Folks, here comes a lengthy posting. It is aimed at Oud newbies here in this forum.
Those who wish not to read such a long article are welcome to skip.
Thomas S.
__________________
How to appreciate an Oud oil in its full depth
Sparked by a comment recently made by Ensar to one of my e-mails I´d like to write down a few hints for those who are new to Oud oil and want to learn on how to appreciate the full depth of high-class oils.
I will share a few things I have learned in the last few years, and I hope it will help those who are just beginning to find their own way.
First I will start by saying that learning the Art of Oud oil appreciation takes a long time.
You will have to sniff many oils again and again and compare them to each other, as well try to decipher what notes you find in them, before you can rise from being a newbie to being a rookie ;-)
Here are some hints that can help you to learn to expand your olfactory memory and abilities.
Please understand that the sense of smell has greatly diminished and we do not decipher scent as easily as in ancient time as compared to to-day.
In a sense of evolution, the smelling faculty was once way more employed by our ancestors than it is in our times.
For example, the people of the Stone Age had to find prey, or decide if that plant was food or poison, and they did so by using the noses, to at least a part.
Thus, smelling was an important tool to everyday life as well as it was a key to survival.
In ancient times such as a few thousand to a few hundred years go, the ability to smell if the milk was soon turning sour or the apple rotten (if there weren´t any visible signs of decay) was important when you bought your food from the farm directly, or on a peasant market.
In our times, with supermarkets and with all kinds of produce with artificial flavours and aromas, our sense of smell is adulterated and we have unlearned to sniff a thing out.
We will have to unlearn to appreciate the artificial smells, and come back to the natural smells fo oud, and all the other wonderful things we are surrounded by...
But then again in our times we have the advantage of having easy access to all kinds of spices, and thus can more readily decipher notes in our perfume when we know about kitchen spices. I think this is true: those among you who enjoy cooking will most likely have access to olfactory memories of chilis, galangal, nutmeg, herbs, white or black pepper (to name but a few) and thus be able to distinguish these notes from the overall spectrum in an oil.
Furthermore, one key to really getting the most of your oud experience is proper relaxation.
Once you are relaxed, with no appointments waiting, time to sit down and alowign yourself to fall into the sniffing after a swipe can o a long way You will be able to fully concentrate on what your nose is presenting your brain, at least more as when you apply a swipe and then rush for the office for another nine-to-fiver…
It helps when you take some steps towards preparation before you actually swipe your oil.
Cleanse your skin, by simply washing your hands, and then apply a good moisturizer. I prefer moisturizers without any perfume in it. I bought mine for under $5 at a local drugstore that also carries a line of cosmetic products from organic materials and without the addition of perfume (look for "sensitive skin" products, they are less likely to contain artificial perfume/ flavourings or additives).
Apply only a tiny dab to the back of your hand - or wherever you want to apply the oil after cleansing the skin.
Swipe the oil only after the moisturizer has completely sunken into your skin - you do not want to pollute your oil by fatty acids from the moisturizer!
Then sit, down, or lie down, and allow you body to relax. Why this? Well, I will give yu an explanation that has - at least in part - to do with the Hindu view of the energetic structure of oyur bodies. In the Yoga teachings, there is the concept of "chakras"- energetic centers that help your body to feed on subtle energies, which are taken in by way of food, by breathing deeply, and even while you are sleeping.
I will not go into this deeply, but one teaching is interesting in this regard: each chakra is assigned to a physical sense. There are seven chakras which are aligned along the spine. the lowermost, call Root chakra, is located at the coccyx. To the root chakra is assigned the sense of smell.
So what do we do with this information?
It means that if you manage to relax your lower body, especially the pelvis area, the "blockages" (caused by muscular tension) in that area are loosened or removed altogether, and your sense of smell will improve as the root chakra will function better /more easily -- and the sense of smell is thus enhanced.
You may call me a weirdo, but I have time and time again tried this and found this to be correct. So before you ridicule what I say I ask you try for yourself - and please try at least three times, as we modern people have to learn how to relax the same way as we have to train our smelling faculty.
(I guess hose among us who follow some kind of spiritual practice will be able to chime in and either verify or falsify what I´m saying).
Also, this is but ONE way to explain how relaxation helps your sense of smell.
