Mindful Scent: Grounding Through The Sense Of Smell

In this 15-minute guided session from the Wellbeing Academy, we delve into the sense of smell—our most direct link to the emotional centre of the brain. As a featured episode of the Pause to Breathe series, this meditation teaches you how to use the olfactory sense as a powerful anchor for the wandering mind. By bringing intentional awareness to the scents in your immediate environment, you will learn to utilise the air you breathe as a constant, ever-present tool for grounding and stability.

This practice offers immediate benefits for emotional regulation and stress relief, as the sense of smell is uniquely wired to bypass the analytical mind and soothe the nervous system. Whether you are noticing the scent of fresh air, a cup of tea, or simply the neutral atmosphere around you, this session guides you to find a "still point" within every inhalation.

It is an ideal practice for those seeking to deepen their breathwork and find a sense of calm authenticity in any setting.

Transcript

Welcome. There we continue engaging all the senses. They filter everything we perceive in the world around us. They are the interface between cells. And its environment. Vision and hearing tend to dominate our lives. But give time to the other free senses too. Today. We'll use the smell. As always, We start with quick body scan. Practicing some physical self-awareness. Noticing the sensations and emotions that are already there. Staying friendly, Caring and curious. And compassionate, Self-compassionate of course. Bring that spacious awareness. Into your body. Like using the flashlight. Seeing inside. There's something that needs your attention. Without judgment or reaction, Just notice it. That's meditation. That's mindfulness. Capacity. To pay sustained attention. And then as always, We start with resting the mind once we have got familiar with the state of our body. Now we get familiar with the mind. So we will alternate between objectless meditation and meditation with an object. To find something nearby. You can use today. Engage the sense of smell. And be anything. Outside, It could be a leaf. Even a pebble. Your indoors media. Flower, It's a fruit or even a coin in your pocket. Of all that. So bring it close to your nose if you can. The text. Any smell? No smells are detectable. You can savor your ability to smell. While visualizing the organs of smell in your nose. You can just remember maybe a busy cafe full of sounds our garden. Full of multitude of sense. Can recall and just take that abundance of sensation. Stictive aromas. We want to get used to opening up all our senses in everyday life. It's a good way to ground yourself. Especially when you feel You are drifting away into unproductive thoughts. And smells can also evoke emotions and memories. Try not to go. That route. Just stay. Sensation. That invokes in you in this very moment, Here and now. We don't want to use the function of mind thinking. We just want to connect. No associations. No memories at the moment. Just feel that. Organ of smell being engaged. And then again. We'll just drop that. Method? So that we don't become too frustrated or too involved to carry it away. Drop it, And we rest the mind. Be aware of the space of the vast expanse of space rather than just focusing on something. We are aware of the space. That isn't defined by those objects that we hold in our hands. By emotions affords in our mind. Be aware of the awareness itself. Whatever passes through your mind, Don't focus on it. Don't try to suppress it. Just observe it. It comes and it goes. Your intention is to Rest your mind. Not to engage. With fleeting thoughts and emotions just to rest. And then again. It's getting. Too boring, You feel too sleepy. Or to restless. Then we again come back to an object. So we want to experience simple things with intense awareness. If our mind needs something to do. The senses. Meditating on objects. Today the smell. Use the same or different object. Just see, Does it have a fragrance? Not to like it, Dislike it. Just observing it with equanimity. Doesn't matter is it pleasant or not. Maybe you can close your eyes. Notice where in your nose you seem to detect it. Object smell. Try to compare it with anything or put a name to it. Do different parts of the object smell differently? Only the smell. No other qualities. No other thoughts. Avoid putting any labels. On what you feel, On what you smell. As the sensation and experience itself. Observing. Feeling. No speculation about the future or past of that object. Just smelling it. And then again. Believe that kind of meditation. Mindfulness meditation. And then we come back to the resting. Objectless meditation. You might notice the thoughts, Sensations and emotions passing through your awareness right now. That's okay. You might want to straighten your spine. While keeping the rest of your body relaxed and balanced. Then allow your mind to relax in a state of awareness. The present. If it is not easy at the moment. Don't despair, It is Just like starting a weight training program at the gym. You start slowly. Learning to meditate is a gradual process. Try to rest your mind for very short periods, Many times a day. Aim for a minute. Laugh a minute. And then use one object. For one of your five senses. To ground yourself. And then again. Just let it be. And become aware of the awareness. Thank you.