Aromatherapy for Yoga Part 2 - Guest Author Nico Anders
How can I use essential oils in my yoga practice?
There are 8 limbs of yoga, Ashtanga (Ash = eight, tanga = limbs in Sanskrit). While one limb is our physical asana (posture) practice, another is pranayama, or breath practice. Ancient yogis believed in practicing the control over our breath, as a powerful way of breaching the divide between the conscious and subconscious mind, connecting us to our higher self, and thus bringing us closer to Samadhi (enlightenment), opening the third eye and the crown chakra.
There are a few ways I like to use essential oils in my yoga practice:
1) Mood sprays: I have made a couple of mood sprays I use in my classes, while students are in relaxed postures, resting after a fired up segment of class, or in savasana.
Begin Again (On sale for $12.00) is a smudge spray with palo santo and sage. It is especially useful for those of us who are not able to smudge or don't enjoy burning smudge sticks to refresh vibes. Begin Again leaves you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, awakened and cleansed!
Platinum Hormone Balancing (On sale for $15.00) has been a best seller since day one. Main ingredient, Clary Sage has been used for centuries to alleviate hormone imbalances, caused by endocrine disruptions. I like to use it when I get a touch of rage during PMS, while my mom uses it during hot flashes. It is even good for men! Also used in this heavenly blend - Ambrosial Vanilla, Cedarwood, Patchouli and Ylang Ylang essential oils. Whatever mood you are in, this schpritz will make you feel better!
Bonus: both of these sprays can also be used as body sprays, room sprays, you can even keep one in the car for emergency freshness / balancing!
2) Oil Blends: I have three blends on the market which I use in my personal yoga practice by rubbing on my wrists, neck and temples, and in my classes by giving my students luxurious temple rubs. Breathing in these blends while relaxing or stretching the body enable them to penetrate deeper into body systems.
Venus Essence: ($15.00) This is an intoxicating blend that was inspired by all things feminine, love and seduction. The soothing richness of Vetiver, bright, refreshing Grapefruit, sweet Ylang Ylang, and wild, rugged Spruce make Venus an excellent representation of the feminine essence.
Mars Essence: (On Sale for $12.00)Mars is a mixture of Cypress, Sage, Spearmint and Spruce - my interpretation of what a sexy lumberjack should smell like. Given the name of the planet our driven focus comes from - to help you get that energy to succeed!
Fixation Oil Blend: (On sale for $10.00) Fixation is a focus blend that wakes you up, calms you down and takes you back to yourself while simultaneously increasing your mental clarity. It is an enriching blend of lavender, peppermint, rosemary, basil, eucalyptus and clove. I recommend this one as a headache reliever, and an amazing way to rejuvenate a tired mind, that’s had one-too-many hours of screen time. This blend has been made especially for temple rubs.
All of these blends are diluted with carrier oils, so they do not negatively affect the skin and maintain their therapeutic quality. ALWAYS use a carrier oil (olive oil, avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, etc.) when applying essential oils to the skin!
It is worth mentioning, that as essential oils, and not over the counter / prescription pharmaceuticals, these blends will have a more subtle effect. They need to be used more regularly to begin to see the effects. While this may take a bit more patience, these blends are more in sync with our body chemistry and enable us to improve our lives in more lasting, less abrupt ways.
Exploring therapeutic essential oils can open up a whole new world for us, in terms of providing links to the past, creating amicable environments for the present and helping to solve ailments of the future. If you have any questions regarding essential oils, where to get them or would like more information regarding using aromatherapy in your life or yoga practice, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at moonyoganico@gmail.com.
Huge thanks to Nico for her lovely insight on Aromatherapy! Check out part one of her post here.
