Hello there!
Happy spring. What a magnificent time of year it is in New England. All the tender leaves are emerging in bright concentrated colors.
I hope you were getting some time outside and basking in the bird song that surrounds us now.
Today I am writing with some simple aromatherapy tips that I use in my everyday life that are really helpful.
One is to grow plants.
Obviously, they are beautiful and keep your great company while purifying the air around you and sometimes they actually bloom.
And sometimes those blooms smell magnificent.
That is what is happening with the Meyer lemon in my dining room right now.
Lemon flower blossoms are waxy and beautiful and smell so delicious. Neroli oil (which is orange flower) is very similar and it has many healing properties and has been used by humans for millennia to help deal with grief, anxiety, sadness and malaise.
Who doesn’t need that sometimes?
They also say it was a favorite of Cleopatra‘s.
So. Grow plants.
Grow plants that flower inside and outside.
Buying flower bouquets is another wonderful option.
The next thing is just to have a bottle of your favorite essential oil handy.
This morning I was feeling a bit agitated as I went to meditate and I paused and took four deep breaths of my French Lavender essential oil.
I could have smelled any of the options in my bag.
I’ve got peppermint for headaches, nausea or sleepiness.
Clary sage when I want intuition, deep insight and dreams.
Lemon for something uplifting, cheering and invigorating.
I chose the French Lavender because it is relaxing, inspiring and it’s just what called to me at the moment.
I took several breaths – inhaling strongly through my nose and allowing the scent to hit my amygdala and create changes in my brain chemistry.
It helped me feel relaxed and centered so quickly I was a bit startled by its effectiveness.
Aromatherapy is simple, easy and accessible but that doesn’t mean it is not powerful.
Take the time to gather some scents you love and keep them handy. Use them especially when you are stressing out or maybe before you are feeling stressed or when you are trying to get quiet.
As I was reminded in that conference last month many of us live in a state of chronic stress and agitation. Coming up with rituals and habits that help our bodies relax are imperative for our health and long term well-being.
And the next thing is using aromatherapy in your laundry. I really don’t like artificial scents. They make me sick, give me a headache and can make me nauseous. And it makes me so sad when I walk around my beautiful neighborhood and smell poisonous artificial chemicals pouring out of people’s dryer vents.
The scent is so strong, travels so far and it lingers for so long. Uggh.
There have been many articles out lately reporting how artificial scents are bad for us.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scented-laundry-products-release-carcinogens-study-finds/
So, here is an easy way to replace scented detergents with natural aromatherapy that makes you feel good and is healthy for you and your body.
Buy some of these wool laundry balls You can get them online.
https://www.target.com/p/100-new-zealand-wool-dryer-balls-3ct-everspring-8482/-/A-75663171
The pic is from the local Market Basket.
They are inexpensive and natural. Put some drops of essential oil on the ball and toss it in the dryer.
Use essential oils that are colorless so you don’t stain anything.
I love Lavender so I use Lavendin Grosso which is much less expensive than the French Lavender I use in my blends but it smells wonderful and has many marvelous healing properties.
It has a bit more of an antiseptic scent which I love because it makes the laundry smell clean.
I also put a few drops in the wash when I started.
This makes the laundry smell fresh and clean but not with a cloying artificial scent that has chemicals that make it stick around too long.
Here is a link to the Lavendin Grosso I buy from my favorite place to get essential oils.
https://av-at.com/lavandin-grosso/
I bought a huge bottle and then poured some into little bottles with droppers to have around the washer and dryer.
You can buy 4 ounces for $20 and 1 or 2 packs of dryer balls so for under $30 you could have six months or a year? of clean clothes, fresh smelling laundry and wonderful smelling air coming out of your vents.
Folding laundry can be a pleasurable experience that is healthy for you and the earth. 🙂
So, give these simple techniques a try and enjoy the beautiful scents that mother nature provides for us to increase your happiness and health.
