Learn from the aromatherapy gurus at doTERRA how using essential oils in your yoga routine can help connect you to the blissful, relaxing benefits of the practice!
Aromatherapy and yoga benefit the body, mind, and spirit in countless ways. While some prefer applying essential oils to their body at the beginning of their practice to help set focus, others enjoy diffusing essential oils during their sessions to create a calming or uplifting environment. The best part is that it’s completely up to you to discover what works best in your practice.
So, what really is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the practice of using plant materials (essential oils) to support mood, affect feelings, and improve wellbeing. While aromatherapy has been around for centuries, the connection between the brain and aroma can now be explained scientifically.
Anytime we inhale a distinct aroma, it will be processed through the brain in a special sequence. It first travels to the olfactory system, which is responsible for controlling our sense of smell. The olfactory system is connected to the limbic system, where our memories and emotions live. The limbic system then produces an emotional response.
The idea behind using aromatherapy for emotional benefit is that you choose certain essential oils to trigger the desired feelings and emotions. Understanding the unique chemistry behind each essential oil makes it easy to target emotions and manage mood because it allows us to produce a specific response within the brain. While each essential oil has its own unique chemical makeup, every essential oil can be divided into one of two categories based on its chemical constituents—uplifting or calming.
Calming Essential Oils
Essential oils that fall into the calming category typically contain monterpene alcohols, sesquiterpenes, esters, and oxides. These can be used to promote soothing, grounding, or rejuvenating emotions. Some essential oils that fall into this category include:
- Lavender
- Frankincense
- Roman Chamomile
- Jasmine
- Eucalyptus
Uplifting Essential Oils
Primarily composed of ketones, phenols, and monterpenes like beta-pinene and limonene, uplifting essential oils can be used to promote energizing, invigorating, or elevating emotions. The following are examples of essential oils in the uplifting category:
- Lemon
- Wild Orange
- Peppermint
- Douglas Fir
- Cypress
How do I start using essential oils?
While there are countless ways to use essential oils, aromatherapy typically requires the user to inhale the aroma, whether you smell the essential oil straight from the bottle, rub the oil between your hands and inhale from your palms, or diffuse the oil in a diffuser.
An easy way to incorporate aromatherapy into your yoga practice is to use the doTERRA Yoga Collection. This collection of essential oil blends is equipped to provide your daily yoga practices with everything you need. Arise, Anchor, and Align are carefully designed to provide unique scents and benefits to both the beginner and the seasoned yogi alike.
doTERRA Arise Enlightening Blend
At moments when discouragement and opposition affect your ability to reach your goals, the Arise blend can provide a joyful, encouraging aroma to help you feel uplifted. This blend’s fresh scent is both happy and inspiring.
Favorite Uses:
- When you wake up, apply two to three drops of Arise over your heart while practicing daily affirmations to help you rise up and face the day with clarity and joy.
- When practicing challenging poses, apply Arise to help yourself progress.
- Apply several drops to diffusing jewelry to remind you of your goals throughout the day.
doTERRA Anchor Steadying Blend
When uncertainty affects your world, the Anchor blend can help to restore balance and stillness in your life. With a earthy and rich aroma, this blend can help you feel rooted and grounded.
Favorite Uses:
- When faced with challenges or big decisions, apply two to three drops of Anchor over your heart to help encourage a steady foundational sense on how to move forward.
- Apply to ankles, base of spine, and bottoms of feet to promote feelings of completeness and calm.
- Apply two to three drops while meditating to feel steady, complete, and calm.
doTERRA Align Centering Blend
It’s easy to feel disconnected and out of control in the busyness of everyday life. Combining the properties of the Align blend with certain yoga poses can help you feel aligned and create a sense of peace. This blend is made with a unique blend of essential oils to create a fresh, green, and herbal scent.
Favorite Uses:
- Before starting the day, apply Align over your heart, wrists, and the back of your neck to promote feelings of self-acceptance and fluidity.
- Add a few drops of Align to a diffuser to enjoy the scent during your yoga practice.
- Add two drops of Align to diffusing jewelry to help create a sense of purpose throughout the day.
As you can see, aromatherapy is a simple, effective method for managing emotions and enhancing mood. When used in conjunction, essential oils can help amplify your yoga practice as you seek to bring balance and unity to your life.
Find Out More! doTERRAFounded in 2008, doTERRA was built on the mission of sharing highest quality essential oils with the world. Having seen for themselves the incredible benefits that can be had from using these precious resources, a group of health-care and business professionals set out to make this mission a reality.
