Awakened Conscious Conversations
Healing the world one episode at a time by offering realistic solutions to the journey of life. Both self hosted ( By The Gentle Yoga Warrior) and guest episodes.
Many of our guests have overcome significant obstacles and transformed their lives.
Rich with deep talks and solo endeavours, often offering tips on living a more conscious life.
Many episodes include a bonus optional meditation!
Awakened Conscious Conversations
Five Years of Podcasting and the Healing Power of Smell
Have you ever noticed how a simple scent can instantly transport you back to a specific moment in your past? That's because the part of our brain that processes smell is directly linked with memory centers – making aromatherapy not just pleasant, but potentially transformative.
As we celebrate five years of Awakened Conscious Conversations, today's episode explores the often-overlooked power of scent as a pathway to healing and nurturing ourselves. I share personal discoveries about how simple aromas like fresh lime in warm water or the eucalyptus leaves from my garden have become powerful tools in my daily well-being practice. We dive into the psychology behind different scent categories – why zesty, uplifting scents boost concentration while earthy, grounding aromas prepare us for restful sleep.
Whether you're struggling with creative blocks, seeking deeper relaxation, or simply wanting to enhance your daily experience, this exploration of aromatherapy offers gentle yet effective tools to support your journey. What scent will you bring into your world today? Listen, explore, and discover how this neglected sense might become your most powerful ally in creating moments of presence and joy.
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A note for every episode: we do not necessary agree with all the views on our podcast and leave listeners to make their own mind up with what they do or don't agree with.
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So, hello everybody, I'm your host, the Gentle Yoga Warrior, and this is Awakened Conscious Conversations podcast, and we are a couple of weeks away from being five years old, and that is quite an achievement in itself, because I've read that 90% of podcasters do not publish more than three episodes. So to be in the top one percent of podcasts globally, one would have needed to publish 21 episodes, and since we are on hundreds, uh, that is quite an achievement. Um, I think, maybe because people might think they might want a podcast and then, when they get to do it, they realize there's actually more work involved in it. However, technology is making it a lot easier, but I think it's always important to do something from your heart, and maybe those people it wasn't meant to be podcast presenters, you know, and that that's absolutely fine. I think it's, it's good to know that's what you want to do, because if they'd wanted to, they would definitely have continued up more than three episodes, I would have guessed, and um, so podcasts, I feel, are a great way to kind of reach people, and from all different countries, who probably found this by chance, because I don't really advertise it, I just like use word of mouth. Um, I don't know why. It's just I kind of do it for joy and then it just kind of built up momentum from there. So, um, if you want to become a friend of the show, if you go to my podcast website, there is a way to become a friend of the show there, but that is optional. Anyway, I digress a bit.
Speaker 1:Um, today is a very warm and sunny day as we come to the end of one of the loveliest months of the year in my opinion may and it's that lovely transitional month between spring and summer, so it can have summer and spring all together. But what I love it most about is, around this time, all the flowers start to come out, obviously not the summer flowers, but there's so many flowers and the trees are in life and there's so much life and beauty and joy and kind of change. And, um, yeah, I find it really moving, or I find it a time of hope and joy and to plant seeds and to let things spring up and be. And today I thought we'd talk all about the beautiful ways in which we can connect, heal and nurture ourselves.
Speaker 1:And of course, I've done many shows in the past on this subject, but I felt particularly today that we overlook the sense of smell. So like we can look at things we like, we can listen to things we like, we might even like nice textures in a house, but there's an overlooked sense of smell and smells. The part of the brain that stores the sense of smell is linked with memory. So hence why certain smells can really evoke different things, and one person may love, say, the smell of pine needles, where someone else may associate it with something else. So it's quite simple actually is to go out and about during this next week and discover with wonderment what smells that you like and how they make you feel like.
Speaker 1:I find the smell of lemon and lime like really cleaning, but not that artificial thing. But, my friend, we were trying to sell a house and my friend I remember she's saying that to squirt some lime juice. Well, she said lemon, but I only had limes with a little bit of hot water in the bottom of the sink and it just smelled so wonderful and I don't know if it was by chance, but the people then did put an offer in, um. So thank you, dear friend um, but I actually do that myself now. I love the smell of it and it's just such a simple thing. It just makes everything feel so clean and wonderful.
Speaker 1:And then I do like the smell of fresh bread. I try to avoid bread these days. It's not particularly the best thing for my system. However, I've learned to just have it in moderation. But I don't like that bread that you get in the packet, it's more that fresh bread, and I quite like sourdough or something made with rye, and there's lots of places now artisan bakeries that you can do like. I wouldn't get a bread machine because a I think it's a really good way to save money. But if I had a bread machine I'd just make bread all the time and I'd just be eating it because I just it's one of those things I find the smell like. It's just so kind of it comfort and it makes me feel like very homely in a positive way.
Speaker 1:Um, I wonder what smells you like? Some people say like coffee. I'm not really a coffee drinkerally, I'll have a decaf with oat when I'm out, but I know for some people coffee is a really kind of centering kind of thing and then this kind of smells to make you feel like a bit more able to concentrate and alive. So I like the smell of a peppermint or minty, it helps me concentrate. Or like things like eucalyptus. Like I've got a eucalyptus tree and when the leaves get dry and stuff, I kind of rub them between my hands and the smell is really really beautiful and, um, I find that really kind of nurturing or uplifting, so like zesty, um, as uplifting scents and things.
