How To Use Essential Oils
To Relax and Restore YOUR ENERGY
Essential oils and aromatherapy are a beautiful way to support relaxation, balance and clear your subtle energies, manage stress, and contribute to overall wellness. It's easy to blend them into an energy healing practice.
You may be wondering how essential oils benefit your subtle energy. The energy field of a person when s/he is relaxed feels very different from when s/he is tense and anxious. Certain essential oils, by helping us to relax, help our subtle energies shift more easily to a state of healthy balance and flow. They also connect us to earth energy (because they come from plants) and help to balance our overactive mental bodies. And, because the beautiful scents bring us joy, they lift and brighten our energies.
What Essential Oils Are
Essential oils (EOs) are highly aromatic oils extracted from plants. Unlike artificially created perfume oils, they have healing properties, and unlike vegetable oils expressed from nuts and seeds, they are not actually oily.For centuries, healing, beauty treatment and body care has made use of aromatherapy. Essential oils are the most concentrated form of any botanical, providing a concentrated dose of nature's vast pharmacological ingredients in a single drop.
I believe that, like homeopathy, aromatherapy works primarily on an energetic level—especially when they are used as a scent only, rather than applied directly to the skin.
Essential Oils In An Energy Healing Setting
Some EOs can be wildly expensive. However, there are a number of oils that are quite affordable and very useful in an energy healing setting.If you are using them in an energy healing practice, I recommend that you only use them environmentally (in the air). Applying them to the skin carries too much risk of allergic reactions, and since in an energy medicine context the effect is vibrational rather than chemical, why take that risk? Smelling them will do just as much good as applying them to the skin.
Using aromatherapy/essential oils environmentally is easy.
- You can make a spray using a few drops of essential oil in alcohol (vodka works well) or witch hazel (get it at most drug stores/apothecaries).
- You can put a few drops on your own hands (assuming you know that you aren't reactive to that particular E)) and hold your hands in the vicinity of your client's face (not too close, though).
- You can just put a few drops on a tissue and place the tissue on a shelf.
- Of course, diffusers are great, too, but as you can see you can spare yourself the cost without much trouble at all if you like.
A couple of cautionary notes: When you are working with other people (rather than just yourself), remember to get consent to use aromatherapy. Not everyone likes scent. And in any case, use a light hand. Even used environmentally, essential oils when overused can give people a headache.
One of the best and most reliable things energy healing can do for people is help them relax and relieve anxiety and stress. Because of that, I think you'll get the most bang for your buck by concentrating on aromatherapy/essential oils for relaxation.
Here are some of the best for reducing stress and relaxing. If you are purchasing them, make sure that they are true essential oils and not perfume oils (which are artificial).
Essential Oils For Stress Relief: 12 Good Choices
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Here are some good essential oils for stress and relaxing, their
effectiveness supported by experience and in many cases scientific data.
But remember that how scents affect us is highly personal, so of course
feel free to look beyond this list. Whichever oils you purchase, make
sure that they are true essential oils and not perfume or fragrance oils
(which are artificial). Perfume oils may smell nice, but they don't
have the same therapeutic benefit.
Basil
Calming
and stress relieving. Helps to restore the energy that stress drains
from us. Also promotes mental clarity and focus, which stress can wreak
havoc with, so it's especially good if stress is making it hard for you
to think clearly. Pregnancy and epilepsy are contraindications.
Cedarwood
Comforting
and strengthening. Like most wood-based EOs, it is very grounding,
which helps especially with the "spin-out" aspect of stress. It has
sedative effects, which make it especially useful before bedtime. Avoid
during pregnancy.
Clary Sage
Helps with stress and
anxiety, as well as depression, migraine and fatigue. Also aids
creativity and calms the nervous system. Note: Do not use during
pregnancy. Also, because it's a mildly intoxicating, euphoric, do not
use while driving and do not use a lot in any circumstances.
