I meditate. Often. I’m also AuADHD and novelty helps me build habit. I’m also habitual. Beautiful cycle.

Smell sense, especially if you’re sensitive like me, has a way of deepening focus unlike some methods

I highly recommend experimentation. You’re unlikely to be disappointed and you’ll always learn something

Happy trails 💚🫂💚

I don’t. I follow ‘pratyahara’ for deeper meditation experience - it’s from patanjali’s yoga sutra where you withdraw all your senses and turn them inward. Any kind of sound, smell, etc is distraction from connecting to your true self.

Whatever works best for you. Smells bypass the thalamus and connect deeply in the brain and memories. They have been found to enhance memory consolidation when paired with learning.

Yes, I do it as a subtle timer. When I can tell the small is gone, I am done.

Sometimes, yes

Super silly question: how do you know when the incense is done burning. Do you just not smell it anymore or are you watching it burn?  I have never burned incense 😅 I'm asking bc I also don't like the sudden sound, the current meditation I'm doing uses a bell/tone and I completely agree with how you described it- too sudden.

This is such a great idea. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing. How about the Astier de Villatte incense?

This is my kinda thread. I never really had a chance of escaping the influence of incense. My dad is a complete incense and perfume freak, who has spent a fortune buying and collecting incense. He also owns a shop that sells garden equipment and fertilizers to farms where flowering plants are cultivated for incense making. These include marigold, rose, jasmine, lavender, chrysanthemum and many other fragrant flowers. As if this was not strong enough of an influence, I also come from a part of the country, where there's a huge cottage industry of incense making. If you know Mother's India Fragrances or Auroshika, you know where this is from. So, on top of my dad buying and burning strange substances and sticks day and night in the house, he was also routinely gifted incense and perfume by his friends in the business. Sometimes, my dad would even take incense alongside cash as payment for his goods. It was incredibly hard to miss the influence of odoriferous substances.

And, as if my life was destined to be spent in the pursuit of smells, my grandma was notorious for making up her own formula to burn in the kitchen with her spice boxes. A small notebook of recipes she passed on to us.

The very first substance I was introduced to was Sambrani, which was Sumatran Benzoin adulterated with Damar. My mum, and the women in my house, usually smoke their hair after washing with Sambrani. So, to this day, I associate Benzoin with my mum. And the first time I entered an Orthodox Church in London, I blurted impulsively to a friend "Hey, my mum's here!" And the first thing I inquired the priest was what incense they used. He confirmed it was benzoin from Smyrna (Izmir), Turkey.

Over time, my dad took me to agarbatti making places where I saw first hand how the dough was made, with jigat, flower essence (I later discovered that this was chemical shit and not essential oils), and wood substances. I witnessed the masterful speed at which women rolled the dough onto bamboo strips and spread them out in the hot Indian sun for drying. It was a hypnotic process and I couldn't look away.

One of my dad's friend then thrust a jar full of highest grade Omani frankincense, some very high-grade Guggul, and kissed the top of my head, and said, "Play with these and tell me what you think". This was 20 years ago. It was the beginning of a life-long obsession. Much to the annoyance of Mrs. IncenseHound and my dog, I burn copious amounts of incense every single day, ritually covering the smoke alarms with shower caps. It was always meant to be. I, like my dad, spend a fortune too. But lately, I've become more restrained and aware of my rampant consumerist tendencies, and have tried to rein myself in. I will be taking 2026 as a year of no buying.

If you can't burn any sort of incense because of the smoke, then you can use a diffuser.

Just go to Mass

Two main tips for beginners:

Be sure to have a source of fresh air when burning incense. This can be as simple as a window open a small crack or the furnace fan running. This is necessary for your good health as well as to help the incense open to you as smoke will choke out the fragrance. Think adding a small amount of water to whiskey.

Remember that the smoke from incense is NOT the fragrance. Smoke is a byproduct of burning incense and in not healthy. Don't try to smell the smoke or have it drifting over you as you listen to incense. The actual fragrance comes from just below the burning ember where the aromatic ingredients are heated, evaporating the fragrant scent molecules. Allow the fragrance to fill your space and exist within it rather than trying to actively inhale the smoke.

Recommendations for good places to start:

I'm partial to Japanese incense because it tends to be on the higher quality, more natural side (generalization, but still). It has no bamboo core, and made up of primarily or entirely of fragrant woods and aromatics, and is more subtle and nuanced in character.

If you're just starting out, I would recommend trying a sampler pack rather than just guessing where to start with a whole box. Samplers will give you a range of fragrances to explore, and are also generally more budget friendly. Two of my favorite samplers are Yamadamatsu High-Grade trial and Gyokushodo Daily sampler. The Yamadamatsu sampler will give you a great range of exceptional woods from basic sandalwood through high end aloeswoods and is a real bargain. Gyokushodo's daily sampler is a great exploration of many different fragrance profiles, again with a wide range of woods and aromatics. Both are a great introduction to Japanese incense and will give you some idea of what you will like or not as you're starting out (FYI: your preferences will change over time as your olfactory palette matures, so be sure to revisit fragrances from time time).

