To those practicing yoga for inner peace and physical well-being, yoga instructors, those about to begin their yoga journey, and anyone interested— we present the synergistic benefits of yoga and incense, along with a fresh, enjoyable way to enhance your practice.

Incense has been used since the time of ancient Egypt and Greece in sacred rituals, medicine, and beauty practices. The ancients understood that incense was more than a pleasant fragrance—it was a medium that could influence the human mind and body, and even serve as a conduit to connect with deities and the divine.

Yoga is believed to have roots reaching back to the Indus Valley Civilization in western India. Both incense and yoga have been passed down through thousands of years, their traditions unbroken, sustained by generations who understood their transformative power.

One of yoga’s ultimate aims is to transcend the self and unite with something greater—the universal flow of energy, the cosmos itself—what some may call the divine. This pursuit is not limited to physical postures; it can also be found through meditation. When incense is incorporated into yoga or meditation practice, it invites us into alignment with the wisdom of antiquity. By engaging in these ancient practices today, we are sharing in the same sensory and spiritual experience as those who lived on this earth thousands of years ago.

As part of daily yoga practice, there is a discipline of sharpening the five senses—and ultimately, learning to consciously regulate them. This means not surrendering complete control over your sense of comfort or discomfort to the physical senses alone. It is about maintaining a centered, balanced state—what yoga philosophy refers to as the middle path. It is about engaging them fully, observing their influence, and becoming aware of how deeply they are connected to our emotions. In doing so, we cultivate a deeper understanding of ourselves and find greater richness in everyday life.

Incense plays a powerful role in this sensory training. Depending on the type, incense can alter not only fragrance, but also the quality of the air, the movement of smoke, and the atmosphere of a space. The simple act of trying to perceive all of these subtle shifts becomes a form of practice in heightening sensory awareness.

Yoga and incense are both ancient sources of wisdom, deeply harmonious in nature. So approach them with curiosity and joy—and let the experience guide you inward.

Would you like to add a touch of incense to your yoga practice? Incorporating incense into your yoga routine can bring sensations and insights you’ve never experienced before. What exactly those will be is a delightful surprise unique to your own practice. 

For morning yoga sessions, refreshing citrus or herbal scents can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and energize you for the day ahead. During the day, a combination of citrus, herbal, and woody aromas can provide a rejuvenating boost.

In the evening or before bedtime, floral fragrances are ideal—they promote parasympathetic activity and enhance relaxation. Additionally, sandalwood and sage are excellent choices for a sensory reset at any time.

The synergy between yoga and fragrance nurtures both body and senses. Even simple stretching can benefit from the calming or invigorating effects of incense. Because incense is easy to incorporate, it’s a wonderful addition to daily wellness habits.

Perhaps you could select a soothing incense for today’s yoga session, center your mind, and begin your yoga practice. As our cells are constantly in circulation, our bodies change daily. Thus, your choice of incense will vary, reflecting your current state of being. It can be a powerful practice to tune into the energy of the fragrance you’ve chosen for the day while engaging in yoga.

It’s also enjoyable to select different incense for the beginning and end of the session. Additionally, blending various types of incense can provide stimulating effects for the brain. Trust your intuition when choosing the fragrance that resonates with you today.

The human sensibility is fascinating. Even when using the same incense, the way we perceive it can shift depending on the location, time, and our emotional state. Take a moment to observe how you feel about the incense you typically use during today’s yoga session. By noticing your reactions, you may uncover underlying emotions such as worries, anxieties, or anger. Sometimes, when we suppress certain feelings, the power of incense can gently lift that veil, offering you the awareness you need. Without judgment, simply observe and accept your current emotions as they arise.

Try using the power of incense to achieve balance, while developing a yoga practice that supports your inner equilibrium.

Yoga flow is a practice that seamlessly integrates a series of poses in alignment with your breath, making it a popular choice for those who want a dynamic and active practice. As your body moves fluidly, the flow of air around you also begins to shift. Similarly, the incense you’ve chosen will transform with the movement of the air—the fragrance and smoke both evolve and change. As you transition into the next pose, you might notice the fragrance intensifying or the direction of the smoke shifting.

Flow yoga and incense complement each other beautifully. The incense can visually reflect your own flow, enhancing the experience. Traditional incense is always a great option, but citrus or spicy fragrances can also add an invigorating layer to your practice, enhancing the sensory experience.

