Nose Magic

Unlocking our sense of smell for well-being & sensual expansion!

To follow your nose, in English, means trusting your instinct. In French, the same verb is used for smelling and for feeling (sentir). In German, “sich nicht riechen können” acknowledges the fact that sometimes, a lack of sympathy can be established through smelling the other. Smell is ubiquitous in our relationships with others and with the world and yet rarely discussed and understood on a deeper level.

 

In this workshop, we will work to better explore, understand, and harness our sense of smell as a tool to enrich our personal lives in different ways, with a special focus on the realms of human and intimate connection, sexuality, and kinky play.

We will explore relationships we have to our own smells as well as those of other humans, we will learn simple and powerful techniques for using the nose with different purposes, as well as ways to enhance our sensual experiences via fragrance, and we will have the possibility to experiment with high quality natural aromatics, including rare and precious ones such as oud, rose, sandalwood, (beach collected) ambergris, etc.

This is a unique opportunity to explore the profound and intimate dimensions of smell, and to unlock their potentialities within the framework of an educational context.

Reclaiming smell
In the evolutionary sense, smell is our older sense. It is fundamental for communication with, and orientation within, the world. During the last few centuries, in “the West”, smell has progressively been downgraded to a primitive sense, both with the idea of it being underdeveloped and marginally relevant, but also with strong depreciative overtones: one that would be fit for animals to rely on, but not for post-enlightment humans. Bar a few niche bubbles (eg: wines), there is no education or sociability around olfaction.

The human sense of smell is actually much more developed, and active, than this cultural background would lead to believe. Like for most animals, smell is a primary sense through which we  – most often unconsciously – experience, navigate, and construct our universe, starting with our first … breath  (newborn babies first recognize, and bond with, their mothers via smell) and ongoingly so all throughout our lives.

Olfaction orchestrates our attractions (and repulsions), it is the sense hidden behind love alchemy, it is also the sense that allow us to taste food and to fully enjoy many other life pleasures, as anyone having had covid induced anosmia, will painfully know.

Our olfactory tract is neurologically connected to several parts of the brain. Centrally, and most importantly to the limbic system & amygdala. It is thus strongly linked to emotions, memories, instinct, intuition, motivation and desire; realms over which we have no conscious control. Nervous influx also projects towards the thalamus, where sensory integration occurs, and, much more minimally, to the frontal cortex, which allows us to recognize smells.

Consequently, smell is a fantastic ally for many purposes, for example:  to integrate mind and body, to release emotions, to enhance or calm sexual drive, to process the past, to generate well being in the here and now, just to name a few.

Workshop Structure
1: Know your nose : Basic theory about breathing and smell, as well as practical exercises.
2: Exploring the natural Body: Discussion rounds and self-reflections as well as practical exercises around smelling yourself and others.
3: Harnessing aromatics for well being: we will learn about different types of aromatics and how they work on us, as well as get the opportunity to smell various rare and precious substances. We will also combine them with different breathwork techniques for targeted purposes, ranging from aphrodisia to emotion processing or stress management (just to name a few).
4: Enhancing bodies and connections: we will combine our knowledge around human smell and aromatics to experiment with wearing certain smells and how they can merge with our own scent, develop on our skin or clothes, and have deep effects on others.

For whom is this workshop?
Anyone having an interest for the topic is welcome. Don’t hesitate to come with your partner(s) if you feel it would be enriching to share this experience with them.
Everyone will be able to decide how they participate and how much interaction they would like to share with others. At the same time, a general openness to engage in the topics of workshop is assumed.
This workshop will have a maximum of 10 people.

Who is giving the workshop ?
Nicolas is originally an anthropologist. He has also worked for 20 years for famous luxury brands in the creation of new perfumes (concept development, ingredients specialist, naming, etc.). For his personal creations as a perfumer, he works with a different approach than the industry at large, and only uses natural ingredients. His work on raw materials has fostered the development a worldwide network for sourcing rare aromatics. For the last 10 years, he has (co)developed socially conscious and sustainable projects in Central, South and South-East Asia, to also directly produce some.
In parallel, Nicolas investigates the cultural dimensions of aromatics, and their very long and rich history of use at the crossroads of perfumery, medicine, religion & hedonism. He reinterprets this research for contemporary practical applications and has developed different methods to harness aromatics and our sense of smell, at the crossing of yoga, wellness, healing, intimate body work, sacred rituals, etc.
www.scentient-nature.net

 

Practicalities

• The Workshop will be in English. You should be able to follow the content in English, but we can translate details that remain unclear into German or French
• Do not wear any perfume or scented cream etc before coming to the workshop.
• We recommend that those who feel able to eat nothing or as little as possible before and during the workshop to keep your senses as open as possible. Of course your general health and comfort are most important.
• Bring a notepad and a couple of pens

Date & Time
28.09.24 | 11-18.30
There will a longer 1.5h break in the middle for integration, going deeper on certain exercises for those who have the desire to.

In addition to the workshop
29.09.24 | 14 – 16
There will be the possibility to just drop in, experience some (additional) aromatics, and informally discuss. This is open to people curious about the topic and who have not joined the workshop as well.

Cost
Price CHF 200 p.P
The price is due to the low number of free spaces as well as the high costs of the aromatics and materials used. If you are interested in the workshop and the price is an issue, please do contact us.

Location
This workshop will take place in Zurich. The address will be sent to you when your registration is complete.

Registration
sidonia@zwischenwelten.ch
Please read thoroughly Zwischenwelten’s values before registering.

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