The Importance Of Burning Ayurvedic Incense

The Importance Of Burning Ayurvedic Incense

Ayurveda is an incredibly unique art that had been passed down from generations. Ayurveda is the science of ancient medicine where the natural ingredients are used in specific proportions with the combinations of one or more ingredients depending upon the situation. Ayurveda is a vast field and has many sectors with many more implications. In this modern age of technology also Ayurveda is holding its ground firmly and strongly. Among the many methods of applying Ayurveda and implementing its techniques, one is Ayurvedic incense.

Ayurveda is said to be lived to be born in the Indian subcontinent thousands of years ago. Hindu mythology tells that Ayurveda and its knowledge had been passed down directly from the gods to the auspicious sages and from them to peoples. Then the people started to pass down knowledge from generation to generation until it reached this modern world. Another possibility is that it is the science researched by the ancient people to heal themselves. Then with each passing generation, it got better and broader until it reached here today. Whatever may be the case Ayurveda is a gift to us by our ancestors. 

Among the many divisions, applications, methods of Ayurveda one is Ayurvedic incense. Ayurvedic incense is a process in which some special materials are molded by hand into a stick which is burnt as a fragrance. This aromatic method has been used in Hindu civilization for thousands of years. Some other religions also have been found to use this method. Still, today in the Hindu homes peoples burn this during rituals, ceremonies, and worshipping the god. Nowadays it can be easily bought and is widespread in the market. Now people just buy and light it without knowing much about it or the process it involves.

People nowadays just buy it for the fragrance or know it as something compulsory for some ceremonies, that is all they know. However, people from ancient times used Ayurvedic incense for various purposes using various methods and ingredients. The main use of using Ayurvedic incense was and still is to use for therapy and various therapeutic purposes. When the people of modern times visualize Ayurveda, they think either to eat some herbs and herbal products or putting a mixture of herbs in the body or the part of the target.

However, what most people do not understand that Ayurveda goes deep beyond that may be deeper than some people can even comprehend. Ayurveda was directly integrated into the life of the ancient peoples. Yes, taking as a food and as a medicine to be put in the skin or surface of the body is an essential part of Ayurveda but it is not all to it? Ayurvedic incense uses smoke or fragrance as Ayurvedic medicine. 

Ayurvedic incense is a therapeutic process that uses the nose as a medium to get into our body and mind to get rid of various problems in our body. We in our lives may have once interacted with Ayurvedic incense, however, if you live in India, Nepal, or some other countries near it you may have seen incense during a ceremony or worshipping. It is quite popular in those areas.

Incense and Ayurvedic incense

In ancient times every incense was Ayurvedic incense because all of them were made with all-natural ingredients. However, now this may not be the case with all the incense today. The manufacturers are focusing more on fragrance and making it with various nonorganic materials. Yes, smell and fragrance are an important part of Ayurvedic incense, but it is only one part.

Another part is the healing properties of the materials that are used to make the incense. Manufacturers are more focusing on the fragrance part and ignoring the healing and organic part. The consumers are also being ok with the fragrance part not completely realizing the other important aspects and the main function of Ayurvedic incense. So, one must realize that every incense may not be ayurvedic incense.

Ingredients of the Ayurvedic incense

The most basic ingredients of Ayurvedic incense are the small bamboo stick and the Ayurvedic paste which will be put on the top part of the stick and let dry. It should be only applied to the top to mid part leaving the base as bamboo. The bamboo stick also should be thin, firm able to hold the weight of the paste, and balance itself when pinned down on some surface.

The key of the Ayurvedic incense lies in the paste that is put on the stick and is burned when the incense is made dry and ready to use. There is a vast science behind the preparation of the Ayurvedic incense and picking the right materials.

Making of the Ayurvedic incense

The three essential elements for making the incense are bamboo, paste, and some aromatic ingredients which can be also included as the part of the paste but here is mentioned separately as here describing the nature it counts and holds a different nature than the paste with a specific purpose. 

Looking at the ingredients for making paste and aroma there are hundreds of herbs flowers and aromatic flavors that make the final product. Sandalwood, Agarwood, amber, basil, Benzoin, Ambrette seed, Clove, Cinnamon, Coriander, Dammar, Sweetgrass, ginger root, Musk seed, Juniper wood, etc. are a few of the many varieties of the elements that are used to make the Ayurvedic incense. These are the used materials; these materials are also classified into various classes based upon their nature and the characters they possess. It is very essential to understand the character and classification of the elements as understanding it is the first step in making the right Ayurvedic incense.

• Ether

  It is the elements of the fruits. All the fruits that will be used during the formation of incense fall under this category. For example, a Star anise is a popular fruit for making incense.

• Water

  It is the element of stems and branches. The criteria for which a certain type of stem or branch gets selected to be the water element is that either it should contain aromatic properties, or it should have healing or herbal properties, or both in it. Sandalwood, bernol, myrrh is some of the examples of the water element.