When we think of the final moments of a yoga practice, one pose naturally comes to mind—Savasana, or Corpse Pose in Sanskrit. It's a favorite for many, and for good reason. No matter how dynamic or gentle the practice, every yoga journey ends here, in stillness. In Savasana, the entire body feels heavy, gently sinking into the mat. It’s a time of release, integration, and deep rest—a moment when the physical and energetic effects of your practice settle into the body.

Have you ever tried incorporating fragrance into this sacred final pose? Before moving into Savasana, try placing a stick of incense near your mat. As your practice comes to a close, light the incense and allow its gentle aroma to fill the space as you settle into stillness. The combination of deep relaxation and soothing fragrance creates a truly transformative experience—one that feels more grounded, more spacious, and more connected.

Fragrances such as cedarwood or myrrh—both beloved in ancient traditions—are particularly powerful. Their earthy, resinous notes promote grounding, calm, and a subtle spiritual depth that complements the meditative state of Savasana beautifully.

Next time you roll out your mat, consider preparing your favorite incense for the end of your practice. That final pose might just become the most memorable part of your entire session.

Settle into a comfortable, grounding yoga pose—something steady and soothing. Gently close your eyes and begin to breathe slowly and mindfully. Choose relaxing postures that allow your body to soften, like Child’s Pose, Puppy Pose, or Happy Baby—poses that are low to the ground and easy to stay in with your eyes closed. These shapes create a sense of safety, making it easier to turn your attention inward.

As you rest in these poses, bring gentle awareness to your body. Notice the areas that feel open and stretched, and those that may still be holding tension. Simply observe—without judgment—how your body feels in this moment. It’s in these quiet, supported postures that we often become more attuned to ourselves.

This is the perfect time to invite fragrance into your practice. Incense with floral or woody notes pairs beautifully with these gentle moments. Whether it’s the soft sweetness of lavender or the grounding depth of sandalwood, fragrance can deepen your relaxation and help you create a small ritual of healing in your daily life.

Let these calming poses and fragrances become part of your wellness routine—a simple yet powerful way to restore balance and reconnect with yourself.

Have you ever paid attention to the importance of “preparation”? At the start of each day, we engage in various rituals to ready ourselves—light exercise, skincare, meals, changing clothes—all part of setting the stage for the day ahead. Before work, cooking, or meeting others, we naturally perform these preparatory tasks.

Meditation is no different. There are simple, gentle preparations you can do before sitting down to meditate. In this section, I’d like to share some thoughts on these small yet meaningful pre-meditation rituals.

First, choose your sitting posture. Sit cross-legged, resting on your sit bones, and lengthen your spine. It’s important that you feel both comfortable and stable. Using a zabuton (floor cushion), yoga block, or small cushion can be very effective, especially if you experience discomfort from your sit bones pressing against the floor. Elevating your hips slightly helps straighten the spine and makes crossing your legs easier, allowing for a more relaxed cross-legged position.

Place your hands on your knees with your palms facing upward. Release any tension in your shoulders and relax. Slowly close your eyes, unclench your jaw, and soften the muscles inside your mouth. Then gently begin to enter meditation.

Through this series of actions, your brain recognizes, “This is the preparation for meditation; meditation is about to begin.” Your mind naturally aligns itself for the practice.

While meditation can be done anytime and anywhere, try to make it a habit to meditate at the same time and in the same place every day. Establishing a dedicated space helps build and elevate the energy of that environment.

Yoga and meditation emphasize nasal breathing. The mouth remains gently closed during the practice. Nasal breathing offers numerous benefits:

1. Filtration of impurities: The nose contains tiny hairs called cilia, which act as natural filters, removing dust and other impurities from the air before it enters the body.
2. Humidity regulation: As cold outside air passes through the nasal passages, it is moistened thanks to the body’s warmth. This helps maintain optimal humidity levels in the respiratory system.
3. Temperature adjustment: The air is warmed or cooled as it passes through the nasal passages, bringing it closer to body temperature. This reduces stress on the respiratory system and is gentler on the body.

In this way, nasal breathing functions as an air purifier, a humidifier, and a climate control system—all working automatically, without conscious effort. In contrast, mouth breathing tends to dry out the mouth and throat, making them more prone to irritation or infection. For this reason, nasal breathing is recommended not only during meditation but also in everyday life.

The answer lies in human anatomy—specifically, the spinal cord that is housed within the spine. The brain communicates with the rest of the body by sending signals through the nervous system, which runs down the spinal cord. Maintaining a well-aligned spine helps ensure that these signals can travel efficiently, supporting the proper functioning of bodily systems.

