• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Sustainable Life & Health

Be the most VIBRANT you!

SEARCH

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Helping Hand
  • Let’s Connect
  • Testimonials
You are here: Home / Archives for essential oils

essential oils

Learn How To Meditate and Live in the Moment

December 3, 2019 by Joni Leave a Comment

frog statue in meditation

As you might already know, mindfulness is a way to be in the present and only the present. You focus on what you are doing or thinking at this moment, without worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. Mindfulness can be used for so many things, from helping you to lose weight, to re-gaining your focus on important work projects. It is really important for your mental and emotional health, as well as your physical health.

One specific method of being more mindful is through meditation. The two things combine to allow you to be a happier, more fulfilled and more balanced person. Here are some things to know about mindfulness meditation.

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

First of all, it can help to learn a little more about what mindfulness meditation is and how it can help you. The following information is going to give you more insight into what meditating in a mindful way means and of course the different ways it can help you.

You now know that mindfulness is a way of being, thinking, and living in the moment. If you are eating a meal, you are focused only on what you are eating, including the textures, flavors, and sensations. You aren’t watching TV or thinking about your budget meeting. You only focus on your meal. This practice can also be used with meditation.

Mindfulness is not easy to pick up right away, especially during a busy day when your negative thoughts and stressful situations creep up in your mind constantly. This is why you should start by also practicing meditation.

How to Start Meditating

Instead of trying to stress yourself out with both mindfulness and meditation at the same time, start slow. Just start with basic meditating. Find yourself a quiet space where you can really focus on the meditation. This can be anywhere from your bedroom at night before bed to even the shower or when you are going for a walk. If you can do it at home where you can sit comfortably with your eyes closed, that can be helpful.

Start your meditation by focusing on your breathing and only thinking about the breathing. Focus on taking in each breath and letting it out. Think about your lungs, and not about your next meal or all the appointments you have next week. This simple act will help you to retrain your mind to think about just one thing, which is the essence of both meditation and mindfulness.

Using Mindfulness With Meditation

Now that you have a good introduction to meditation, you can start using mindfulness. Once you get used to sitting quietly and trying to clear your mind of all those nagging thoughts and only think about your breathing, you can then start with the practice of mindfulness. This is when you are only concerned with the present moment. Once you have the breathing practice down, choose just one thought to focus on. Only one thing happening in this current moment. This is a good introduction into how mindfulness meditation works.

The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Before discussing more tips on mindfulness meditation, it helps to know why you should start this practice. There are actually many advantages to mindfulness meditation, from lowering your stress to helping with your mind’s focus, memory, and concentration. Mindfulness meditation can also help your physical health, which is something many people are not fully aware of. Take a look at some of these benefits of mindfulness meditation.

Stress Reduction

One of the top reasons people like mindfulness meditation is because it helps reduce their stress. When you start meditating and living in the present with mindfulness, you learn how to think about things differently. It isn’t going to magically get rid of all those stressful situations and people in your life, but it helps you to deal with them better. You develop a healthy coping mechanism where you understand and appreciate things for what they are, and stop dwelling on how much worse they could be. It truly is remarkable how helpful this is for your overall stress and anxiety.

Improved Memory

If you struggle with memory issues, this might be more to do with how much you are trying to keep track of in your mind. Memory issues are often linked to negative thoughts and overthinking. When you start the bad habit of overthinking, it tends to lead to over-analyzing things as well. This is only going to make everything more stressful and frustrating for you. If you can start mindfulness meditation, you will notice that you are focusing on one thing at a time, so your memory starts to improve as well.

Better Focus and Concentration

Other cognitive functions can also be improved with meditation, including your focus and concentration. Once again, you are changing the way you think about things, developing positive attitudes like acceptance, appreciation and gratitude, patience, and nonjudgment. This in turn allows you to focus on one thing at a time, whatever is happening in the present, instead of trying to think about too many things at a time. With proper mindfulness and meditation, you are learning how to adapt to everything around you, let go of the negative emotions, and appreciate all of the positivity in your life. It is very fulfilling and improves your overall focus in the long run. This can help with work, school, and anything else you are trying to achieve.

