Get The Most Out Of Meditation Therapy With Essential Oils
Holistic treatments not only help us conquer the symptoms of stress in our lives, they also get to the root causes that lead us to anxiety and patterns of negativity by promoting mindfulness and present-moment awareness. Meditation therapy can be a key part of a holistic treatment program, and when combined with essential oils, can prove effective in changing the course of our lives.
An Introduction to Essential Oils
Learning the fundamentals of therapeutic-grade essential oils and their uses can lead to a fascinating foray into aromatherapy. They are carefully harvested and extracted from plants, making them popular with holistic-minded communities. Unfortunately, many companies selling essential oils for cheap or discounted rates are probably lacking in quality; a reputable retailer will take great caution to provide you with ample information on their distillation and harvesting process. A low quality essential oil may include additives, or even more likely to induce an allergic reaction or rash, so it is important to research on the supplier before purchasing.
What Is Meditation Therapy?
Meditation therapy is a valuable tool for promoting wellbeing and shrugging off negative and self-destructive habits. Meditation practices have been used for thousands of years for their healing properties. The scientific community agrees and lists many benefits of meditation, including decreasing stress and anxiety, reducing depression, changing brain pathways for the better, improving the immune system, and many more.
Meditation therapy involves bringing the mind and body in sync with each other. When you are stressed, the mind may run in many different directions. This boosts cortisol in the body, generating the feelings of fight or flight, but often without the release of any physical activity. You continue your work or driving or everyday chores, while the body is being flooded with chemicals, telling it that danger is present. The dichotomy between the messages your mind sends and how your body responds are out of sync with each other.
The Marriage Of Meditation And Essential Oils
By bringing the mind and body back into alignment, the pathways are opened to clear destructive chemicals from the bloodstream and to reorganize patterns of thinking into clearer channels. Mindfulness and present moment awareness are key in meditation. By focusing on one thing, such as your breathing or a specific word or thought, the mind and body interact to return to a state of wholeness.
Consistent practice of meditation expands that wholeness throughout your life. Bringing more of your life into alignment achieves greater benefits over time. When starting meditation therapy, achieving and maintaining this singular focus can be difficult for some. Essential oils can promote relaxation and focus, making meditation easier to begin for newcomers and enabling that mindfulness to become a regular pattern for life for those experienced in meditation.
How To Use Essential Oils
There are two effective ways of using essential oils – a diffuser for spreading the oils into the air as a fine mist and topically by applying the oils directly to the skin.
Diffusion
Diffusion is usually accomplished with a diffuser, a small appliance that sprays a very fine mist of the oils into the air. One may also add the oils to water and spray from a spray bottle into the air for the same effect. Diffusion has the effect of saturating the air with the essential oil, so its healing properties and aroma may be breathed in. The aroma properties are maximized with this method, but any topical value may be lost.
Topical Application
A few drops of essential oils may be applied topically to the skin. This provides the aromatherapy benefits of the oil as well as absorbing the essential oils directly into the skin and body. It is important to use caution in topical application. Because essential oils are concentrated, not all oils are appropriate for topical application, and care must be exercised that too much is not applied at once.
Best Essential Oils For Meditation
Boosting your meditation with essential oils is a great way to ease into a present-moment mindfulness. Repeated use can bring you back to that state of mind simply by inhaling the aroma of the essential oil. Different essential oils provide distinct benefits, with some being specifically suited for meditation.
Frankincense
Frankincense has been used in the Middle East and North Africa for over 5,000 years. Our word “frankincense” comes from the Old French word franc, meaning noble or pure. Frankincense comes from the resin of trees in this region. The properties that make this oil so effective have been studied by science and found to blur pain, treat anxiety and asthma, and possibly treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Frankincense has a rich aroma that promotes calm and reduces stress.
Neroli
Another popular essential oil used in meditation therapy is neroli, which is derived from the white blossoms of a bitter orange tree native to Asia. Neroli has a distinctive floral aroma that can relieve depression, lower anxiety and stress, and reduce anger, irritability, and fear. Neroli can calm the heart both literally and figuratively, as its scent calms the nerves and may relieve heart palpitations.
Myrrh
Myrrh has also been used for thousands of years and was considered both a gift fit for kings as well as a key medicinal ingredient in salves. Myrrh comes from the sap of a species of trees known as Commiphora myrrha. It has long been used both medicinally and as a perfume ingredient. The scent of myrrh promotes calmness, feelings of wellbeing and tranquility, and even spiritual awareness.
Vetiver
Vetiver is a grass plant grown in India. The grass can grow five feet high and has deep roots, making it a hardy plant resistant to both frost and wildfires. Vetiver has a distinctive scent and is frequently used in perfumes, especially men’s cologne in the United States. It’s musty, earthy scent creates a sense of inner strength and calm during meditation very useful in grounding and centering one’s thoughts.
Sage
Sage has long been valued for its antiseptic properties. In the 800s, Charlemagne decreed that every farm on crown lands must grow sage. Sage fights infections from viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Sage comes from a bush and is in the mint family of plants. Its distinctive aroma promotes feelings of wellbeing and grounding of focus.
Healing Properties & Unsafe Practices
Even if one does not regularly practice meditation, proactively utilizing the therapeutic benefits of essential oils can still provide much needed relief from daily stressors. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, or insomnia can be ameliorated or lessened by the usage of high-quality oils.
Keep in mind there are a few dangerous practices when using essential oils. For example, ingesting a heavy amount of essential oil is extremely toxic to the body. Another factor to keep in mind is the importance of testing for any allergic reactions to the oil before applying liberally to your body. Patch testing, or the method of applying a small amount on your arm then waiting a few minutes to see if your skin reacts negatively, is a good way to check for potential skin irritation.
Only The Beginning: Holistic Addiction Treatment
The healing properties and beneficial uses of essential oils have been studied for centuries, and this article only scratches the surface of the potential uses for essential oils. At Elevate Addiction Services, we believe treating the whole person for those struggling with addiction, and we’ve seen how powerful essential oils can be when treating addiction. Our treatment centers in Watsonville and South Lake Tahoe provide holistic treatment options that not only battle the symptoms of addiction but the underlying problems that led to addiction.
