My Non-Toxic Yoga Essentials

When you think of our senses, our sense of smell might not be the first you leap to. However, it really is surprising how much our sense of smell affects our body system and our daily lives. Scent is closely linked to memory, emotions and hormones which very highly affect your decisions, productivity and health. This doesn’t seem like a Yoga-related post does it? But bear with me here a little.

Our sense of smell known as the olfaction occurs when an odorant molecule goes through our olfactory receptors, which are the receptors that detect our sense of smell. And those olfactory receptors are directly connected to our limbic system which is the inner parts of our brain that controls our hormone, behaviours, nervous system and probably more.

So in short, what we smell affects our body in ways we do not often think about. From our pituitary glands to our pineal glands to even our thyroid glands, the kinds and quality of aromas we smell can largely affect our health.

So thats where Young Living comes in. Not only do these aromas trigger your own memory or comfort, essential oils have been known to be used for meditative purposes from even centuries ago. Using essential oils for my Yoga practice has helped me deepen my sessions from helping with my breathing to feeling grounded and closer to nature.

What’s more, knowing how special Young Living essential oils are, I feel so much better that I’m using 100% pure, unadulterated, uncut essential oils from the real plants. No chemicals, no foreign man-made ingredients and definitely not toxic. Knowing I’m inhaling these wonderfully therapeutic plant oils, I know that I’m not compromising my olfactory and limbic system that is detrimental to my health – physically, mentally and emotionally.

I do recommend sticking to 1 or 2 oils maximum per yoga session as you would when you set your intention for each practice. From experience, I do understand that there are others in the studio that may not be as receptive to essential oils as you do, but that’s fine. Whether they like it or not, it’s most probably going to help them anyways. Unfortunately, in our modern world where our sense of smell has been abused by chemically induced aromas (which heavily affects our health) , most of us are not used to natural, non-toxic smells. So maybe a drop or two for yourself isn’t going to offend them too much. Right? I hope not. Be mindful and do you.

Before Practice

1. Purify your Yoga Mat with non-toxic sprays like any one of the 3 below;
   1. Thieves® Spray
   2. Homemade spray with Citrus Fresh™
   3. Homemade spray with Purification™
2. Drip Young Living essential oils on your towels if you’re in a studio or diffuse if you’re at home to help deepen your practice (See list* below for the different uses and intentions)
3. Deep inhalation and pat the remaining oils on your palms, to your neck/arms to get you ready for the practice (See list* below for the different uses and intentions)

During Practice

Right before your Savasana, drip 1 drop on your palm, very gently rub your palms together and inhale and pat the remaining oils that’s on your palms onto your clothes/neck/arms. Then go into your Savasana. See list* below for the different uses and intentions, but I do suggest the Grounding or Calming ones.

*For Strengthening: Peppermint / Deep Relief
*For Grounding & Centering : Sacred Mountain / Valor / Frankincense / Sacred Frankincense if you’re feeling generous
*For Calming: Lavender / Peace & Calming / Frankincense / Sacred Frankincense if you’re feeling generous
*For Breath Awareness: Peppermint / R.C. / Dorado Azul
*For Uplifting: Sacred Mountain / Peppermint / Citrus Fresh

After Practice

Apply Peppermint / Marjoram / Deep Relief / PanAway topically to help soothe your muscles after your yoga session.

There are many other Young Living essentials you can use for your yoga practice such as Grounding, Hope, Cedarwood, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Joy, Harmony, Motivation, Present Time and more! But the list I stated above is what I’ve tried and definitely benefited from.

I hope they can benefit you too!

Namaste.

*Disclaimer: The information on Yours Naturely is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any diseases, illnesses or imbalances and should not be used in place of medical advice from your health care professionals. It is provided from personal experiences and is for educational and entertainment purposes only.