Excellent Aromatherapy Guide

Meditation

Since ancient times aromatic plants have been used for religious and spiritual purposes. Regarded as sacred because of their magical healing properties and divine scents, they were ‘sacrificed’ by being burned and the fragrant smoke was offered to the gods. These ceremonies also benefited the priests because inhaling the aromatic smoke often brought about mystical and spiritual states.

Incense and other aromatic compounds are still offered on altars in temples throughout Asia, parts of Africa and South America in a similar fashion to the days of old. All types of incense contain a significant proportion of aromatic plant material, traditionally including sandalwood, cedar wood, juniper, frankincense, myrrh, pine, sage and cypress.  These are combined with other aromatic substances and with locally grown aromatic-and, for special rituals, hallucinogenic and psychotropic-plants.

The sweet aromatic smoke from burning incense can still help to create a suitable environment for meditation, introspection, contemplation and prayer. However, in a modern and more secular context, using individual essential oils (or mixing specific blends) allows you to create more precisely the atmosphere and mood you would like to achieve to complement and assist your meditation.

Using Essential Oils

The most effective method of practicing meditation with essential oils is to use a burner – not dissimilar from the ancient sacrificial method. Burners vaporize the essential oils effectively, but gradually, thereby allowing meditation to calm the mind for a few minutes before you are affected by the essential oils vaporized into the atmosphere. However, you can also use a room spray, practice informal meditation in an aromatic bath, or wear a mood perfume created from suitably meditative essential oils. You could try sprinkling essential oils onto a tissue and keep it in a top pocket.

You can also meditate to ground and center your energies and to focus your mind before you undertake an aromatherapy massage. Meditating for ten minutes or so is a wonderful way to prepare yourself for giving massage, either to yourself or another person. It helps you to connect with your inner self, deepens your concentration and lengthens your attention span, all of which can improve your massage technique.

Bookmark: