Yoga is such a beautiful practice that elevates your body, mind and energy. I wanted to take a little time to share with you how essential oils can deepen and expand your yoga practice.

Essential oils are liquid essence that a plant produces to perform a variety of functions. These oils can come from bark, roots, seeds, resin, leaves, petals and rind of herbs, plants, flowers and trees. These oils are powerful and only a drop or two is needed to create shifts on all levels.

Yoga helps us to strengthen our connection with our body. In practice, our senses are heightened as we tune into the physical sensations we experience through our muscles and breath. Essential oils have been used throughout history in meditation and yoga practice and including them in your own practice can raise your awareness to new levels.

Take a moment and recall a transformative memory from your practice; a moment where you transcended time and space. Can you remember your surroundings? What physical sensations can you recall? You can use essential oils to create energetic anchors that will connect you with those states when you smell a specific oil or blend.

Do you ever need a bit more time before you are fully immersed in your poses? Your mind may be running, or you may have emotions running high. Essential oils have the ability to connect with your parasympathetic nervous system and can help you to relax quickly and effortlessly while supporting your immune system.

Using essential oils in your yoga practice can be as simple as diffusing an oil or blend in the space you are practicing. When we inhale the oils, the compounds are absorbed by our entire body within twenty minutes.

For more specific focus, you can explore topical application. This involves taking a drop of oil and diluting it with a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil or jojoba for example and applying it to an area of the body. You might choose an energetic center such as a specific chakra depending on the focus of your session.

Each aspect of your practice can benefit from a specific oil. Like your practice, essential oils are complex and multi-faceted. One oil can assist for so many things and one focus can benefit from many oils.

For example, Frankincense is a wonderful oil to use when you are centering and during your breathwork. Frankincense is known as the King of Oils and can help to connect with source energy. On a physical level, Frankincense can support oxygenation within the brain.

Marjoram is a powerful oil to assist with muscle and tissue tension and is helpful when applied to aspects of the body in need before and after the active parts of your practice.

Wintergreen is an amazing oil you can use in your seated poses to help surrender any energy, emotions or beliefs that are not serving you. It can help you release so you can go within more deeply.

Vetiver or Balance Blend can be diffused or applied to the back of neck or soles of feet before Savasana to help ground and increase awareness.

On another note, essential oils can help to reduce the toxic load in your cleaning products such as your mat or room spray. A few drops of Tea Tree oil in a spray bottle with water can help to keep things clean while supporting your immune system and energetic boundaries.

I have heard many amazing stories from yoga practitioners about how the oils have helped them. From releasing judgement they had around their own progress within their practice to deepening their awareness and creating a stronger community, the oils are a beautiful, powerful and seamless addition to their practice.

Whichever method you choose, including essential oils in your practice can add a new dimension for you. If you would like to learn more about how you can effectively use essential oils for focus and meditation to balance your body, mind and life, please click below for a free guide.