What's that Smell?

Husband: "Something smells like the basement of a shop on St. Marks."  Me: looks around. 
Husband: "What is that Smell?  Is that you?"  Me: sheepishly shrugs shoulders. 
Husband: "You smell like a hippy.  I've spent my life avoiding hippies, and you go and pull a stunt like this..."

Yes, readers, this exchange happened on Saturday morning, before I left for my yoga class.  I had sprayed myself with some ayurvedic aromatherapy to "enhance"  my yoga practice...it was a scent that I thought was relatively un-offensive.  That is, until I stood next to Husband, who apparently didn't agree.  In truth, aromatherapy is a great way to enhance a yoga practice; it's well known that different scents are associated with different moods, so aromatherapy can help you focus during practice.

It turns out that Aveda (the natural cosmetics company that uses plant and flower essences to great results) has developed a line of "Balancing Body Mists" devoted to balancing the chakras and promoting a sense of wellness.

The body mists are moderately priced ($30 for 3.4 oz), so I couldn't buy them all.  I read the descriptions of the scents, and I selected Chakra 3: Intention - what you feel when the power chakra is balanced.  I figured this had the most "generic" effect of those offered, and could be used at just about any time, be it home practice, gym practice, or just hanging out.  The main scent notes of Chakra 3: Intention are Lavender, Balsam fir, and Lemon, which Aveda says will balance my center of motivation.  I happily purchased this, thinking it would surely motivate me onto my mat!  Incidentally, this color associated with Chakra 3 is yellow - the same color as my mat!  It does smell a bit like Christmas (thanks to the balsam fir), so I don't use it on a daily basis, but it does set me up for some good intentions on my mat.

The other mists, each associated with a different chakra, have other scent notes. 
Chakra 1 (root chakra) has patchouli and vetiver. 
Chakra 2 (pleasure chakra) has sandalwood, orange, and geranium.  Talk about a St. Marks Place basement!  Good thing I didn't choose that one! 
Chakra 4 (heart chakra) more sandalwood, mandarin, and palmarosa. 
Chakra 5 (throat chakra) has grapefruit, rosemary, and ylang ylang. 
Chakra 6 (intuition) features orange and geranium. 
Finally Chakra 7 (crown) contains angelica, elemi - whatever that is - and olibanum. 


Click here to experience Aveda's Chakra line of products!

Which Chakra would you choose to inspire your practice or outlook?

Joy's soul lies in the doing - W. Shakespeare Troilus and Cressida