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  essential

\əˈsen(t)SHəl\  absolutely necessary; extremely important; fundamental or central to the nature of something or someone.


doTERRA essential oils

Essential Oils for Soul Series: Scents and Remedies

Welcome to my essential oils journey coupled with ashtanga yoga practice and life. First 10-part series:

#1: Creativity and Trust
#2: Feminine and Personal Power
#3: Anger Management
#4: Pain Management
#5: Skincare
#6: Calming Anxiety
#7: Alkalinity, water and supportive essential oils
#8: Staying alert, focused
#9: Breathing, respiratory system and unconditional love
#10: Happiness and the power of being grounded
#Finale: Bridging yoga and essential oils

Second 10-part series:

#11: Hormones, balance
#12: Sleeping
#13: Spirituality
#14: Calm on vacation
#15: Love and romance
#16: Food and wellness
#17: Oxygenating the body
#18: Ocean-filled air and psyche
#19: Making a living through health
#20: Surviving the holidays

Check my yoga blog for yoga, spirituality and essential oil remedies mixed in.

Entries in ylang ylang (6)

Wednesday
Oct122016

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

Here's a great topic, now that I have the hormone balance covered...

Restful sleep matters

Sleep. A good night's sleep is golden. Without it you feel it most. I give it my utmost priority but haven't discussed it much yet in this essential oils blog because it's not an ailment for me—because I've got it covered! However, with a recent decadent weeklong vacation, I am reminded of the power of sleep.

I'll start with an essential oil by doTERRA that was initially branded to be for sleep, but was then changed. It's called Serenity®. I've written about it before and how it helps to access emotions that take me off track.

Serentiy® Restful Blend, Calming Blend

Serenity has changed, how?

I wrote about Serenity® (Calming Blend) before and its effects on emotional health. How has this blend changed?

It used to contain: Lavender, Sweet Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Hawaiian Sandalwood, Vanilla Bean Extract.

The same ingredients still exist in the newer Serenity® (Restful Blend) but a few have been added: Cedarwood, Ho Wood and Vetiver.

Sleep aid, sleep elixir at bedside

Is there honestly a difference in the way the blends make me feel? Here's an example. I've taken some time to research this within myself before commenting.

I use the original Serenity® (Calming Blend) while I'm at my desk typing, thinking, contemplating. It is handy when I'm feeling words rush through me without a place to ground themselves. It calms me from wishing to plan my weekend, or month or life, for that matter. As I discussed in a past article, Serenity® (Calming Blend) has the added benefit of subduing overly excited states. It calms emotions, in particular, that can get in the way of focusing on what's important in life.

Now that I have the Serenity® (Restful Blend), I have that little brown bottle of elixir on my bedside table—and it goes with me in my travel bag on vacations—to rub on my wrists and under my nose before bed (and even on my pillows). I have always been a big fan of sleeping well. Always. (And luckily I gave birth to 3 babies who also believe this; yes, I got lucky.)

Wake with clarity and ease

Through trials and tribulations of getting the best night's rest, I've tried many herbal and natural remedies. I'm a firm believer in the drowsy effects of Valerian Root. Best night's sleep for years. However, in the last few years I've aspired toward the goal of waking up early for my Ashtanga yoga practice. Over time, I've desired to wake up earlier and earlier.

Now, I wake up for Pranayama before Ashtanga yoga with my teacher and a small candlelit group. At first I felt like a warrior, drinking too much coffee just to make sure I was there by 5:59 a.m., heart pumping strongly but at least I was there.

Now I aspire to something much greater. I wish to be awake and present and calm and breathing freely—holding my breath in retentions freely—during my one hour of goodness. And then I wish to practice Ashtanga yoga for two hours, with my spirit guiding the way while physically challenged to the max, body and spirit on auto-pilot.

Sleep without being trapped under something heavy

The only way to be all this is to *not* take Valerian Root before sleeping because, with it, I'm partially trapped under something heavy when my alarm goes off. I'm in the search of clarity while waking yet dreamy sleep (and with dreams to remember).

The answer to my quandary is the new Serenity® (Restful Blend). The added essential oils—Cedarwood, Ho Wood and Vetiver—make a difference. First of all, Vetiver is the essential oil of centering and rooting in life; it invites focus on self-awareness and roots to your source of intelligence and spirituality. I've been experimenting with it for some time. I don't like the scent of it on its own, so have created many blends with it as the main event, both for topical use and through the diffuser. I've come to the conclusion that it makes me drowsy. I've performed various experiments to make sure it was, in fact, the Vetiver that caused this. It is from my experience.

