Travel, Nature and The Sense of Smell

If you follow me on Instagram @scentguruculture or Twitter @scentguru or @ScentGuruGroup, you will find that my content often incorporates nature.  I also like to share a little about my life through various cultural activities such as art exhibits, gastronomy, and travel. Why?  Because they are all sensorial experiences.  Whether it's taste, sound, touch or sight, my experiences are most often linked to scent, such as the smell of oil paints, the aroma of exotic Indian spices, or the wonderful smell that wafted through the alleyways and above the rooftops in the medieval town of Soriano, Italy in December. One day while there, I took a tour of the town's Castello Orsini, and had a great conversation with the tour guide about how I love coming to his wonderful country.  I told him about what I have been doing as a professional scent developer, and he asked me about what scent memory of Soriano I would carry back to America with me. I responded "the smell of burning fireplaces and the open brick pizza ovens because it was the smell of home, warmth, and simplicity." 

The sense of smell is kept in the olfactive memory that is housed in the most ancient part of the brain called the limbic system, which supports functions like emotion, behavior, motivation, and long term memory.  That's why when all of a sudden you smell something familiar it can take you back to years ago to a particular experience you've had. (Hopefully, that experience was a good one!)  I am convinced that the mindful practice of being aware of our senses, such as the sense of smell can help us to appreciate our life to a greater extent and greater appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us.  Taking a walk (even a brief one) in nature every day is so beneficial to our wellbeing as we make connections to the sights, sounds and  smells that shape our lives. We live in a time where we are assaulted by media, and hooked on our smartphones and with that, we can become detached from nature, and from each other.  Unplug once in a while, and take a walk in the woods, a park, the beach, or sit in your garden and watch the birds as they sing to each other.  Nature is magnificent, and it sure can smell great!