Binge eating
Cancer
Depression
Fatigue
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Pain
Sleep problems
Substance abuse

Please feel free to contact us about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these or other medical conditions. Meditation isn’t a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it can be useful in addition to your other treatments.

Different types of meditation

There are many types of meditation and relaxation techniques with meditation components. But all share the same goal of inner peace. Techniques such as:

Observation meditation. This type of meditation is based on being mindful, or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment. This Technique can also be incorporated in daily life by living in the ‘now’ and accepting for what is.

Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing. You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells (using incense), sights, sounds and textures. This Technique can be led through by a guide or teacher.

Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts. Transcendental meditation is a type of mantra meditation in which you achieve a deep state of relaxation to achieve pure awareness.
Qi gong. This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong (chee-kung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.

Kung Fu. This is a form of the gentle side of Chinese martial arts. A series of self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.

Yoga. You perform a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind. As you move through poses that require balance and concentration, you’re encouraged to focus less on your busy day and more on the moment.

10 Physical and Psychological Benefits Of Burning Incense