Yoga Spirit Tulsa
  • Home
  • 200-hour Training
  • 300-hour Training
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Home
  • 200-hour Training
  • 300-hour Training
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Blog
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Welcome to Janet's Yoga Blog


Author

Janet Parachin is a yoga therapist, meditation teacher, Ayurveda wellness consultant, Reiki Master Teacher, and enthusiastic Yoga trainer and practitioner. She teaches at Tulsa Yoga Meditation Center www.tulsayogameditationcenter.com/ Study yoga, meditation and Ayurveda with her in the online classroom Yoga Spirit Online www.yogaspiritonline.com/

Archives

May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025
January 2025
December 2024
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021

Categories

All Abundance Ajna Chakra Allergies Anahata Chakra Anxiety Apples Arnold Schwarzenegger Attitude Autumn Ayurveda Benefits Of Meditation Brahmari Breathing Cannoli Chakras Communication Compassion Creativity Crown Chakra Dallas Deepak Chopra Devi Digestion Door Ears Earth Equanimity Equinox Eyes Fall Fear Fire Five Senses Gratitude Happiness Heart Chakra Herbs Humming Breath Hydration Impermanence Inner Teacher Intention Intentions Interbeing Intuition Joy Jr. Judith Hanson Lasater Karma Kittens Letting Go Life Listen Love Lovingkindness Manipura Chakra Mars Martin Luther King Masculine Massage Meditation Michael J Fox Mindfulness Muladhara Chakra Nasya Natural Breath Neti Pot New Moon New Year Nose Om Pain Peace Pitta Practice Pranayama Ramana Maharshi Relax Relaxation Rest Restorative Yoga Retreat Root Chakra Rumi Sadhguru Sahasrara Chakra Sankalpa Savasana Scent Self Care Self Knowledge Shunryu Suzuki Skin Solar Plexus Chakra Sound Spring Stillness Svadisthana Swami Vivekananda Taste Thanksgiving Thich Nhat Hanh Third Eye Chakra Thoughts Throat Chakra Tongue True Self Trust Unity Venus Vishuddha Visualization Walking World Meditation Day Yoga Yoga Nidra Yoga Practice Yoga Rules Zen Buddhism

6/6/2022 0 Comments

Scent and Memory

The aroma of bread baking on Sunday morning. The scent of a cologne or perfume worn by a love interest. The familiar smells of the holidays. All of these bring memories to the forefront and solidify the nose as one of our favorite sense organs.

What do Yoga and Ayurveda have to say about our sense of smell?

As one of the five senses, we have the ability to differentiate between many different types of scents. The senses of smell and taste are very much connected too which is why losing the sense of smell often results in loss of appetite as well.

The olfactory nerve travels into the brain very close to the memory center. This is why a certain scent triggers a memory that can transport you to an earlier time. For example, the scent of lily of the valley takes me back to my front yard in Chicago where these lovely little flowers were planted.

Yoga and Ayurveda suggest that we care for our nose in very specific ways:

Neti pot has become quite popular in recent years, especially in areas with high allergens. Truly anyone can benefit from the practice as it can make our nose more sensitive to the variety of scents it will encounter. This little pot looks like a genie bottle with a long spout. Gently pour salt water in one nostril so it flows out the other side. Blow the nose and repeat on the other side. I use mine every morning without fail. And if you are outside all day, you might like using it at night too to wash the allergens away. Look for some instructional videos on YouTube.

Oiling the nose is nice if you tend to get dry nasal passages, especially in the winter months. Sesame oil is a good choice because it is all natural and not too heavy. You can also order Nasya Oil online, a specially formulated sesame oil also that has essential oils and herbs cooked into it. Place a drop or two into each nostril, sniff strongly to draw it in, then gently massage the outside of the nose. This is best done in the morning or afternoon, but not at night because the oil can go into the lungs when you’re lying down.

A scent workout for your nose is helpful in keeping your sense of smell more discriminating. I like to use bottles of essential oils, but you can gather other smells like fruits, spices, herbs, flowers, etc. Choose 5-10 different types of scents: flowery, sweet, hot, spicy, woodsy. Close your eyes as you smell each one; when you can’t see your nose’s abilities become sharper. You might practice with a friend who can mix them up and see if you can guess which one you’re smelling.

May your sense of smell and memory stay sharp!

0 Comments

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly