"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
~ Marcel Proust
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Anyone who knows me knows that the holiday season is my absolute favorite time of year. I love everything about it, from the lights and music to the traditional meals (warm alcoholic beverages included!) and holiday parties. Of course, the scents of the season become a huge part of the memories we create while spending time with loved ones during this time of year. If you want to smell Christmas in a bottle anytime of year, get yourself some Christmas Spirit! It is the perfect combination of spruce, cinnamon, and orange, and whenever I diffuse it, my home instantly smells of Christmas morning! Everyone who walks in comments on how good it smells. And of course, it's my favorite blend to diffuse while decorating my home and preparing gifts for the holidays. Additionally, this blend offers several therapeutic benefits, including: Spruce: This oil helps you to feel grounded and balanced. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can help stimulate the immune system. Cinnamon: Also anti-inflammatory, this oil is powerfully antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal. (Cinnamon is one of the single oils that makes up the super-popular Thieves blend.) Orange: This oil is relaxing, uplifting, and is often used to help with anxiety and insomnia. So, as you can see, while diffusing essential oils can make your home smell wonderful and reminiscent of this joyous season, it also offers real therapeutic benefits. You can’t say that about your average Christmas candle! If you want to experience this blend in person, be sure to pop into one of my aromatherapy yoga classes around the holidays! See you on the mat! "I stand before what is with an open heart. And with an open heart I dwell in possibility."
~ Macrina Wiederkehr That’s right. The name is Thieves, as in Grave Robbers. The powerful Thieves essential oil blend takes its inspiration from the legend of four 15th-century French thieves. Originally spice traders and merchants, these thieves imported spices, including cinnamon and clove, from India. But when the Black Plague struck and international trade was suspended, the spice traders quickly ran out of money. So they turned to looting the homes and bodies of Plague victims. They wore various oils and spices while they “worked” to help them avoid catching the highly-contagious disease. When four of the thieves were captured and brought before the King, they were forced to finally reveal their secret formula of lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary, cinnamon and clove! Thieves can help to boost immunity, support overall wellness, and keep our homes (and ourselves) clean! And beyond the many, many ways it can be used, it smells SO good! Just like Christmas. The cinnamon and clove are what I mainly pick up, which are perfect scents as we move into Fall and the holiday season! Thieves can be diffused, taken internally to promote overall wellness, and applied topically. (For topical application, it is typically recommended to dilute with a carrier oil like coconut or grapeseed oil. Dilution is always recommended for children.) Read on for my top 15 uses for Thieves essential oil blend:
This week I’m featuring my absolute favorite blend to use around the house: Purification! When you invest in the Premium Starter Kit, you’ll get to try it out as it’s one of the “Everyday Oils” included in the kit, and it seriously is such a versatile and powerful oil that you'll use it EVERY SINGLE DAY. In fact, when I purchased my first kit, it was the oil that I ran out of first. It's that good. Purification is an essential oil blend comprised of citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, tea tree, lavandin and myrtle. When I diffuse it, I always pick up on the lemongrass first - it smells SO fresh and clean. I diffuse it regularly around the apartment, but especially when I notice the pet smells taking over. I love my little piglet pup, but I do not love her smells!
In addition to diffusing, purification can be used topically. Dilution is generally not necessary for adults. (Dilution is typically recommended for children for all essential oils and blends.) Top 10 uses for Purification: “Eat like you love yourself. Move like you love yourself. Speak like you love yourself. Act like you love yourself.”
~ Tara Stiles Peace & Calming is one of Young Living’s most popular essential oil blends, made up of tangerine, orange, ylang ylang, patchouli, and blue tansy. My favorite way to use Peace & Calming is to diffuse it while I’m sleeping. I combine 2-3 drops P&C with 4-5 drops of lavender, and it is heavenly. The first time I diffused it, I was amazed at how quickly I fell asleep and how well-rested I felt the next morning. I woke up in the same position in which I fell asleep, telling me that I didn’t toss and turn in my chronic sort of way. As an added bonus, I've noticed that Lola (my fur baby) also sleeps through the night better when this is diffusing - I know because when she wakes up and shakes around, I usually wake up too! For these reasons alone, I always keep Peace & Calming in stock in my home. But of course, as with all of these wonderful oils, the blend can be used in many ways. How to use Peace & Calming:
Top 10 uses for Peace & Calming: “True happiness is when the love that is within us finds expression in external activities.”
~ Ammachi, the Hugging Saint Usually I showcase a single oil or blend, but this week I am highlighting one my favorite combinations to diffuse: Lemon + Peppermint! I love diffusing this in the mornings, or when I'm cleaning and organizing the apartment. It’s the perfect combination of motivation and clean house smell! Using Lemon + Peppermint to Enhance a Yoga Practice I will diffuse this combo in my yoga classes as well as offering topical application to energize my students and enhance a flow focused on detoxing and balancing the manipura chakra. Both lemon and peppermint are associated with the manipura chakra, or solar plexus, which is the center of self-confidence. While lemon and peppermint can both help to increase energy levels and promote focus during the practice, they also offer unique advantages on their own. A drop of lemon applied to vita flex points or added to your water (remember to use glass when adding citrus oils to water!) helps to stimulate and cleanse the digestive system. Paired with cleansing twists and solar plexus balancing poses, lemon can help foster a balanced digestive system, balanced emotions, and positive self-esteem. Then a cooling peppermint body spray helps cool off and balance the manipura chakra after some steamy vinyasas! Everyday Uses for Lemon + Peppermint
Lemon and Peppermint are two of the most popular oils because they are so, so versatile. In addition to being great oils to use in yoga classes, they are both staples in my oil arsenal that I use to help alleviate headaches, stomachaches, allergies, and as a detox aid when I am cleansing. Plus, they are both included in the “Everyday Oils” in Young Living’s Premium Starter Kit. The “Everyday Oils” definitely live up to their moniker – you will find yourself using these oils every single day for a variety of reasons, whether on their own or as a combo! Both lemon and peppermint essential oils can be used aromatically (either inhaled or diffused), applied topically (remember to dilute), and ingested.* Here are some more tips for using these oils together: |