Hope this helps.

I'd recommend Japanese incense, since it's mostly more refined and less overpowering that Indian. Have a look here and try some of bargain and standard sticks to begin with, just to see how you get on. Have fun!

Tried a lot of different incense, and would only kept handmade Tibetan incense in my cart.

Pay attention to what and how the incense is made of. Even tho smell is a quite subjective feeling, you can still recognize the chemical additives the second you burn it-don't be tricked! I'd rather buy those handmade ones with all natural ingredients, and being used by their makers in their daily life. It may be a bit more pricy than those made by machines, I personally don't mind paying for those artisans' time and commitment, this makes the incense experience more personal :)

And for Tibetan incense, what I learned is they add medicinal herbs, not only the smell is nice, but also the fragrance help you concentrate and boost your energy. You can choose different incense based on when and where you'll use it. When I'm practicing yoga or working on something challenging or requires a lot of focus, I'll burn one Nimu Village incense stick (my personal favourite!)

Except paying attention to the ingredients, make sure your windows are open when burning Tibetan incense. Hope you find a good one and enjoy it!

Hi and welcome to the hobby! ;)

Since you said videos, I will start with saying: stay away from backflow "incense" the complaints about how bad it smells are numerous.

Ventilation/supply of fresh air is pretty important for a good scent experience, and it's better for you healthwise because inhaling smoke is not healthy.

Good incense doesn't have to be expensive, but at a certain price point (or with certain materials) you get what you pay for.

Take "this is SOOOOO gooood! I love it, you HAVE to try it! Trust me you will LOVE it!" etc. recommendations with a huge grain of salt. Scent is a very subjective thing, and preferences are as diverse as people are.

Take notes on what you like and dislike.

Look for sampler sets. They are less common among Indian incense, but some brands offer them.

Check out r/IncenseExchange

Have fun!

If there's one thing to understand as a beginner that will drastically change your experience with incense, it's the difference between dipped incense and natural incense. And the quality of your incense really does change the aroma significantly!

Dipped incense is the most common type of incense - it's a 'punk' of wooden material on a thin bamboo rod. This type of incense is made by soaking the punk in essential oils, perfumes, and other aromatic liquids. Dipped incense is usually fairly strong and (depending on how it was made) can result in some of the negative stereotypes of incense, i.e. being way too strong, smelling like burnt smoke, lingering unpleasant odor, causing headaches, etc. If you want to try dipped incense, I would say definitely to NOT buy the cheapest store brand kind you can find. Try a brand that uses only essential oils. I haven't used Sea Witch Botanicals, but I know their brand is all about using only essential oils, so it may be worth a shot.

Natural incense is a little different! Instead of soaking a blank incense stick in oil, this type of incense is created by grinding up dried plant material to make incense dough, and then extruding it into sticks that are burned whole. Burning these are pretty similar to dipped incense, except there is no bamboo rod that is usually inserted into an incense holder. So for natural incense, you can just prop it up vertically by sticking it in a bowl of rice or potted plant or something like that. The reason some people prefer natural incense is because it's more "mellow" than dipped incense. The aroma is usually not as overpowering, there's less risk of irritation, and you're usually not left with an unpleasant after-smell. I personally recommend natural over dipped any day, but some people really love dipped! They're both worth trying to see what you prefer. Shoyeido is a good natural incense brand, their Moss Garden blend is a really great place to start.

As for Do's and Don'ts, really the main thing is to maintain proper ventilation! Don't burn incense in a totally enclosed room, and don't burn it directly in your face. You don't necessarily want to be inhaling all that smoke. So place the incense a few feet away from you and make sure either a door is opened or a window is cracked, and enjoy!

Frankincense and Palo Santo are my faves

I like Nag Champa.

Nag Champa or moss garden

Palo santo without hesitation, always sets me for a nice trip

I like to stick with natural incense these days. Most these days are made with artificial perfumes and synthetic glues, which do affect you negatively.

Yeah, so know wherever you put them... Will fragrance the whole room

Yet, for the incense exchange we have them stored in cabinets... Totes... Cardboard boxes

Out in the open, it just really depends how you feel. Any place is good for them

As for burning them, I just put them in my Incense Bowl

What kind of incense did you see?

Your solutions will be unique to your challenges! I keep my incense gear in various locations to facilitate outside burning. Incense lives in my desk which I can close to control smell. I have catch-all trays, sand bowls, and lighters all over the place. Because I burn outside I'm a big fan of the upside down glass tube style of burner which provides wind protection.

Evaluate your space and needs and I'm sure you'll find the best personal solutions. Thrift stores are great for picking up weird little boxes to put things in.

The scientific paper cited is a mouse study.

Thanks for this.

What u burning. Link?

I love that pic of the smoke!

Tilt the incense forward so the hands will collect the ash?