During meditation, you’re simply sitting and breathing—there’s no unnecessary movement. This stillness allows the breath to gently create space from within the body, gradually helping the spine return to its natural alignment. As a result, the body’s internal communication pathways are optimized, enhancing the flow of signals from the brain to various organs and functions. This means that during meditation, the body can automatically restore part of its natural system of internal regulation, simply by sitting and breathing with awareness. 

You can meditate while sitting in a chair if that’s more comfortable. What matters is starting from where you are and staying within your own limits. Forcing the posture to the point of discomfort may discourage you from continuing the practice. Take it step by step, becoming more aware over time. Gradual progress is both sustainable and more beneficial in the long run.

The sacrum sits low in the spine, just above the small tailbone at the very bottom—known as the coccyx. When we sit with a slouched posture—collapsing the belly and tilting the pelvis backward—we end up sitting directly on the sacrum. In this position, a single, small bone bears the weight of the entire upper body.

In contrast, when we sit with the spine upright and the pelvis in a neutral, upright position, we are supported by the ischial tuberosities, commonly known as the sitting bones. These are located at the base of the pelvis and exist symmetrically on both sides, providing a stable two-point foundation for the upper body.

During meditation, the sitting bones—not the sacrum—should be in contact with the ground. The sacrum plays a crucial role in the nervous system, as it houses nerves that extend to and control the lower body. In addition, the second chakra, an important energy center, is also associated with the area of the sacrum.

As you settle into meditation, it can be deeply beneficial to bring your awareness to the sacrum—as though you are gently communicating with it. When the sacrum is aligned and supported with spacious awareness, it allows the lower body’s nervous system to function properly, supporting a profound sense of grounding and stability.

Before beginning the practice of shakyo, one purifies the hands, joins the palms in reverence, and calms the mind. With quiet focus, each character of the sacred text is copied by hand, one by one. This sustained attention to a single character at a time creates a continuous state of concentration. In this way, the practice of shakyo mirrors the meditative state—where, likewise, one begins by settling the mind and then focuses wholly on a single object, such as the breath or an image.

Moreover, in shakyo, the process engages both the senses and the body: the eyes carefully follow the original text; the hand replicates each character; and the subtle spatial awareness required to maintain proper line spacing activates both the nervous system and the muscles. Thus, it is not only a spiritual or mental discipline, but also a deeply embodied one.

Shakyo is an ideal practice even for those who find it difficult to sit still in silent meditation. It is also highly recommended for children and teenagers, whose minds are particularly sensitive and receptive. The act of copying by hand engages both body and mind, stimulating brain activity and enhancing concentration. Even a short daily practice can yield meaningful benefits.

For those who already engage in regular meditation, shakyo offers a fresh perspective—inviting mindfulness through movement and physical expression.

In shakyo, there is no notion of skill or lack thereof, nor is there any external judgment. Even when one carefully follows the model text, there may be days filled with mistakes, and others when the brush flows effortlessly without error. In both cases, it is the same person performing the act—yet the state of one's inner self is vividly reflected in the characters being written. This realization is both profound and fascinating.

Through shakyo, one gains insight into the condition of their own mind—sometimes revealing aspects of the self that were previously unnoticed. The ability to observe and explore one's inner state in this way, all while engaging in an enjoyable and meaningful practice, is one of the unique and remarkable qualities of shakyo.

The sutras used in shakyo have been passed down through the ages, carrying within them the profound wisdom of ancient people. Many of these texts are not immediately comprehensible upon reading; their meanings are often layered and complex. Yet each character inscribed in the sutra is imbued with a distinct energy. Even if one cannot fully grasp the content intellectually, the act of carefully transcribing the text allows its teachings to be absorbed on a deeper, more intuitive level. This, in itself, is a truly remarkable aspect of the practice.

Shakyo is traditionally done using sumi ink. While there are many types and methods of making sumi, its lustrous black is strikingly beautiful. Black is a color formed by the blending of all others; it contains everything, yet is defined by its resistance to being overtaken by any single hue. It is precisely this strength and depth that make it indispensable in the art of shakyo.

Moreover, sumi ink carries a subtle fragrance, one that gently calms the mind and offers a quiet sense of healing. As you engage in shakyo, take the time to also experience the energy held within the ink itself—it is an integral part of the practice’s meditative and transformative power.