Lower Blood Pressure

As far as physical benefits, the first is lowering your blood pressure. This comes from a lot of the mental and emotional benefits, therefore lowering your blood pressure. Things like stress, anxiety, and lack of focus can overwhelm your mind, and actually have a negative effect on your body. When you start meditating and using mindfulness in your daily life, you will feel less stressed and overwhelmed, which can then cause your blood pressure to get a rest.

Weight Loss

Don’t forget about the benefits for eating and weight loss! Mindfulness isn’t just done in a meditation session, but throughout the day. By living more in the present, you can also focus on what is good for your body, starting with mindful eating. This is when you really think about your food choices and indulge in each meal, instead of being distracted and just grabbing any snack without thinking twice about it. Through mindful eating, you learn to notice the signs of actual hunger and not boredom or feeding your emotions. Over time, you will notice that it changes your eating habits and ultimately leads to weight loss.

Future Success

Finally, all of these benefits can help you future. You become more successful by being less stressed and more focused on the task at hand. You stop trying to multi-task and become a unitasker, which really does wonders for you. All of these things you learn through mindfulness meditation are going to help you in the future.

How to Start Doing Mindfulness Meditation

You have already have a brief introduction into what mindfulness meditation is and how it works, but let’s go a little deeper into the practice. You will also learn some helpful method, tips, and tricks that can help you if you are new to meditation.

Where to Meditate

As mentioned briefly in the previous section, you need to start by choosing the right place for your meditation. Schedule a time of the day when nobody else is home or when you have few distractions. Wait until the kids are at school or asleep, your significant other is otherwise engaged, and let the dogs outside for a bit. Every little distraction, from a knock on the door to a cell phone ringing is going to break you out of the meditation. You only need about 15-20 minutes to start with. For now, try to choose a place in the house where you can sit quietly and close your eyes. Eventually, meditation can be anywhere you find it relaxing, from driving to work to going for a walk or hike. However, right now you want to practice with your eyes closed, so choose your bedroom, living room, or even on your patio if it is quiet and peaceful enough.

Sit in your location with your eyes close and in a relaxing position. It should be a position where you will not be fidgeting or moving around constantly. Keep your back straight and hands relaxed.

What to Focus On

Once you have gotten into the right position, you can start with your mindfulness meditation. Traditional meditation calls for clearing your mind completely, so that is a good first step. Focus on your breathing first to clear your mind of all distractions, stressful situations, plans, and schedules. Put your to-do list away and watch your negative feelings and thoughts float away. Once you are only thinking about your breathing, your mind is clear, and you can start the mindfulness portion.

This is when you are focusing on just one thing, one thought, one scenario. You are being mindful about the present, so it can be as simple as thinking about the act of meditation or a scent you smell in the air. What you focus on is not as important as the act of meditation to relax your body and mind.

Find a Singular Object

It can also help to focus on a single object with your eyes opened or closed. If you want to close your eyes, get an object that is simple to hold in your hand. This can be anything that is small and easy to feel in your hands. You will close your eyes and hold this object, touching its details and curves, focusing on the sensations, shape, and size, and not on any other thoughts that try to creep in. You can also choose a visual object, such as focusing on a painting on the wall or placing an object right in front of you. Look at the colors, textures, and design of that object. What you are doing is training your mind to release all other thoughts and focus on one singular thing.

Be Patient

Remember to always be patient. Both mindfulness and meditation will take practice and is not something you are going to pick up right away. People need time to get used to clearing their minds and having a singular focus. You have lived all these years trying to multi-task, do everything at once, think about every little thing that could go wrong, making plans and schedules and to-do lists. It takes time just to relax and be in the moment, so make sure you are patient with yourself.

Incorporate Essential Oils With Meditation

As a final note, we want to discuss using essential oils in combination with meditation. This can be really helpful, especially for beginners. You are not only going to focus on the scents to help with mindfulness, but certain scents can actually help you relax even further.

