Essential oils for soul: Weekly scents and remedies, week nine

Breathe™ (Respiratory Blend) by doTERRA

inhale, exhale

And now for the topic of breathing. It's our natural way of life but to breathe most efficiently is surely the goal. Now that I practice ashtanga yoga and pranayama, my goal is to breathe euphorically.

I have a few angles to address on this topic: respiratory system, pranayama and yoga breath, essential oils to clear the airways due to allergies or sinus blockages.

breathe, respiratory blend

As I typed that sentence, I reached for my Breathe™ (Respiratory Blend) essential oil blend. It contains Laurel Leaf, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Lemon, Ravensara and Cardamom. This blends works on all ailments of the respiratory system as an antiseptic, antifungal, antiviral, antispasmodic, antiinflammatory, antibacterial and expectorant. It's supportive for asthma, bronchitis, viral infections, soothing and dilating the airways, mucous membrane, coughs and adrenal glands.

These ailments listed above all, of course, are physiological and are brought on by allergies, sinus colds and other conditions related to afflictions in the breath.

emotional clarity, let go

But this is the not the main reason I'm here. Yes, the Breathe™ essential oil blend is wonderful as an essential oil, vapor stick or respiratory drops (i.e., cough drops). But I don't wish to concentrate on the obvious. There is a profound emotional aspect to breathing fully and clearly.

The breath is life-giving. Without it, where would you be? In ashtanga yoga, it is the main point. It is the yoga. It's what carries all things beautiful to each cell in your body as the breath carries prana. Clear, clean and long inhales and exhales are not to be taken for granted.

release constrictions, feel your heart

Diving deeper, the respiratory blend addresses an inability to let go of grief and pain. Yes. For, to struggle with breathing during certain emotional triggers is to feel suffocated. When air is prevented from passing gently, constricted by passion, impatience, vulnerability, etc., the felt emotion cannot release itself so easily, held captive within the emotional body. I believe that the core of this is love.

Feeling unloved on any level can cause the heart to race, and eurphoric breath to turn shallow and become impeded by something greater than your moment. Its hindering effect can block spiritual guidance and intuition. For these reasons, it's important to attempt to breathe fully but mainly stay connected to the heart so that all that you are is free to express and be.

release constrictions, feel your heart

An ideal place to test this fate is in a wholehearted pranayama practice where each second matters—inhales, exhales, retentions (where you are most reminded of your ability to breathe), and energetic locks in mula bandha (around perineum), uddiyana bandha (around lower abdomen) and jalandhara bandha (around throat). When breathing is controlled to such an extent through the throat and alternate nostrils, through holding at top of inhale or bottom of exhale, it's a reminder of how powerful your lifeforce is.

You feel it when its taken away. Holding the breath is meant to be a place of silence, stillness and peace. Experiencing only a few seconds of discomfort can bring up worlds that you didn't know existed within you. Fears, anxieties, and most importantly at the core of them all, the desire for unconditional love. Breathing in that love is a beautiful place to be.

Without love, would you be truly happy? When you feel held in your heart, pay close attention to your breathing; now feel the difference when you are upset, sad, feeling as if you don't matter. Stay attuned to your breathing.

Go deep into yourself and get to the source of any tightness in the chest, throat or entire body. It is not necessarily in the breathing mechanics, but in the heart. Let yourself receive that. There is an unending courage associated with the ability to breathe fully in each moment.

[If you want to try some dōTERRA® essential oils yourself, here are two ways to do it. 1) Shop here for retail purchases directly. 2) Join to get wholesale prices. Ships internationally.]

Namaste.

~ Robin Ellen Lucas, M.A.