So once you are in the optimal state of enjoying your oud experiment, start sniffing the oud. You need not copy this, but I usually start by sniffing at the closed bottle, then uncapping it, sniffing again, and only then removing the applicator and swiping.
I first sniff at the bottle to mentally prepare myself for what is coming; before I even have the oil on my skin.
In some cases, I place a piece of aper and a pen nearby, just in case I want to take notes.
While sniffing the oil, try to let your mind wander but retain a bit of control, by sometimes asking yourself: "What is it that I smell here?"
So try to analyse the scent (and take notes on a paper if you wish to do so) so you get the full picture as th scent progresses.
What are you smelling- is this fruit? or wood? a spice?
And then: what kind fo fruit- apples, pears, grapes, guava, red berries?
What kind of wood- freshly cut fir, dried oak, old mahogany?
Is it oud wood?
What kind of spice - exotic, or some herb that Grandma used to plant in her garden?
Exotic spice- peppery, cinnamon-y, curcuma? galangal? chillies? pepper? crushed cloves?
Grandma´s herbs - marjoram, rosemary, thyme?
Also, you can greatly expand your consciousness by actively seeking out everyday scents.
How does a slice of toast smell, compared to a slice whole-rye bread?
Did you ever sniff a fresh lemon, or apple rind?
Or raw meat?
Try spices, herbs, fruits, old books vs. new books, etc. etc etc.
Become aware of the scent of the seasons: the fresh air in spring, the sweetness of blossoms in early summer, the moist-earth-and-forest smells of autumn…
Once you have gathered some experience, try closing your eyes and get a mental picture.
What is this picture: is it the snow-capped Alps on a spring morning, with the ozone in the air?
Or a lush summer meadow, with little wild flowers blossoming in the warm sunlight?
What colour comes to mind?
The possibilities are vast,if not inexhaustible; and the journey will take you places you never even dreamed about.
I hope I have pointed you into the right direction; and I wish you all endless hours of pleasure as you go and explore the wonderful world of Oud oil.
Please make sure to (once in a while) write a review, so other fellows here can partake of in your experience.
Kind regards
Thomas S.
Those who wish not to read such a long article are welcome to skip.
Thomas S.
__________________
How to appreciate an Oud oil in its full depth
Sparked by a comment recently made by Ensar to one of my e-mails I´d like to write down a few hints for those who are new to Oud oil and want to learn on how to appreciate the full depth of high-class oils.
I will share a few things I have learned in the last few years, and I hope it will help those who are just beginning to find their own way.
First I will start by saying that learning the Art of Oud oil appreciation takes a long time.
You will have to sniff many oils again and again and compare them to each other, as well try to decipher what notes you find in them, before you can rise from being a newbie to being a rookie ;-)
Here are some hints that can help you to learn to expand your olfactory memory and abilities.
Please understand that the sense of smell has greatly diminished and we do not decipher scent as easily as in ancient time as compared to to-day.
In a sense of evolution, the smelling faculty was once way more employed by our ancestors than it is in our times.
For example, the people of the Stone Age had to find prey, or decide if that plant was food or poison, and they did so by using the noses, to at least a part.
Thus, smelling was an important tool to everyday life as well as it was a key to survival.
In ancient times such as a few thousand to a few hundred years go, the ability to smell if the milk was soon turning sour or the apple rotten (if there weren´t any visible signs of decay) was important when you bought your food from the farm directly, or on a peasant market.
In our times, with supermarkets and with all kinds of produce with artificial flavours and aromas, our sense of smell is adulterated and we have unlearned to sniff a thing out.
We will have to unlearn to appreciate the artificial smells, and come back to the natural smells fo oud, and all the other wonderful things we are surrounded by...
But then again in our times we have the advantage of having easy access to all kinds of spices, and thus can more readily decipher notes in our perfume when we know about kitchen spices. I think this is true: those among you who enjoy cooking will most likely have access to olfactory memories of chilis, galangal, nutmeg, herbs, white or black pepper (to name but a few) and thus be able to distinguish these notes from the overall spectrum in an oil.
Furthermore, one key to really getting the most of your oud experience is proper relaxation.