Not All Oils Are Created Equal

The phrase, Truth in Advertising, has always felt like a bit of an oxymoron to me. There are many unscrupulous people out there selling adulterated essential oils. This means you are definitely not getting what you’ve paid for and that’s a shame because essentials oils are a powerful addition to your empowered health toolbox. So, buyer beware!

Thankfully, there are watchdogs out there working on our behalf like, Consumers Advocate. They’ve done the research for you. Since none of us like to feel “had”, check out their report HERE before purchasing your essentials oils.

My two personal sources I trust are doTERRA and Organixx.

Good Essential Oils to Use

You can use any oils you want, but there are some that are good for relaxing and calming the mind. Here is a list of some essential oils to try out, and the reasons why they are so helpful.

Lavender

One of the best and most relaxing essential oil scents to start with is lavender. Lavender is perfect for stress relief, lowering anxiety, and helping your mind and body to fully relax. You will feel calm with a scent that isn’t too strong or overbearing.

Lemon

You can also try lemon, which is especially good when you are doing the mindfulness meditation in the morning or when you want to be a little more alert. This is a fresh scent that also helps with improving your mood, reducing allergies, and improving your respiratory system.

Peppermint

Peppermint is a bit of a stronger scent, but you can dilute it even more or put a little less into your oil diffuser. Peppermint is good for oral health, respiratory support, and better focus and concentration. Like lemon, it is also a great mood lifter.

Rose

Rose is a light floral scent that will calm and relax your mind, while also helping your body to relax. This is good for beginners, and can easily be mixed with some of the other scents.

Filed Under: Mind, Spirit Tagged With: emotions, essential oils, meditation, mindfulness

How to Boost Your Mood with Citrus Oils

January 14, 2017 by Joni Leave a Comment

citrus oils

Citrus oils are fantastic!

Just smelling the aroma of citrus oils opens your mind and awakens your spirit, and it just so happens they are great for mood elevation and can also help alleviate stress.

citrus oils

On top of that, citrus oils have properties that can be used to help inflammation, depression, sepsis, and act as an aphrodisiac.

So many studies have been done on the different reactions people have to various smells by measuring vital signs and mental stimulation. When people were exposed to citrus oils, the participants showed immediate signs of lowered anxiety and stress and more relaxing readings.

Some other incredible benefits of citrus oils include improved Various Citrus Oilsdigestion and reduced nausea. It is also effective to add these oils to your cleaning materials or make your own cleaning materials with them. They have a disinfecting quality and make your home smell great.

I always have a spray bottle with a citrus oil and water on the kitchen counter to disinfect and keep the kitchen sparkling!

When you are trying to lift your mood or just brighten your mind and day, use citrus oil directly on your skin (diluted with fractionated coconut oil), diffused into the air, or put them into a relaxing bath.

One of my favorite afternoon pick-me-ups is to diffuse peppermint and wild orange. The peppermint peps me up and the wild orange helps me stay in my mellow groove. If you don’t have a diffuser handy just put a drop of each in the palm of your hand, cup them and sniff away! 🙂

What’s your favorite citrus oil? For me it’s hard to pick a favorite. Lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, wild orange, bergamot…oh my! That’s why I have one of each on hand at all times, but I always make sure it is 100% pure. Yes, you really can smell the difference.  😉

An important word of caution: Some oils, especially the citrus oils, are photosensitive. When using a photo sensitizing oil, wait a minimum of six hours before exposing skin to UV rays. The stronger and more lengthy the UV ray, the longer the wait should be.

Filed Under: Body, Essential Oils, Mind, Spirit Tagged With: citrus, essential oils, featured, mood

Oils for Mood Management

February 9, 2016 by Joni Leave a Comment

Mood Management

“We see the world not as it is…but as we are”

How’s your view? My view is a lot calmer and pleasant since I started using my oils daily for natural mood management.

Understanding essential oil use helps you seek natural options for your own wellness, to effectively manage your health on a day-to-day basis, and to have alternatives to manage health issues as they arise.

Mood ManagementEssential oils support the body in a beautiful way when it comes to managing mood! Through the sense of smell, essential oils have the ability to affect our emotions. I think it’s often underestimated how powerful it is to use an aromatic approach – your olfactory nerves communicate with the limbic system which controls how you feel in your body.

