Yoga can be one of the most powerful and transformational practices you can gift your body and mind with. The simple act of moving in unison with your breath, disconnecting from technology and of looking inward for an hour each day acts like a natural medicine to help you increase mental awareness and focus, process deep emotions and gain physical strength and endurance. The benefits of practice can be heightened by the use of aromatherapy and essential oils during yoga.
Last month, I had the honour of partnering with Saje Wellness and YYoga to incorporate aromatherapy into my yin yoga classes. What began as a curious experimentation with essential oils has evolved into a strong fascination with the power of scent and connection to the sensation that has helped my students deepen their yoga practice.
Here are the ways aromatherapy yoga can have powerful impact on your yoga practice:
Relieves Stress:
Particular yoga practices, especially slow paced, yin based practices, are phenomenal tools for relieving the stress of everyday life. In your next yin class, try applying the Stress Release roll-on to your wrists and pulse points. Stress Release contains a calming blend of lavender and chamomile and the grounding scent helps to shift the mind and body into a state of relaxation.
Total body connection: Essential oils can be rolled along particular energy lines in the body to create a deeper connection to the emotions aligned with those lines. For example, when I am teaching a heart opening yin yoga pose, I often roll joy inducing blends like Saje’s Energy remedy along the inner line of the arm, awakening the heart energy through scent and sensation.
Pain Management: So many of us land on the mat for the first time with the genuine intention to relieve pain. Pain Release remedy is a great addition to your pre or post yoga routine to help relieve muscle soreness and tension to allow you to continue a regular practice regime.
Sensation: Many meditation and yoga practices are rooted in awareness of sensation. Peppermint Halo remedy, a blend of peppermint, eucalyptus, cajeput, vetiver, lavender and rosemary, applied to the neck and hairline creates a cooling sensation that can become the focal point of your meditation. Sit tall and focus on the sensations that arise and fall over time, notice how they change, how they evolve and how they rebound throughout your entire body.
Are you ready to incorporate aromatherapy into your yoga practice? Join me every Sunday at 5:15pm at YYoga on Queen Street West in Toronto for my weekly Aromatherapy Yin Yoga Class with Saje Wellness, or visit me online atwww.ashleyholly.com to learn more about my private and group offerings.