Once you are relaxed, with no appointments waiting, time to sit down and alowign yourself to fall into the sniffing after a swipe can o a long way You will be able to fully concentrate on what your nose is presenting your brain, at least more as when you apply a swipe and then rush for the office for another nine-to-fiver…
It helps when you take some steps towards preparation before you actually swipe your oil.
Cleanse your skin, by simply washing your hands, and then apply a good moisturizer. I prefer moisturizers without any perfume in it. I bought mine for under $5 at a local drugstore that also carries a line of cosmetic products from organic materials and without the addition of perfume (look for "sensitive skin" products, they are less likely to contain artificial perfume/ flavourings or additives).
Apply only a tiny dab to the back of your hand - or wherever you want to apply the oil after cleansing the skin.
Swipe the oil only after the moisturizer has completely sunken into your skin - you do not want to pollute your oil by fatty acids from the moisturizer!
Then sit, down, or lie down, and allow you body to relax. Why this? Well, I will give yu an explanation that has - at least in part - to do with the Hindu view of the energetic structure of oyur bodies. In the Yoga teachings, there is the concept of "chakras"- energetic centers that help your body to feed on subtle energies, which are taken in by way of food, by breathing deeply, and even while you are sleeping.
I will not go into this deeply, but one teaching is interesting in this regard: each chakra is assigned to a physical sense. There are seven chakras which are aligned along the spine. the lowermost, call Root chakra, is located at the coccyx. To the root chakra is assigned the sense of smell.
So what do we do with this information?
It means that if you manage to relax your lower body, especially the pelvis area, the "blockages" (caused by muscular tension) in that area are loosened or removed altogether, and your sense of smell will improve as the root chakra will function better /more easily -- and the sense of smell is thus enhanced.
You may call me a weirdo, but I have time and time again tried this and found this to be correct. So before you ridicule what I say I ask you try for yourself - and please try at least three times, as we modern people have to learn how to relax the same way as we have to train our smelling faculty.
(I guess hose among us who follow some kind of spiritual practice will be able to chime in and either verify or falsify what I´m saying).
Also, this is but ONE way to explain how relaxation helps your sense of smell.
So once you are in the optimal state of enjoying your oud experiment, start sniffing the oud. You need not copy this, but I usually start by sniffing at the closed bottle, then uncapping it, sniffing again, and only then removing the applicator and swiping.
I first sniff at the bottle to mentally prepare myself for what is coming; before I even have the oil on my skin.
In some cases, I place a piece of aper and a pen nearby, just in case I want to take notes.
While sniffing the oil, try to let your mind wander but retain a bit of control, by sometimes asking yourself: "What is it that I smell here?"
So try to analyse the scent (and take notes on a paper if you wish to do so) so you get the full picture as th scent progresses.
What are you smelling- is this fruit? or wood? a spice?
And then: what kind fo fruit- apples, pears, grapes, guava, red berries?
What kind of wood- freshly cut fir, dried oak, old mahogany?
Is it oud wood?
What kind of spice - exotic, or some herb that Grandma used to plant in her garden?
Exotic spice- peppery, cinnamon-y, curcuma? galangal? chillies? pepper? crushed cloves?
Grandma´s herbs - marjoram, rosemary, thyme?
Also, you can greatly expand your consciousness by actively seeking out everyday scents.
How does a slice of toast smell, compared to a slice whole-rye bread?
Did you ever sniff a fresh lemon, or apple rind?
Or raw meat?
Try spices, herbs, fruits, old books vs. new books, etc. etc etc.
Become aware of the scent of the seasons: the fresh air in spring, the sweetness of blossoms in early summer, the moist-earth-and-forest smells of autumn…
Once you have gathered some experience, try closing your eyes and get a mental picture.
What is this picture: is it the snow-capped Alps on a spring morning, with the ozone in the air?
Or a lush summer meadow, with little wild flowers blossoming in the warm sunlight?
What colour comes to mind?
The possibilities are vast,if not inexhaustible; and the journey will take you places you never even dreamed about.
I hope I have pointed you into the right direction; and I wish you all endless hours of pleasure as you go and explore the wonderful world of Oud oil.
Please make sure to (once in a while) write a review, so other fellows here can partake of in your experience.
Kind regards
Thomas S.
