The History and Benefits of Burning Tibetan Incense
Blessing Incense is a traditional Tibetan incense that is hand rolled from natural herbal ingredients with no bamboo stick in the center. Hand prepared incense is deeply rooted in the Tibetan culture, and has been used for many hundreds of years in the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Northern Nepal and Bhutan. Authentic Tibetan incense originates from traditional monastery recipes and medicinal formulations. Over 2500 years ago, these formulas were developed by combining many different ingredients. During troubling times in the region, these recipes would have been lost, but were fortunately preserved by monks in the monasteries.
Masalas or mixtures of herbs, plants, flowers, leaves, grass, wood, bark, spices and minerals are still blended in strict accordance to these recipes. Once only made by monks in the monasteries, the incense is now made in cottage industries. The largest is in the village of Tunba, where the production is now a little more modern than in the early days, but is still made with the original recipes. All Tibetan incense conforms to four characteristics: clean, pure, fine and natural.
When burned, Tibetan incense produces a rich, earthy, and pure aroma which can help soothe and calm a restless mind. It is widely used to purify the environment and as an aid for meditation and relaxation. In Tibetan medicine, it is often used to alleviate depression, stress and anxiety. A daily incense or sang offering is an important part of Tibetan culture and most homes and monasteries will have a place reserved for offering incense.
To burn incense, simply light the end of the stick with a lighter or match. Once it’s ignited, gently blow the flame out. The incense will glow and begin to produce smoke. Place your incense in an incense holder on a fire-resistant surface and let it go. The burning time will vary, but is generally somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes. When it’s done burning, the incense extinguishes itself. Or you can burn half a stick and then turn it upside down in salt or sand to extinguish. The remainder can be burned at another time.
Bring Blessings Incense, the scent of Serasana, home today! You can find it on our retail shelves at all our locations or shop online here.
