My Yoga Business may not be considered Essential, but my Oils are!

May 2

My yoga business may not be essential (although those who practice yoga regularly may argue otherwise,) but the oils I use to support my lifestyle are ESSENTIAL! I say this with a smile, because essential oils could not be more beneficial for our mental health than at any other time. I was introduced to Young Living products during a yoga workshop. It was entirely new to me and I wasn’t sure what all the hype was about. After many years of studying the benefits of therapeutic essential oils I chose Young Living for their global presence and leadership in a highly unregulated practice field. I feel reassured by Young Living’s promise to purity and seed to seal commitment. Teaching yoga and meditation incorporating essential oils assists my clients in providing effective and healthy tools to better manage stress. Young Living’s therapeutic grade essential oils support every system of the body without harmful side effects from chemicals, pesticides and fragrance. Another factor, I explored regarding essential oils is it’s boost to our emotional intelligence as well.

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. "Emotional intelligence is the key to both personal and professional success". The importance in how we deal with emotion directly hinges on how body’s ability to be strong. Our immune system is threatened all the time and our body’s main job is to protect us. A poor stress response in handling our emotions and relationships potentially leads to a weakened immune system. The limbic system is the part of the brain that manages three functions: emotions, memories and arousal. All the components of the limbic system comprising the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus and basal ganglia work together to regulate some of the brain's most important processes that regulate behavior. The olfactory nerve located in the brain relays sensory data to the brain, and it is responsible for the sense of smell that triggers memory and invokes emotion. Evidence of a connection between the immune system and the olfactory system – used for sense of smell – has been building for some time. Our sense of smell and the relationship with whether we have strong or weak mindset may also be associated on a deeper level.

Choosing to support your brain’s memory function with aromatherapy may have you look back during this time as a pleasant place for change, growth and positivity depending the essential oils plants or trees you select. Every oil has a purpose and an effect knowing how to select one takes some education. It is also helpful to note activating cells for self-healing through deep breathing during a meditation or in prayer with an essential oil have therapeutic effects on stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline as well.

Here are two examples of how Young Living essentials oils are working for my family.

We are gathering in the family room more than we have in years on continual basis. I’m grateful for this time back together, even in large concentration. I fill a diffuser in my family room with water and essential oil that generously sends mist into the room for a desired scented effect. Scent that I hope will trigger happy memories in my family’s mind when they reflect back on this time and come across the smell in the future. Of course, I’m selecting oils that not only produce a pleasant and lasting scent, but have been studied in support of our immune system. Blends and single oils like Thieves, Purification and Lemongrass have been used most days, but a special blend made by Young Living’s Founder, Gary Young to bring people together on a physical, emotional and spiritual level for greater focus and clarity called Gathering has been a welcomed addition during movie and game nights. Gathering consists of Lavender, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Geranium, Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, Vetiver and Rose. It is noted to help overcome the bombardment of chaotic energy. That we can use that even when a pandemic hasn’t overtaken the globe.

My adult children have all come back home to quarantine together. Our household went from 2 to 6 in basically a moments notice. We have all seen jokes about being at home and the amount of over-eating happening called the “quarantine 15”. My family is no exception to that correlation. They like to eat a lot whether that be from boredom or stress (that could be a whole different blog post) and their digestive systems are working overtime because they manage to stuff in several meals and snacks a day. I have the grocery receipts to prove it. With that comes some level of belly discomfort and not feeling good after all the food and drink they imbibe. You know what I mean? Especially when its about eating too much of a food that your body doesn’t really want to digest? Shall I mention the F word for you to understand where I am going? (Fart starts with an F - lots of gas) I can make my house smell really good without burning candles or using chemical fragrance enhancers like plug-ins which have been studied to produce cellular mutation in our bodies causing illness. Diffusing a sweet and therapeutic essential oil to overpower ill effects of gastric upset is definitely a crowd pleaser.

“Isolation with essential oils has never smelled so good! ”

There are many other ways to use the therapeutic grade essential oils besides inhaling. Applying them topically or ingesting them as a nutritional support are the two other common way these oils can support us. We are always working on our health, but we tend to focus on it more when it’s not good. I encourage you to learn more about Young Living to provide the benefits to your family and how it helps make for a harmonic atmosphere living together 24/7 at home!

I co-host wellness talks regularly on this topic of health with certified aromatherapists. You can find me on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram LIVE, the second Wednesday of every month for a lunchtime chat about the products I’m finding to be a great benefit. Check my schedule for talks going on Zoom. Before COVID-19 there were events that we would gather to sample and try food, personal care products and nutritional supplements infused with essential oils. I look forward to that type of sharing in the future again soon.