Let’s welcome beauty and radiance, vitality and balance into our lives, this New Year. I know that last year was a challenging one for many. This is a good time to let go of the overwhelming and difficult moments, negative thoughts and feelings of inadequacy to make space for good memories and good feelings. Choosing to focus on positive thoughts can bring good health and longevity. Not always easy?
Here is a fast way to overcome negativity: use your sense of smell. Really!
Have you notice how some smells can transport you to a different state of mind and even bring in memories from the past? The smell of baking bread makes your stomach rumble, or the smell of freshly cut grass reminds you of warm days in summer.
I have memories of my mother cooking rice every time I smell garlic. I can clearly see her standing near the stove with a large mortar filled with peeled garlic, and I feel there with her in that moment.
The same process happens when you smell an essential oil. Smelling aromatics oils when your are experiencing mood swings or feeling low in energy has a profound impact on your brain cells. The fresh and floral scent of some oils suggest positive feelings of pleasure leaving you relaxed and happy.
Sense of smell can elicit emotions that signal your brain to wash your body with chemicals. Positive emotions causes your brain to release chemical which leave you feeling good. On the other hand, negative emotions induces chemical changes that prepare the body for an attack; in other words, it creates a stress response.
According to Marlene Ericksen, in her book, “Healing with Aromatherapy”, smell is the only sense that goes directly to the limbic system or emotional brain, bypassing the cerebral cortex, also known as the intellectual part of the brain. As she explains, senses other than smell, such as sight and hearing, must register with the cortex before entering other parts of the brain. Our sense of smell is the only direct link from the outer world to our inner world.
Inhaling the essential oils clary sage, jasmine or grapefruit, help to balance your emotions. Clary sage in particular, is considered a good remedy for nervous stress with a tremendous ability to relieve anxiety, depression and fear. It contains sclareol, an estrogen-like structure that makes it beneficial for the female reproductive system. It helps to balance symptoms of cramps, menstrual pain, hot flashes in perimenopause women as well as sexual dysfunctions.
There are many ways you can inhale an essential oil. You may use an electric diffuser to dispense fragrance into the environment. You can also apply 2-3 drops of the oil on to a light bulb, a good method to use in hotel rooms while traveling.
Another method is to apply 5-7 drops of the oil in a bowl of hot water, cover your head with a towel and inhale the vapor. My favorite method is to apply 10 drops of oil on to a cotton tissue and store it inside a plastic bag to preserve the aroma. I usually carry it in my purse and inhale it when I need it.
To release feelings of anger and irritability and bring in good feelings is to inhale essential oil of grapefruit and jasmine while stretching your inner thighs and legs. This helps to open up the Liver meridian and allow the trapped energy to move. The liver meridian runs upwards from big toe towards the back of the knee, inguinal area and chest. The memory of the smell of oils and the feeling of a stretched muscle come back to you when you find yourself in emotional distress again.
When you are aware of the process of connecting to your limbic system, to emotions, you are then in a position to change your awareness which puts you in charge of awakening ‘feel-good’ techniques.
Guiomar is a Shiatsu Therapist and Acupuncturist at Lifecycles Wellness and the creator of Guia’s Life Blends, massage oils for Reproductive Health.
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