Tag: essential oil

YOGA & ESSENTIAL OILS

Kathrin2 Comments

Is it a match? I love essential oils, but wasn’t sure how to incorporate them into my practice. Or if it makes any sense at all. Or if I even like it. I try to keep my practice pure. Just me and my mat, that’s it. Plain-vanilla. My ujjayi breath is strong and I couldn’t imagine any disruption, even not through a good smell, gently diffusing in the air.

A bit of experimenting and I have to admit, it works really well. Yoga and essential oils. It’s all about balance. Accepting that every day is different, every day the body and the mind are in a slightly different mood and need different support. One day I diffuse essential oils, so they transform the room into another world and speak to all my senses. Some days I need stillness, In my ears and my nose. Other days I love to add some oils to my neck and soles of my feet right before shavasana for a perfect relaxation.

There’s no one fits all, play with them! Surprisingly it’s not always the favorite smell that works with the practice. Each oil has it’s effect and magic on both, body and mind. No matter if you initially like it or not. It’s no perfume. But it can be too 🙂

Let the magic work!

Leverage your practice with essential oils

KathrinLeave a comment

My new favorite addition to my practice are essential oils. Or is it already an addiction? I’m just in love since I know how to deal with them. I like a good smell, but also clearing and channeling energies. I started with perfumed candles, but even if the quality is high, I find them too strong. I also used incense sticks and even if the intensity is easier to handle, I only use them for a couple of minutes, as the effect on my respiratory system isn’t a good one. When using them before class, I should not forget to turn them out, as I feel it in my throat, I can hardly talk if it’s too much. Not really healthy…

Essential oils are my number one choice! Each of them has a certain impact on our health and emotions and they can be used in different ways, it’s quite interesting to play around. Just be sure to only use good quality! This is how you can use them in your practice:

Start your practice with a couple of long deep belly breaths
Pour a few drops of peppermint oil onto your palms, then cup them over your nose. With your eyes closed, breathe in deeply to help open your nasal passages, allowing you to cultivate healthy breath.
 
During practice
I like to use a diffusor, but please don’t overdo, keep distance or even better use the interval option if your diffuser has one. Less is more for this one! Use your favorite oil – when I put mine in first time, I recognized it’s not working well, interestingly the smell fits better my skin or the bathroom, but not my practice! My choice now is a mix of Sandalwood and a tiny bit of Jasmine.

Wind down during shavasana
Amplify this peaceful state with Lavender – it helps relaxing… either use it in a diffusor or just put some drops on your wrists and collarbone and let the magic happen!

After practice when your muscles complain
To relieve sore muscles add a few drops of Peppermint essential oil to a carrier oil and massage those areas. Peppermint’s cooling sensation helps alleviate those post-workout aches and pains.

If you don’t want to use the essential oil directly on your skin, just put some drops in a small spray bottle, fill it up with water and go for it. Another option would be to mix some drops with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil and massage your skin. Some essential oils are not meant to be used directly on the skin, so read the instructions and always use a high quality pure product.

Be creative, play around and see how it effects your practice!