Empowered Practice Toolkit: Aromatherapy

You wake up to the alarm ringing at 5:30am...

 so you can get a workout in before work, not because you want to but because you feel like you have to, because you’ve made the commitment and you want others to value you for your commitment. You shower, get ready, and grab your smoothie for the road as you head off to work (by 7:30a, because your boss notices you arrive early and rewards you with positive feedback). You spend your morning working on projects, attending meetings (trying to meet your question quota so you are acknowledged as being engaged). You eat lunch at your desk to make up for the time you took to have a casual conversation with a co-worker rather than voicing your preference to spend the morning in focused work. The clock nears 5 and you head out hoping to beat the evening traffic. You arrive home to a clean but empty and lifeless apartment and an empty fridge; “I guess it’s takeout again”. You pour yourself a glass of wine to unwind from the day, and turn the TV on for some companionship. Finally, you crawl into bed and read a chapter from the newest self-help book, hoping it will bring the ease and comfort you so dearly desire.

Sound Familiar???

This was MY LIFE for years. Always hustling, not for myself, not because I wanted to, but because I was addicted to the feeling of being busy and to others’ approval of me. Deep within the core of my being, stripped of all the roles and identities I was playing, I didn’t feel worthy of the life I desired. I believed I had to work hard and to suffer in order to be happy and successful “some day”. I believed that putting others’ health before my own was selfless and heroic. I accepted the words other people said about me as my ultimate truth. The candle was burning faster and faster at both ends, and I was running on a constant state of adrenaline wondering when it would give out.

Enter Plant Wisdom

No, alone (meaning without changing beliefs, habits, and lifestyle patterns) even the HIGHEST quality essential oils (or any tool for that matter) will not change your life. What they will do is hold your hand and support your mind and heart as you step out of the rat race and courageously breathe life into the vision you have deep within of your most vital life. 

How???

Well, let’s talk about the chemistry of our emotions. An experience elicits an emotional response in the body that sends signals to the amygdala (our system’s “watchtower” scanning for potential threats to our survival and is intimately connected with our sense of SMELL) which then sends signals to the hypothalamus to release messenger molecules that trigger a biological response, either reinforcing or establishing a new belief (1). Yes! It all happens in an instant and it is THAT powerful. This has been at work since day 1, so over the years most of us have accumulated MANY ingrained beliefs; some of which serve us and some of which hinder us. 

What if there was a tool/s that allowed us to re-route our habitual responses...

That is EXACTLY what we are doing when we utilize aromatherapy with therapeutic grade essential oils (and why I only use doTERRA oils). 

Our sense of smell is our most primal, and connects us to thoughts/emotions/moods/memories/behaviors. So when we inhale the gorgeous aromas of  pure essential oils, they bind to olfactory (smell) receptors (which happen to be highly concentrated in the limbic area of the brain, including the amygdala), instantly creating an emotional and biological response before our “thinking” brain can comprehend what we just smelled! The particular chemistry of the oil will determine which emotions, moods, and behaviors are most highly supported. This is why peppermint and rosemary can aid cognitive function while wild orange uplifts mood and lavender guides us into calm. 

This is why I diffuse orange essential oil (mood lifting and adrenal supporting) while engaging in my morning practice, put a couple of drops of bergamot (oil of self-worth) in my shower, roll on-guard along my spine and the bottoms of my feet (immune and energetic protection), and orange, peppermint, and rosemary at my temples and base of skull around 2p (energy and mood boost, enhanced cognitive function), and put a drop of lavender on my pillow (calming, supports reducing anxiety) before bed almost every day. 

This is how essential oils can EMPOWER us; we take ownership for our health and life visions and begin to consciously choose the tools that support us as it unfolds. 

Are you ready to incorporate plant wisdom into your Empowered Day? Click HERE to enroll at a 25% discount/wholesale pricing.

Have questions? Please email jadiengels@gmail.com; I would LOVE to help you tailor this wisdom to your vision! 

With so much love and belief in your vision,

Jadi