Enhance Your Meditation Practice with Essential Oils

It’s World Meditation Day! A day to take some intentional time to practice mindfulness and encourage others to do the same! Due to the beauty of technology and apps such as Headspace and Calm, meditation is becoming more mainstream. It has been reported that 8 percent of US adults use meditation, and that number is growing. Schools, corporations, hospitals, athletes, artists, stay at home moms, and more have experienced the benefits of meditation for physical and emotional health.

Some benefits of meditation:

• Reduced stress and anxiety

• Improved focus and memory

• Enhanced emotional balance

• Increased positivity in daily life

• Improved sleep quality

• Greater compassion for self and others

Sign me up for all of that right??

I used to meditate 10 years ago when we were struggling with infertility and going through IVF. However, I stopped meditating after a few months because I felt like I wasn't good at it. I had difficulty quieting all the mind chatter. At the time I didn't know that meditation is just letting those thoughts come and go. Acknowledging them and focusing on your breath.

In meditation you are training the brain to create space and gain perspective. That way you don't get stuck in certain thoughts and emotions. Our thoughts greatly impact our emotions, but our emotions also greatly impact our thoughts.

Dr. Sara Lazar, a Harvard Neuroscientist has done some fascinating research on meditation and structural changes that occur within the brain. She has published over 40 research studies on this topic. One of the most interesting studies Dr. Lazar did shows what happens to our brains when we meditate: it stops processing so much information. Beta waves generally indicate a processing of information. When beta waves are decreased, we see a decrease in information processed. Using MRI it was shown how and where beta waves are decreasing the most. This is indicated by the color changes in this image:

Meditation isn’t about turning off your thoughts. It’s about learning to notice your thoughts and let them go; focusing on the here and now, increasing resilience, and working towards a more compassionate existence.

-Andy Puddicombe, Founder of Headspace.

Meditation allows us to be more self aware. It allows us to better understand how and why we think and feel the way we do. It also allows us to be kinder to ourselves and others.

It is estimated that the average person has between 20,000-50,000 thoughts a day. Sound crazy right? But even as you read this, pay attention to how your mind drifts in and out of thoughts.

It’s no wonder why we sometimes struggle to find a moment of peace within.

Now, 10 years later, meditation is completely different to me. I attribute a lot of this to utilizing essential oils prior to meditation. Essential oils have been very helpful in allowing me to relax, unwind and enjoy taking a moment to myself. I don't experience those feelings of guilt or distraction or even wandering thoughts on “what I have to do next". I truly enjoy the moment and am able to be present in that moment. Due to the impact of aromas on the limbic system, essential oils can be helpful to center, ground and focus the mind as well as reduce negative self-talk.

There are so many oils that are helpful to enhance meditation:

• Frankincense

• Sandalwood

• Neroli

• Vetiver

• Palo Santo

• Cedarwood

• Lavender

• Ylang Ylang

• Tsuga

• Hinoki

Since our olfactory preferences are subjective and individualized, it is best to choose an essential oil that you find pleasant. I currently have an aromatherapy inhaler with orange, copaiba and frankincense that I have been loving. You can either roll on oils prior to mediation, breathe them directly from the bottle, use an aromatherapy inhaler or add a drop to hands and cup over nose and take 5 slow deep breaths.

By using an EO with meditation, it really helps me focus on breathing because I want to deeply smell that aroma (because it smells so good!) It's hard not to "stop and smell the roses". Scent plays a huge role in bringing us to the present moment. This is likely why Buddhist monks use incense prior to meditation or why so many meditators use essential oils to help calm, relax and allow them to be in the mindful moment.

I personally love to listen to guided meditations on the Headspace app to keep me focused. They have multiple themes and courses and I have found it incredibly soul fulfilling.

A few tips for those beginning a meditation practice

Before meditation:

• Let go of expectations

• Remind yourself that the purpose of meditation is to enrich your life

• Sit or lay in comfortable position away from any distractions for the next few minutes.

• Deeply breathe in your essential oil of choice by inhaling slowly through nose and exhaling through mouth releasing any tension stored in body

During meditation:

• Notice thoughts as they arise.

• When attention and thoughts wander, gently bring it back to the meditation and breath.

• Be kind to yourself without any judgement.

After meditation:

• Rest in silence for a few minutes before slowly resuming back to other activities.

• Notice subtle differences in mind and body.

• Commend yourself for taking this much needed break for you.

• Look for the benefits of the meditation throughout your day.

For my kids, we love to practice guided meditation. I use a handheld gentle mist diffuser with them, and they take some slow deep breaths for 30 seconds before we start. They are much less squirmy and so much more relaxed when we use essential oils. We do this several times a week and they love it. I think it is so important to teach children how to practice mindfulness. Learning to relax is important for all ages and children who can relax are more prepared to handle change within their lives more easily. Meditation also helps reduce stress in children, helps their concentration and focus, enhances their ability to learn, improves behavior, sleep and self-esteem. Some of my favorite guided meditation books for children are found here.

I also want to remind you that meditation doesn’t always have to be the standard morning sit down. There are several other simple and effective ways to practice meditation within our day.

8 Meditation Techniques to Try:

Mindfulness Meditation: A meditation just focusing on the here and now in the present moment.

Walking Meditation: Helpful for those who like to stay active and don’t like silence and stillness. Walk fast or slow, with music or mantras focusing on the present moment.

Mantra Meditation: Combines positive affirmations with meditation by repeating a single word or sound throughout the meditation.

Daily Life Mindfulness: This can be achieved several times throughout the day by being fully present with whatever you are doing and maintaining focus on the physical experience. (Ex: washing the dishes, feel the soap on hands, hear the water splashes, smell the dish soap aromas in the air).

Chocolate Meditation: This technique is used in mindfulness-based stress reduction classes. Savor a piece of chocolate while relaxing the body and fully immersing yourself in the smell, taste and sensations of the chocolate.

Breathing Meditation: One of the most popular forms of meditation and is extremely calming and grounding. Focus on the rhythm of the breath.

Bath Meditation: Combines standard meditation with a soothing bath. Bathing creates a temporary feeling of escaping stressors and is ideal for practicing mindfulness.

Mini-Meditations: For those who don’t have time to dedicate 20 minutes to meditate. Mini-meditations are great to fit into busy schedules and can be done in 2-5 minutes. These can be self scanning body or breath focused meditations.

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