What is Palo Santo?
Palo Santo is a sacred wood that comes from the Palo Santo Tree. The Palo Santo tree is native to south America and it grows naturally in the wild along the beautiful coastlines!
Palo Santo has been used historically in cultural ceremonies and shamanic practices for its healing properties and known for its deep spiritual history.
The name Palo Santo literally translates to Holy Wood in Spanish.
When the wood is burned, the smoke is said to clear negative energy and have purifying & therapeutic properties.
What does Palo Santo smell like ?
The scent of palo Santo is woody, sweet, and citrusy all at the same time. It has a fresh, minty, and slightly fruity aroma combined with an earthy scent making it both grounding and uplifting.
Our Palo Santo wood comes from naturally fallen branches that lie dead for a period of time before being harvested.
How to use Palo Santo
There are many ways to use Palo Santo such as essential oils, candles, room sprays, incense or by burning sticks made from the wood.
The most common way to use it is by burning sticks. When the wood is burned, the combination of the purifying smoke, the therapeutic scent and the intentional practice becomes a beautiful mindful ritual.
Using Palo Santo sticks is relatively easy.
- Light your Palo Santo stick by holding it over a flame, we recommend using a candle.
- Hold your wood at a 45 degree angle along the flame rotating it slowly. Allow the stick to catch fire for a 40-60 seconds.
- Once the stick is a light, gently move the stick back and forth till the flame goes out or let it burn out on its own.
- If you have any intentions for the practice now is the time to pause and breath it in.
- To cleanse your space, move around the space with the stick swaying slowly from side to side to allow air to pass through the extinguished stick and let the smoke fill the area.
- Once you feel that you are done cleansing, place your palo Santo stick in a heat proof dish and it will slowly stop smoking on its own.
Unlike regular incense, palo Santo can be relit and reused time and time again.
When to use Palo Santo ?
The incredible benefits of using Palo Santo are evident when you need a pick me up, or want to clear your mind. It's so much more than just incense!
It can be used before and during meditation to help you relax when stressed or painful feelings arise.
Palo Santo is said to provide some relief from cold symptoms such as headache or you can simply use it when you get home from the day or a public space when you feel you have picked up negative energy.
The wood can also be used as a natural mosquito repellent.
Why we like to use palo santo
When lighting a palo santo stick, we move through our space slowly to ensure that the amber does not burn out too quick; this is the first stage of the ceremony that helps us to relax. We are encouraged to be present and calm as we burn the palo santo stick and move slowly.
To enjoy the scent of the smoke, we breathe in deeply. The scent of fresh pine is grounding and as each breath is taken, our thoughts slow and our nervous system relaxed.
When the practice is over, we return to our daily activities or situation with a refreshed mind and sense of calmness.
To take the practice deeper we encourage you to to pair it with a 5- 10 minute meditation or followed by a yoga class.