Diffusing or directly inhaling essential oils is the most rapid and intense way to experience their influence on emotions.

We use the mood management oils every day in our home:

  • Grounding Blend (Balance): I apply every morning to pulse points. Keeps me grounded throughout the day.
  • Calming Blend (Serenity): On pulse points every morning and evening. Really helps keep me from amping up into Crazy Town.
  • Joyful Blend (Elevation): my daily perfume – on my aromatherapy necklaces and in  my diffuser.
  • Wild Orange: Diffused in the mornings and as afternoon pick me up I toss in some Peppermint!

We’re all different and what works for me may not be your solution, but these oils are a great place to start. To learn more, or get started managing your wellness in a more natural way, contact me and we’ll get you started!

 

Filed Under: Body, Essential Oils, Mind Tagged With: essential oil, essential oils, featured, mood

Tips to Relax from Holiday Hoopla

December 26, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Relax

Puh-wooooosh! That’s the sound of us all deflating after the holiday hustle. Do you feel it?

You’ve spent weeks rushing around and making sure you’ve gotten everything done for your friends and family, but there’s one gift left that you need to give yourself this season: the gift of a peaceful mind. If you could take just one day, or just part of one day, to relax your mind and body, you’ll be sure to close out this year on a good note. Here are some of my favorite ways to relax and recharge my peaceful mind batteries!

Tips to RELAX

Relax

Get Moving

Exercise is a fabulous stress and tension reliever. A nice walk outside is a great way to restore some peace of mind. If it’s too cold where you are, some yoga or simple heart rate boosting jumping jacks and pushups will do the trick. The exercise will increase your endorphins, which are known stress-reducers, and increasing blood flow helps you feel better, too.

Listen to Calming Music

Science backs me on this one. Scientists have found that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function. Plus, my own empirical data proves certain music is just the thing to soothe the savage beast inside. Choose soothing sounds, not jarring combinations of notes, and just let it work its magic!

Conscious Breathing

I know that deep breathing can reduce stress and promote relaxation, calm and inner peace. By paying attention to your breath, you will rapidly change your state of consciousness, begin to relax, and slowly detach from ordinary awareness. Try this breathing exercise and see for yourself!

Take a Warm Bath

Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of a nice, warm bath. Once you glide into the water and your muscles voluntarily relax, your tension floats away. Adding a few drops of lavender essential oil will melt your cares away even further. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a few moments of quiet alone time?

Essential Oils for Stress

Essential oils can be perfect for helping take the edge off your stress. Some of the best essential oils for this purpose are:
• Lavender
• Frankincense
• Chamomile
• Patchouli
• Wild Orange
(Find these 100% pure essential oils here.)
Some essential oils can be applied to the skin, but almost all can be used in essential oil diffusers.

Your Assignment

Some of us need permission to carve out some me-time. Well, here it is, Beautiful! Your decompress, relaxation plan for the post holiday hoopla. Go for a walk or get some sort of exercise to get your blood moving. Take a nice, warm soak in the tub with a few drops of lavender essential oil, as you are listening to your favorite relaxing music. While you are enjoying the soak, do some deep breathing exercises and feel the tension melt away.

When you are all finished, curl up on the couch with someone special and cuddle to your heart’s content! Being close to your loved one helps release oxytocin, and that helps reduce stress. Be sure to diffuse some relaxing essential oils while cuddling for added benefit.

If you follow my advice, the last few days of the year will feel much richer and clear your head to start setting intentions to make your new year FABULOUS!

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Body, Health, Mind, Spirit Tagged With: essential oils, exercise, relax, stress

Humidifier, Vaporizer or Diffuser. . .

November 20, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Diffuse
Humidifier, Vaporizer or Diffuser…What’s The Difference?

Ready to diffuse your essential oils but not sure where to start?  You’ve probably heard of humidifier and vaporizer, but the word diffuser may be new to you.  There is a difference between the three, so think about them as tools used for different conditions.  Here’s a simple explanation of the differences for your reference, and why you’ll want to make sure you always have a diffuser for essential oils.

