Don’t forget to smell the roses
I would like to journey into the sense organs to help you to deepen your relationship with each of your five senses. These vital organs give us the ability to cognize our reality and our life. They help us find our way in the direction of what is desirable. Our senses show us how to sustain ourselves and help protect ourselves. If our sense organs are healthy and well balanced, we can experience all the pleasures of life with clarity and presence.
My goal is to help you to understand not only their gross purpose but also the subtle nuances of how our senses speak to us, giving us information about our general wellbeing. They feed and nourish our minds and expand our life experiences.
We will begin with the most primal of the senses which is smell and the organ of the nose. How does the sense of smell affect your life? Do you feel that you have a heightened sense of smell, a dulled or weakened sense of smell, or have you not paid much attention? The sense of smell is associated with the earth element and the Muladhara chakra (the root chakra) and elimination.
Why is the sense of smell important to our wellbeing? How does it interact with our mind, emotions, and intellect? First, let’s talk prana. If you have been following me for a while you know that I am ALL about the Prana. It is our vital life energy, also known as Chi or Ki. One of the main ways that we receive prana is through the breath. The sinus cavity acts as a container that stores breath which then filtrates through various other channels. This prana dispersion affects the sense organs and our life experiences. If we are not breathing properly through the nose, we can experience low prana. When there is a lack of prana it can present as sleepiness, mental disorientation, low emotional energy, depression, anxiety, and other psychological problems.
Strong prana is vital. You will benefit from healthy nasal maintenance. In Ayurvedic practices, we cleanse our sinus passages using a neti pot or medicated nose drops (Nasya oil). A regular pranayama breathing practice will strengthen and balance the olfactory organ. Using steam is another efficient way to clear congestion in the sinuses. Dr. Vasant Lad of The Ayurveda Institute suggests "Boil 1 teaspoon of ginger, or a few eucalyptus leaves, in a pint of water. Turn off the stove, put a towel over your head, and inhale the steam. This will relieve congestion and help you feel much better."
On average, a person produces about 1.5 quarts of mucus per day. This fluid, produced by the epithelium, has two main functions. First, it keeps the nasal cavity and airways inside your body moist. This humidifying effect prevents drying out due to all the air that flows through them.
Its other function is to work kind of like flypaper. Debris that comes into the nose or throat sticks to it, so these intruders do not get into your lungs. Think of mucus as nature's filter for your delicate respiratory system. Much of the bacteria, dust and other tiny particles you breathe in become trapped in mucus then pulled down into your stomach, where they are destroyed by enzymes.
Smells are handled by the olfactory bulb. This is a structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body's central command for further processing. Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, which is the part of the brain involved in our behavioral and emotional responses. This is especially important when it comes to behaviors we need for survival: feeding, reproduction, fight or flight responses, and caring for our young. The information also is directed to the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory.
The bony plate in the nose that connects to the olfactory bulb, which in turn sends signals to the brain is actually an overly sensitive body part. It is particularly vulnerable to injury. Head trauma can damage the plate and cause people to lose their sense of smell entirely which in turn has a direct effect on their ability to taste. When you chew, molecules released from the food make their way back to your nasal epithelium, which has the job of warming and moistening the inhaled air. This is another reason that it is especially important to breathe through the nose and not the mouth, even when eating. Gives a new meaning to “don’t chew with your mouth open”. When the food molecules move to the nasal epithelium what you consider tasted flavors are smells instead. When you are enjoying the broad-spectrum flavors in your meal, they are all smell. Let me qualify that flavor differs from taste. You can test this theory by pinching your nose when eating something such as peach or grape jam. Instead of tasting the flavor, all you can sense is the sweet taste. Stick with me - we will dive into the sense of taste and the tongue next month.
Did you know that smell is the only fully developed sense a fetus has in the womb, beginning at week six or seven? It is also the sense that is the most developed in a child through the age of around 10 when the sense of sight takes over. And because smell and emotion are stored as one memory, childhood tends to be the period in which you create the basis for smells you will like and hate for the rest of your life. Think of some smells you encounter that cause you to remember a certain person or situation. My grandmother used to smell like a specific rose. My mother planted this type of bush in her yard, and we all call them “Grammy Roses”. I still get flooded with memories when the bush is in bloom.
There, of course, can also be smells that bring back unpleasant memories too. People use the sense of smell (and taste) during kissing to determine the compatibility of potential mates. All of this to say that is important for us to care for our nose and our sense of smell. As we age our sense organs naturally weaken but we can implement practices to clean our noses. A neti pot and Nasya oil both offer beneficial nasal hygiene. Lastly, another way to strengthen the sense of smell is to simply be aware. Your nose is like a muscle in the body that can be strengthened by giving it a daily workout, not with weights, but with sniffs. Just pay attention when you are walking down the street, consciously indicate what you are smelling. Because the more you use your nose, the stronger it gets. Side note, there is a wonderful book regarding the importance of nasal breathing called Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor.
Now that being said, there is an especially important lesson in Ayurveda about the sense organs. Ayurveda teaches that there are three main causes of disease. One of the causes is called asatmendriyartha samyoga which translates to misuse of senses. Astmaya means "improper," indriya means "sense organs," artha is "the objects of the senses" and samyoga means "to combine" or "to link.” Asatmendriyartha samyoga refers to improper contact of the senses with their objects. This can mean overuse, underuse, or nonuse of sense organs.
What might that look like for smell? What could weaken or disturb it? Strong chemical odors, synthetic perfume, deodorizers, and the artificial aromas pumped into the air of public buildings all weaken the sense of smell. Poor quality aromatherapy oils and incense can do the same. On the other hand, using organic naturally fragranced lotions or soaps, high-quality oils, and incense can all do wonders to calm the mind and body. Smell your food when you are cooking and by all means, don’t forget to take time to smell the roses.
From: June 2021 Newsletter