For many practitioners and teachers, smell is an integral part of the yoga experience. At most dedicated yoga centres, students are greeted with the welcome scent of incense, and there is a deep-rooted reason why.
Our sense of smell is strongly associated with time and place, and essential oils and incense can help lever the memory to certain events and states of mind.
Someone I know goes into raptures at the merest whiff of the sandalwood-heavy incense, Nag Champa.
'I'm not sure why', he says, 'but the scent immediately helps me to relax. I can feel my heartbeat slowing. Perhaps it's because I associate it with yoga'.
Transformative
He is not alone in acknowledging the transformative power of smell. One of the most popular Indian oils, sandalwood, has been used for centuries for ayurvedic purposes, to treat anxiety, and is used to offer incense to the Buddha.
It is traditionally meant to bring people closer to the Divine, and to maintain one's focus in meditation.
Just as essential oils can be used to aid focus and relaxation in yoga and meditation, they can also be used throughout the day, burnt in oil burners, to take the mind back into that elusively calm state.
Frankincense, sandalwood, cedarwood and myrrh are especially associated with relaxation and yoga.
Beyond yoga
But essential oils are not just for yoga. They have been used in fragrances and medicine for thousands of years.
As the pace of life gets faster, the demand for this ancient therapy has grown - aromatherapy is increasingly popular for its ability to relieve stress, headaches, and to enhance general wellbeing.
Simply, aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essentials oils that come from flowers, trees and their fruits, leaves and blooms. The oils are massaged into the body, poured in the bath or burnt (and so inhaled) in an aromatherapy burner, though massage is the most widely spread use.
Consisting of tiny aromatic molecules, essential oils are readily absorbed into the skin and, while breathing, into the lungs. Their therapeutic elements are transported around the body as they are inhaled or absorbed.
As well as relaxing mind and body, some oils, such as tree tree, have been proven to have antibacterial and antiseptic properties, and peppermint has been shown sooth the stomach and improve digestion.
The practicalities
Ideally, only the finest quality essential oils should be used to minimise the likelihood of skin irritation or an ineffective result.
Spend as much money as you can afford on buying the oils, buy a pure essential oil rather than a diluted aromatherapy oil, and buy organic if possible.
An aromatherapy session with a good therapist can be beneficial if time and money allow. Advice from the Aromatherapy Council of UK says the cost of a session should run between £30 and £60 for a 60 or 90 minute consultation.
The aromatherapist will ask a set of questions about your lifestyle and medical history - a necessary process if the practioner is to decide which oils are most suitable. After selecting and blending the oils, he or she will normally administer a massage.
The oils will be diluted in a carrier oil, such as almond, and massaged into your back, shoulders and neck. Swedish massage is one of the most common, although the depth is always tailored to the individual.
Oils for yoga
Sandalwood: the most popular oil used in India and for yoga and other healing processes. Some temples have been built with sandalwood in India, and sandalwood soap is recommended in ancient Ayurvedic texts for skin care.
Chamomile: has a sweet, warm aroma that is calming and relaxing. Soothing for all skin types and can be a highly effective soother for sore muscles; it's also one of the few essential oils that can be used on inflamed skin conditions.
Frankincense: traditionally considered sacred since ancient times, this oil has a warm, woody fragrance and is often used to create a'spiritual atmosphere. It is also excellent for toning and caring for mature skin.
Jasmine: regarded as an aphrodisiac, jasmine is also great for relieving stress and anxiety. Relaxes, uplifts and helps self-confidence and also makes a good perfume.
Lavender: the most widespread and versatile of oil essential oils. Lavender is relaxing, balancing and soothing. Add a drop to the pillow before bedtime or a few drops to your evening bath.
Myrrh: traditionally the 'holy oil', myrrh was used as an embalming ointment, and to accompany services at the Eastern Orthodox Church. In Christian scriptures it was one of the gifts of the Magi to the infant Jesus. Can be used in mixtures of incense, to give an earthy element.
