Using Aromatherapy with Meditation

As life becomes more hectic today, there is more need for meditation. Meditation helps with calming your mind, refocusing your energy and promoting overall health. However, the stresses and distractions around make it difficult to even start a meditation routine. This is where aromatherapy comes in. Aromatherapy can be defined as the use of fragrances from essential oils as inhalants in order to balance emotions and benefit health. You can use essential oils such like lavender, chamomile, frankincense and many more when using aromatherapy with meditation. These oils are great in enhancing your meditation experience and giving you clarity and peace of mind.

 The two ways of using aromatherapy with meditation are:

• Diffuse the oil into the air - You can do this by using an essential oil diffuser, an atmosphere mist or an aromatherapy candle to promote aromatherapy inhalation. This activity can help stimulate the senses and promote relaxation.
• Applying essential oils topically - You can apply directly on the skin, diluted with a carrier oil such as sweet almond or grapeseed. Some great DIY recipes can be found here. Apply on your palms for self-directed inhalation and on your pulse points so that it can reach targeted areas.

The best essential oils, we recommend for use with meditation are:

1. Frankincense oil

This is such a potent oil for the spirit. It gives grounding and balancing since it can help you connect with your spiritual self. Frankincense also offers stabilisation of your chakras for quick energy flow. It is one of our favourite oils for its calming effects which is why we use it in some of our calming products such as Sleepy Head pillow mist. It has numerous benefits which include:

• Holistic wellbeing
• Reducing pain and inflammation
• Relieving stress
• Clear your nasal passages
• Clearing away negative energies

Frankincense is a great oil for incorporation in meditation for mind, body and spirit.

1. Lavender oil

Lavender has anti-anxiety and antidepressant properties. With all these properties, it is a natural relaxant. Lavender is really useful for meditation because it has calming properties that put your mind in the right frame for clarity and enlightenment during meditation. What benefits does lavender have when used with meditation?

• It calms the mind and body
• It stabilises the body
• It balances the body
• It focuses the mind in order to achieve enlightenment from meditation

Other essential oils are:

Eucalyptus

It is impossible to meditate with blocked and inflamed airways since meditation requires focusing and controlling your breathing. Eucalyptus can help clear the airways and release chest tightness thus you can breathe deeply and steadily during meditation.

Neroli

This is a transformative essential oil useful in meditation and can help in promoting self-love and acceptance. Neroli benefits:

• Reduces pain and inflammation
• Decreases blood pressure and cortisol levels
• Is an anticonvulsant
• Clears negative energy
• Improves clarity, mindfulness and inner peace

Clary Sage

Clary sage is an essential oil that has been in use for thousands of years to clear negative energies. During meditation, clary sage clears all negative energies that can distract the mind from focusing. In addition, clary sage is an antidepressant which lifts your mood. Clary sage is important for a positive meditative experience.

Essential oils can be very useful in creating a positive ambience for a good meditation experience. They soothe the body and can help work towards enlightenment when used with meditation. When choosing essential oils, always go for trusted sources and only go for therapeutic grade.

What is your favourite essential oil and why? Please leave us a comment, we would love to hear from you!