“Look in the perfume of flowers and nature for peace of mind and the joy of life. Sleep on it.” – Wang Wei

“The Nose Knows” is a mantra I got from a well known Essential Oil pioneer, John Steele, who does blending for companies like Aveda.

Detecting smells is the oldest sense in the body. A recent study reported that the human nose can smell roughly 1 trillion scents that the human nose and brain are capable of distinguishing from each other. Previously it was estimated that humans could only sense 10,000 different odors but it had never been really tested before.

The use of aromatics and flowers goes back centuries. In France it is part of their medical system, in fact.

Did you know that an inability to smell can relate to a nutritional deficiency and an indicator a person is not in top health?

Early on in history man needed his nose to find water, to sense danger, change in weather, and choosing a mate it is all a part of our guidance system.

We all have our own scent signature, based on our body chemistry.

You may have experienced the smell of snow or rain in the air before. If you paid attention to the experience, you may even have noticed a feeling with your body.

In our modern world we have gone away from the awareness of such acute smell.

How do different scents make you feel?

What I discovered with perfume was that it made me aware of how my body felt, and of my mental state. Then I sprayed some so called “good quality”, expensive perfume on. I immediately felt my body contract and tighten up. I noticed how subtly even my head and thinking capacity changed. From that day on, I have seldom worn perfume.

What I do wear is high quality essential oils. They have a therapeutic quality and can enhance how you desire to feel. You may find that they help you to stay more calm, focused and in control, making it easier to manage challenging circumstances.

I encourage you to practice being aware of different scents and notice how they make you feel and the impact they have on your body. Imagine the scent you are smelling expand and see what you notice. As you practice smelling different sense you will find that you develop more awareness around scents.

I would love to hear about your experience with scents and even what you notice in the space you are in now. Leave me a comment below!