The Basics

Humidifiers – vaporize water into the air. Increasing the amount of moisture in any one area.  The ultimate purpose of a humidifier:  To increase humidity by heating water and oils. Using oils with a humidifier can often “break apart” the full benefit you can receive from essential oils due to excess heat. Giving you less than a 100% effect.

Warning: Make sure your humidifier is actually made for the use of essential oils. Some EO’s can eat away at some plastics, and therefore ruin your machine. Be sure your machine is EO friendly.

 

Vaporizers – boil water, releasing moisture and steam into the air.  Any liquid including that of essential oils when added to them will change into a vapor or a gas and be released into the air as a steam. The ultimate purpose of a vaporizer: Is to increase moisture and is used for individual inhaling treatment purposes by heating water and oils. Warning: Make sure you are using a vaporizer that is actually made for the of use essential oils.  Some EO’s can eat away at some plastics, and therefore ruin your machine. Be sure your machine is EO friendly. If your vaporizer is not made for EO’s you can also lose the effectiveness of your oil.

 

Diffusers –  are made up of many forms, shapes & sizes and are used almost solely for the purpose of diffusing EO’s for all types of aromatherapy purposes. This includes, but are not limited to: electric diffusers, ceramic diffusers, lamp rings, etc. Most Electric EO diffusers Lotus Diffuserare designed to vaporize a micro fine mist, dispersing a cold air misting effect, scattering and spreading water molecules combined with EO’s. These very fine water droplets give the EO’s a ride in the air so to speak. Electric diffusers do not create heat to create “steam” to dispense oils. Ultimate Purpose of a Diffuser: Is to disperse essential oils into a large area to create a therapeutic effect on respiratory systems, and aromatic effect in any room.

 Why should I diffuse?

I suppose it was presumptuous to think you already know the why. Maybe you do, but if not, here’s the scoop.

Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being.The inhaled aroma from these “essential” oils is widely believed to stimulate brain function. Essential oils can also be absorbed through the skin, where they travel through the bloodstream and can promote whole-body healing. It is used for a variety of applications, including pain relief, mood enhancement and increased cognitive function. And now you know!

What should I diffuse?

I love to experiment and you should too! Here are some we’ve tried…

Diffuse
Here are some blends others have found helpful!

When Cassis or Cinnamon is diffused it can help with fevers, colds, flu, low vitality, chills and will support the digestive system.

Put a few drops of Eucalyptus in a diffuser to ease bronchitis, flu and hay fever.

Frankincense when diffused creates a YUMMY pleasant fragrance, yet at the same time may be beneficial with bronchitis, headaches and pneumonia.

If you’re plagued with headaches, mental exhaustion and depression, Grapefruit is a great pick-me-up.

Diffusing Lavender oil may support the body’s natural defense against airborne sensitivities to the skin and immune system.  It can create a very relaxing atmosphere.

Lemongrass oil diffused can be used for nervousness and as an insect repellant.  It is also great to revive the mind when feeling lethargic and to energize and relieve fatigue.

To promote sleep and feelings of peace, diffuse Marjoram. Can also prove to be beneficial when diffused for asthma, bronchitis, poor circulation, coughs, physical exhaustion, headaches, tension, insomnia, sinusitis, anxiety, nervous tension and stress.

Wild Orange when diffused can assist with colds, flu, nervous tension and relaxing for children at bedtime.

Diffuse Peppermint or Rosemary oil in the room while studying to improve concentration and accuracy.

If you want a calming and relaxing atmosphere, diffuse Ylang Ylang.

Diffuse Purify to clean the air and neutralize foul or stale odors.

To help stop nocturnal teeth grinding, diffuse Calming Blend while sleeping, also to calm overactive or hard-to-manage children.

And of course you can diffuse your favorite oil or blend of oils to enjoy a freshly scented room! Let me know if you have a favorite…

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Body, Mind, Spirit Tagged With: aromatherapy, colds, diffuser, essential oil, essential oils, featured, flu, sleep, stress

Before Footer

Digging Deeper…

Footer

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in