Cedarwood is calming to the hormones. So, if they are what keep you up at night—male or female—then this essential oil with assist. For example, it's my go-to essential oil for PMS to rub on my palms and take a big inhale. Its effect is quick.

Ho Wood is an essential oil I have yet to experience on its own. It's one of the ingredients in one of my favorite, daily blends Balance® (Grounding Blend) which I apply each morning to my chest and bottoms of my feet before yoga. This blend is known for bringing you back to earth but what I like the best is that it is said to assist with oxygenating the blood. That's the Spruce included in the blend as it's capable of dialating the bronchial tract which improves oxygen exchange. Disease cannot live in an oxygenated body.

Complement to serenity

In summary, I'm a big fan of the new Serenity® (Restful Blend)... I have recently been experiementing with the new Serenity® (Restful Complex) gel caps to be taken before sleeping. I couple all of this with the following combination in my diffuser by my bed:

Petitgrain - calms Nervous System
Jupiper Berry - enhances dreams
Bergamot - balances emotions

Now, when I wake, I'm awake. I'm ready. No more 'Snooze.' Sleep well... zzzzzzzzzz

[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.

Wednesday
Sep142016

essential oils for soul: weekly scents and remedies, week eleven

Hormone balancing - Clary Sage, Clove, Ylang Ylang (Image © Yoga Robin®)

All about Hormone balance. Of course, it's best to stay in balance at all times, especially with your endocrine system. When something goes wrong, the effects are often times confusing, and can even allow your senses and intellect to get buried. Happiness and grounding become quite impossible. For this reason, being proactive toward hormone balance is the best bet.

Endocrine glands and effects

(Source: off my Healing Series)

Before diving into specific hormones that effect me and their essential oil and yoga remedies, first let me summarize parts of the endocrine system (a.k.a., your hormones).

Pituitary gland: Lying on base of the brain, it’s the master gland as it controls the release of hormones from other glands. It’s vital to our well-being

Click to read more ...

Saturday
Aug132016

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

 

doTERRA essential oil blends, Serenity® and InTune®

Focus or daydream?

This post is about Focus and Attention. First of all, I'm not going to talk about ADHD or self-help techniques to get you to be more organized in your days. I am more interested in diving deeper into the root of what drives you to get sidetracked, sometimes in a psychologically controlled fashion sprinkled with a rebellious undertone, or maybe even hopelessness.

I want to address the issues at hand that are supported with essential oils—ones that set a foundation for a healthy mindset. From that thriving place within yourself, you are then ready to focus on your passion.

Emotions distract

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Monday
Aug082016

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

Hydrate, alkalinize, live health (Image © Yoga Robin®)

And now I turn to the health of drinking pure water. Having creativity and trust in your life is first and foremost to overall health. Finding your personal power within your own unique blend of masculinity and femininity protects you. Anger management, pain management, skincare and calming anxiety all aid in returning you back to yourself—the self you are meant to be, pure and simple. Essential oils lend a tremendous boost to each of these efforts.

stay hydrated

Here is the power of hydration for the body, heart and mind: flushes out toxins, prevents headaches, helps digestive system, boosts brain power, improve skin complexion, increases energy, aids in weight loss.

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Saturday
Jul162016

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

doTERRA Console - Comforting Blend (Image © Yoga Robin®)

The next topic is on anxiety. Whether it rises its head in the physical body, emotional body or spiritual realm, calming it is the focus of much of integrative health. Stress and anxiety are known to be causes of disease and strife in life.

anxiety touches sacrifice, sorrow and fear

I touched on this topic of sacrifice with Arborvitae and Citrus Bliss, of allowing the creative feminine to be optimally expressive with Whisper™, of dissolving anger culminating with Forgive and of soothing an aching body with Deep Blue® since pain can breed anxiety through fears when you're in pain.

My favorite go-to essential oil for anxiousness is Console (Comforting Blend). It's a proprietary blend by doTERRA that's meant to soothe feelings of sorrow and grief and promote uplifting feelings of peace and hope.

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Monday
Jun062016

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

opening heart. uplifting senses.

 

Now we're on to the second week of my essential oil and yoga talk. I'm calling it a talk because it feels like an experiential event recorded on the internet, then discussed. I'm not an essential oil expert with years of laborious scientific study. I'm a yogini, an ashtangi, a healer, a feeler, an integrative medicine advocate. Essential oils are medicine and I'm their devotee.

I discussed part of my bedtime and morning ritual last week with Cirtus Bliss and Aborvitae. To continue...

doTERRA Whisper™ - Blend for Women (Image © Yoga Robin®)Each morning as I'm getting ready for yoga

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