• Earth

  It is the element of the root. Some roots of some herbs are special in that they can be used for the formation of incense. Turmeric and ginger are examples of earth elements.

• Fire

  It is the element of the flower. Flowers are the most aromatic part of a plant. Flowers have been used as the important ingredient of making incense in every culture. Cloves are examples of the fire element.

• Air

  It is the element of leaves. Leaves of some special plants are used as the air element in the making of the ayurvedic incense.

The ingredients and classifications can differ according to the culture and country. If we look at the Buddhist incense formation or Japanese, they are quite different from what we discussed.

The ingredients are collected according to the specifications of making, the expert described in the texts, or the type of incense they are about to make. Then the elements are made into a fine paste then are stuck to the bamboo stick.

Benefits of burning Ayurvedic incense

• Sweet smell

  The sweet smell is the most recognizable character of the Ayurvedic incense. When Ayurvedic incense is burnt it releases a specific kind of aura that fills the atmosphere with a sweet aroma. This primarily depends upon which material makes the incense. There is a wide variety of incense available. The sweet smell makes the environment livelier and atheistic. The sweet smell could enhance the experience of the joyous moment and decrease the pain in the tragic and lost moment. So, in Hindu culture at both times incense is burned.

• Relax and light feeling

The smell when flows out to the atmosphere it sets the mood right. The sweet environment gives the sensation of easiness to the environment. The calm and sweet environment can turn even the most stressful day and stressed environment into that of a pleasant one. Ayurvedic incense had been used for centuries for this purpose.

• Enhance creativity

  The creativity of a person varies from place to place. That is why most scientists, painters, and artists choose a most serene environment to enhance and implement their ideas into the world. Ayurvedic incense can make your environment serene and calmer.

• Balance of Vata, Kapha and pitta

  Ayurveda says that the increased amount of Vata, Kapha, and Pitta are the sources of various diseases and abnormalities in the body. In the balance amount these function the body but in an increased amount they disrupt the balance of the body and make the body ill. Ayurvedic incense has been long used to balance them.

  Vata

  To balance the Vata amount in the body Ayurvedic incense with the warm characters are used. They should be pleasant in aroma and be used to the only limit. Use in a disruptive and excessive manner may also be very harmful and dangerous. Sandalwood, basil, lotus-based incenses are used to balance unbalanced Vata in the body.

  Kapha

  To balance the increased Kapha amount in the body of the individual special Kapha calming incense must be used. Spicy aromas are the ones to have the calming effect of the Kapha in the body. Clove, Sedar, myrrh, etc. are the types to be used for the Kapha balance in the body.

  Pitta

  To balance the increased pitta amount in the body of the individual there is also a special type of aroma and insane. Calming and cooling types of aromas and incense need to be used for imbalanced pitta in the body. Lavender, lily, rose are the type of fragrances need to be used for these purposes

• Meditation

  meditation is the art of calming the body and focusing the energy on the mind and soul. Ancient peoples used to meditate when they used to evoke in the journey or austerity which is extremely hard to achieve and complete. People not just of Hindu mythology but many other parts and mythology are described to have in involved in meditation. The top personalities, busy Higher officers, judges also claim to go into meditation for some time in the entire day to get rid of their stress. So, what is the use of Ayurvedic incense here? 

People have long used the Ayurvedic incense to enhance the ability to meditate and calm the mind. Making the environment aromatic before going into mediation clams the mind before going into the meditation itself. It helps to focus on yourself and reflect on your true self and know yourself better.

• Mind healer

  Our mind is the expert in our body. A healthy mind will make a healthy body. An individual cannot be healthy if only his body is healthy, and his mind is under stress and lots of pressure. It has been found by the research that the use of the Ayurvedic incense releases serotonin in the body. Serotonin is the chemical that our brain makes and releases when we are happy, calm, and in joy. Serotonin is also produced forcefully by taking various drugs but produces massive harmful effects. Ayurvedic incense does it naturally without any kind of side effects.

• Aids sleep and rest

  Sleeping disorder is known as insomnia by its technical term is an extremely dangerous disorder. It is not a disease caused by a foreign object but a condition of a body where the body has an extremely challenging time going into sleep. There is some special ayurvedic incense that is equipped with certain herbs and ingredients whose smell and smoke help the patient with the sleeping disorder to get into sleep. Lavinder, garden sage, white sage is one essential type of fragrance that aids to induce sleep,

• Spiritual progress

  Incense had been long associated with spirituality and peace. Especially in Hinduism and Buddhism, incense is used to worship and for spiritual purposes. It can act as a special tool to enhance spirituality also.

• Air purifier

  It is also majorly believed that Ayurvedic incense acts as an air purifier and makes the air pollution-free. The special incense is said to have antibacterial and anti-microbe properties. They also repel insects and make the environment clean.