The hook for most of us to meditate, is that it can help us to reduce the stress that we create in our hectic day to day lives. And if this is your primary focus for meditation, aromatherapy can certainly help with calming essential oils like lavender, rose, or chamomile. As we breathe these oils in we can feel ourselves relax, and move into a better mood.
That’s great!, but how does it work? When we inhale essential oils, whether by diffuser, or in a blend, we trigger thousands of olfactory nerve cells in our nose, that carries the scent directly to our olfactory bulb, located to the back of our nose. The nerve endings of the olfactory bulb, then send the scent directly to our limbic brain, that houses such instincts as our memories, emotions, sex drive, hunger, and pleasure. That is why some scents can remind us of long ago memories, shift our moods, or be considered aphrodisiacs.
However, relaxation is only a side-effect of meditation. The true reason to meditate is to gain a higher consciousness. And if this is your goal, Subtle Aromatherapy is a great way to access and enhance your deeper meditation skills. Sandalwood for instance, has a long history in India, Tibet and China of bringing one into higher states of consciousness, by stilling the mind of it’s incessant chatter, while calming and toning the nervous system. Sandalwood also has a subtle grounding affect , so it is related to the crown and base chakras. Unfortunately, these days, we cannot work with the infamous Mysore Sandalwood, since the tree is almost extinct. Due to unsustainable harvesting practices in India, obtaining Mysore Sandalwood legally, is nearly impossible. However, Australian Sandalwood is a good substitute.
Known since ancient times, Frankincense has been used spiritually in the Middle East, Greek, and Roman civilizations. Egyptians, Jews, and Romans alike have burned it in their ceremonies and rituals. Frankincense is known to profoundly affect us spiritually and psychologically, by stilling the mind, calming our central nervous systems, and helping us to break free from mundane attachment. Frankincense is also subtly grounding. It opens the crown chakra, balances the third eye, and connects us to the earth through our base chakra.
Another excellent aid in reaching higher consciousness in meditation is Lotus Attar. Seen as a sacred flower for millenia, it has been put on Hindu, Buddhist and Egyptian alters as offerings to the Gods. Opening our Crown chakra, Lotus attar will help us to transcend our earthly bonds and experience our Divinity. It has beeen seen as a symbol for spiritual enlightenment, and it’s purpose is to accelerate our spiritual evolvement. Relaxing and euphoric, it’s a must for anyone wanting to enhance their meditations. There are three different colors of Lotus, pink, white and blue; each containing it’s own subtlety of scent and function. When Attars are made, the essential oils are infused in odorless sandalwood during or directly after the distillation process. As a fixative, sandalwood helps to expand the bouquet and creates a long lasting scent. So whether you inhale or anoint, you can benefit from the affects of lotus and sandalwood, in Lotus Attar.
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