Cypress
Calms,
relaxes, aids concentration. Especially useful for emotional stress,
trauma or shock. Again, like most wood-based EOs, it's very grounding,
which helps dissipate the jittery, excess energy of stress.
Frankincense
Reduces
stress response, helps with depression, enhances immune system.
Grounding, spiritually supportive. Helps to give higher, broader
perspective and clarity.
Geranium
Calms the nervous
system; relaxing; uplifting; balancing; anti-depressant. Also excellent
for the physical skin and supportive of energetic and emotional
boundaries. Strong boundaries help us feel safe, which calms the nervous
system and reduces feelings of stress. It's very sweet, and in my
experience, a little goes a long way. Not advised if you're pregnant or
breastfeeding.
Lavender
Reduces stress, tension; anti-depressant;
calming; helps with insomnia; relaxing, balancing. If you purchase only
one EO, make it lavender. Besides being one of the best relaxers, it's
strongly anti-inflammatory & antiseptic; a cell regenerator, a skin
balancer; an immune stimulant; helps with headaches; and is good for the
skin. It's also relatively affordable and accessible.
Orange
Uplifting
as well as calming; balances stress; helps with insomnia; relaxing;
restorative when you’re feeling "wiped out"; balances nervous system.
Like most of the citrus EOs, it's very cheerful, and cheer is an emotion
severely lacking when we're stressed out. It also supports the immune
system, which needs that support when we have been chronically stressed.
Note: If you've used it topically (on your skin), avoid sunlight.
Citrus oils are photo-sensitizers.
Patchouli
Good for
stress; relaxing; antidepressant; very calming and grounding. Promotes a
sense of tranquility. A sedative, so good for helping you rest. Boosts
the immune system, which is compromised by chronic stress. Energetically
strengthening. Gently supports our physical skin as well as our
energetic boundaries.
Rosemary
Although best known for
enhancing memory and cognitive performance, it has also been shown to
lower the stress hormone cortisol almost immediately.
Sandalwood
Calms
body and mind. Centers. Spiritually supportive. Promotes a sense of
serenity. Helps you stay calm and clear-headed under stress. Like many
of the "spiritual" EOs, it also helps in getting clarity on your
situation. A higher, broader perspective on what is stressing us can
often be helpful.
Ylang Ylang
Anti-depressant;
soothing; euphoric; uplifting; soothes fearfulness; helps when you’re
feeling over-loaded; good for stress; relaxing. Helps shift focus to
gratitude. I have to use this in very small amounts, as it tends to be
overwhelming in larger doses. Avoid if you have low blood pressure.
Learn how to use your oils and blends safely.
Recipes: Essential Oils for Stress
While each of the oils above can be used alone, you may find that you
enjoy blending them as well. The recipes below are ones that I
personally find pleasing and effective, but preferences in the world of
scent are very personal, so experiment to find what works for you.
Blend
the EOs in small glass containers. As I've described above, I recommend
that you use the blends environmentally rather than topically, unless
you really know what you're doing. Unless otherwise indicated,
proportions of each oil are equal.
Relax 1
Orange
Lavender
Frankincense
Relax 2
3 drops Lavender
3 drops Sweet Orange
2 drops Patchouli
optional: 1 drop Ylang Ylang
Calm
4 drops Lavender
2 drops Sweet Orange
1 drop Geranium
Calmly Creative
Clary sage
orange
Soothing and Uplifting
3 orange
1 ylang ylang
1 lavender
Sleep Well
Lavender
Cedarwood
Relaxed and Alert
Rosemary
Basil
Orange
Lavender
Anti-Anxiety
Lavender
Orange
Cypress
Meditation
Clary sage
Frankincense
(This gets better after it has a chance to "breathe" for a while)
Deep Grounding
Patchouli
Cedarwood
Clary sage
More About Using Essential Oils for Energetic and Physical Health
- Learn how to use your oils and blends safely.
- Learn about essential oils for immune system health.
- Learn about aromatherapy to relieve headaches.
- Explore using EOs for chakra clearing and balancing.