Speaker 1:And um, and why am I talking about scents, you're probably thinking, is because if you're trying to create something and you feel not quite in the mood, like sometimes, um, the house can feel a bit kind of if it's been empty all day or if it had been in it all day, it can feel a bit stagnant. Not that particularly smells, but it just feels a bit kind of like kind of monotone or kind of passion or smell that is uplifting. So I will like kind of incense and things like that and then I have certain ones that will help me, um, get in the mood to do what I'm doing. So if I want to kind of relax I'm not going to put like a zesty, uplifting thing at night because that's going to kind of make me feel like I want to wake up and stuff I might just put something calming, like I am like some kind of sandalwood kind of scent, um, and then the scents that can some people really like, like I like. Some people love lemongrass. I'm kind of fairly neutral on it. I know some people dislike it. For some people they find it really soothing, and so if you've got some projects to do or even if you want to put some time aside to do some self-care, where you're reading self-help books, you're meditating, yoga, all things like that, and you want to kind of take it a bit deeper, if you find a scent that you like and then do that.
Speaker 1:I'm not so much a fan of these artificial like plug-in things, but each to their own. But I've heard that they're not so good for our health or the environment. Um, that's more like what I've been told. I could have done a bit more further study into why, but, um, maybe if you have one, have a look and do a bit of research for yourself. But I think more natural scents and smells, um, with less artificial stuff and, um, of course, if you've been, things like incense and things like that as well in a in a well-ventilated room, because I've also heard that burning them too much can be carcinogenic as well for the system. So it's all about balance.
Speaker 1:But like you wouldn't put incense on all day, would you just have them on for a bit? And I'll give you a tip to make them last longer. I like them for a bit kind of um, swoosh it around the room, um, and if it's just a little bit of a lift, then I then kind of wet the end of the incense um, put it like in this jar and then I reuse it, whereas I want like something more heavy duty. I really want to cleanse the whole house. Then I will burn one for the duration, but I always put it on a, on a, on a incense stick holder.
Speaker 1:And then there's the natural smells that you can find outside. That's one of the ways in which nature can really calm us. Like I love the smell of a woodland. I just find it so soothing and calming. I also like, sometimes, the smell of the beach, like the taste of this, the salty air and things like that. Um, sometimes I don't like the smell of the beach, but generally I do.
Speaker 1:And then there's like things that you can put in your garden. So even if you haven't got a garden and you've got like some kind of outside space, you can have something like salvia, which is very, has a beautiful aroma, and, um, there's certain plants that have lovely, beautiful smells and I think by doing that we learn to kind of like, nurture and really step into that sense of smell, so that when we read a book and we sit near a plant that we like and we can smell it, it can have a soothing, calming, nurturing being. So that's why I share tips like this as well, because it's about bringing everyday things that can, so that can help you, and it might still sound quite subtle or strong depending on what scent you like, but these little things, these little tweaks that we can do, um to our life to bring joy and well-being. Well, I don't think this should be underestimated. And then things like beautiful, nice teas you can get so many lovely loose teas, so if you're in a day where you can't go out or you don't really have any scents and things to burn, then maybe make yourself a nice, beautiful herbal tea. Like the smell of peppermint tea is just like oh so soothing and refreshing, and things like that can have like a lovely effect of honors and kind of soothe our being. So for today's meditation.
Speaker 1:Oh, this is a section of the podcast where we do a meditation. I always say this, but, like with all forms of meditation, obviously do it somewhere where you're sitting, peaceful, so obviously not when you're in the middle of doing operating machinery or driving. Just pause it and just wait till you get home. We are going to use our imaginary scent to help evoke things that we want in our life. Let's begin so, as you close your eyes, just imagine you're sitting on this really comfortable seat and beneath you is this beautiful clear water and in your imagination you are supported on this wonderful seat. The clear head is generally the water's line, apart from when it kind of comes to the horizon. As you sit and you breathe and you just feel nice and calm and it all feels well. But you feel where you are is lacking in a bit of inspiration.
Speaker 1:So, gingerly, you step down from this imaginary seat and you paddle in this really shallow but soothing water and you get to the edge of the water and then you find this wonderful table and on this table is a selection of dried herbs and scents, things like dried orange peel, cranberry, jasmine, lavender, eucalyptus whatever herbs you wish or dried things you wish to find there and you just breathe calmly in your imagination, in front of this abundant table with beautiful scents.
Speaker 1:You open up jars and you get the rich aromas and you ask your higher self, as you sit calmly, peacefully, being forever in this moment.
Speaker 1:You ask your higher self, with love, compassion and healing, what is the sense that I could bring into my world that would help me with my quest in life?
Speaker 1:So what is the scent that I can bring into my world that can help you with my quest?
Speaker 1:What can help, soothe, motivate, whatever it is, and then just stand over this imaginary table, just taking in some calming, deep breaths in and out through your nostrils. And then you use your intuition as you gently reach onto the table and, with calmness, you pick up whatever that scent is and you imagine that you're smelling that scent. You're blessing that scent and you're bringing it into your everyday world, be it an incense that smells like it, a herbal tea, some dried petals or orange peel, whatever it is. And then you just find that scent, knowing that it can evoke whatever it is that you need to do. So, as you come back into the moment, come back into the room, just make a note of whatever that scent came up in in your imagination in your meditation and see if you can kind of bring it into your world in a way that's nice not overdone, but in a way that's nice um, maybe it's in room therapy or anything like this and use it in moderation, in a way that feels good.
