[Jeong Yu-jin's Scent Walk] The Comfort Offered by Fragrance and Words

Fragrance and words are alike. Though invisible, they linger in the heart for a long time.

In this session, we slowly encountered five fragrances alongside our breath and body movements. In the moment of inhaling and exhaling, the scent naturally seeped through the gaps of our senses. Among them, the fourth fragrance held a little secret. It was my 'personal secret scent' that spoke only to me.

We always live surrounded by the words of others. Amidst the heavy encouragement that we should be okay, endure, and do better, we spend our days without uttering a word to ourselves. Therefore, this time, I prepared sentences that return solely to me, rather than directed at others.

The words shared with the iris scent were, "The answer is already within you." The moment I inhaled the fragrance, my stiff gaze softened, and my breath deepened by an inch. A moment later, a participant quietly murmured, "With the scent and meaning together, I feel like I can finally see the answers to the questions I've been asking myself lately."

Fragrance is quick, and the body responds honestly. As the breath deepens and the tension in the shoulders eases, the heart finally follows suit. When the scent opens the door, the words create a space to linger within. When these two senses connect, a person naturally becomes closer to themselves.

Some find calm through fragrance, some relieve tension through movement, and some soothe their hearts with sentences. In those brief moments, we recover in a very quiet way.

In fact, fragrance cannot be a fundamental solution. Words also do not write the answers to life for us. They merely create a 'gap' where we can fully feel ourselves. I believe that is enough. Taking a moment to pause and return to oneself is already the greatest comfort.

The place where fragrance and words, breath and body meet is always quiet. And in that silence, a person becomes the most honest.

Written by: Jeong Yu-jin (Perfumer An Sol) @ansol.scent
- Operating the 'Pilates & Scent' wellness programme
- Production and sale of fragrance products
- Collaboration and product sponsorship with PERE
- Collaboration on church fragrance projects
- Development of brand and space fragrances & class planning