We as humans spend way too much time in our sympathetic nervous system (your fight, flight or freeze state). We are stressed, anxious and overwhelmed with everyday tasks. A simple way to help activate its counterpart (the parasympathetic nervous system) is to breathe slowly. Breathing slowly is extremely beneficial on it’s own and I encourage you to do this several times a day, but when you couple this with essential oils, you have a master plan that may help you release happy hormones like serotonin and dopamine and calm your nervous system in a flash.
The seat of our emotions lies in the limbic system (our emotional brain). When you inhale essential oils, it takes only seconds to reach our limbic system and can have an instant calming effect. Sounds crazy, but it’s super powerful and totally amazing (yes, I grew up in the 80s)!
So make besties with your parasympathetic nervous system and get those happy and calming vibes flowing! Ok, so exactly how do I do this Bonnie?? I thought you’d never ask...
Here are a couple of techniques for breathing with essential oils.....
🌸 Find a quiet spot.....and if the only quiet spot you have is your car, or the bathroom, I’m not judging you....
🌸 Grab your favourite calming essential oil(s). See examples below for tips on which calming oils to use.
🌸 Now you have a choice here.....pick which one you are most comfortable with:
- 🌸 Place a drop of essential oil on the palm of your hand and rub your hands together for a few seconds to disperse the oil. Bring your palms in front of your nose. Close your eyes (if you’re comfortable) and inhale and exhale slowly.
- OR
- 🌸 Open the bottle of essential oil and bring the open bottle in front of your nose. Close your eyes (if you’re comfortable) and inhale and exhale slowly.
🌸 Keep breathing for at least a minute or two.
🌸 Notice what happens. You may begin to feel more relaxed, have some inspiration or new mindsets rolling in and you may even notice tension or tightness in your body begin to subside.
🌸 You should hopefully start to feel better....you’re welcome 💕
Another great tip for using essential oils aromatically, is by diffusing them. This is an easy way to infuse the room with calming oils. And since you’re already breathing (thanks to our autonomic nervous system that puts breathing on auto pilot), you can benefit from this for hours! Of course, you can mindfully take deep breaths in the room where you are diffusing your oils as well.
Below are just a few suggested calming essential oils to use for these breathing practices:
Frankincense, Lavender, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Stress Away, Peace and Calming, Cedarwood, Sandalwood.
One thing to keep in mind when using essential oils is to ensure you are using 100% pure essential oils from a trusted source. I cannot stress this enough. Our brains are super sensitive and since you are breathing in these oils and the scents go into the olfactory part of your brain, you do not want to be breathing in chemicals, synthetics or toxins that are often found in many essential oil brands.
If you are interested in learning more about 100% pure and quality essential oils, contact me for more information.
Now go grab your oil(s) and make friends with your parasympathetic nervous system already. Enjoy the calm and serenity from this breathing practice.
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
Did you know that you take roughly 720 - 960 breaths every hour? And how many breaths do you actually notice? Probably not many, if any at all.
Our bodies know exactly what to do to keep us alive. Our hearts beat, we digest food and we breathe all day long, but don’t even do it consciously. Sometimes we get emotionally disconnected from our bodies and we just need to get grounded and be back in the present moment. Or we need to take a break from whatever it is that is triggering us or causing us emotional discomfort.
You have the power to change how you feel in the moment. The easiest way to get present and in alignment with who we truly are is to take a break and breathe deeply.
When we do this, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest state) which induces feelings of calm and relaxation. And who doesn’t need more of that???
Here’s how.......you can do this with your eyes open or closed.
🌸 Get still
🌸 Inhale through your nose for a count of five
🌸 Pause for a count of five
🌸 Exhale through your nose for a count of five
If five is too intense, try three counts or less. Whatever is comfortable.
The key here is to notice your breath, be in the present moment and connect back with your body. Also notice anything that is coming up for you while you do this practice. You may notice some new insights or mindsets bubbling up.
So if you followed with me, how do you feel now? Better right?
And when you add essential oils to your breath work, it takes it to a whole new level. More on this in my next blog ;)
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
These days it's tough to be thankful for things when you're so limited as to what you can and can't do. We're struggling because we can't visit family and friends and get together like we used to. Even shopping is a scary experience. I used to love shopping, now I feel like my homemade mask isn't haute couteur enough and my hands are so sweaty wearing those uncomfortable plastic gloves that I only used to wear when I used to dye my hair....
All grey hair kidding aside, this is also a time to be grateful for the things we do have. Being home with my husband and daughters has made me realize that gratitude is something we need to practice now more than ever before. For years, I've always told my kids that when you complain, you'll have more things in your life to complain about; BUT, when you're grateful, you'll have more things to be grateful for.
Below are three simple ways to practice gratitude with your own family.
1. If you're like my family right now....you're probably eating three meals a day together.....At your next meal, go around the table and have everyone state something they're grateful for and why. It's a fun way to think about what you're appreciating in that moment, and I guarantee once you start doing this, you'll come up with more than just one thing you're thankful for. Try and practice this approach to gratitude at least once a day.
2. Find a journal (this is easy....like how many empty notebooks are lying around your house right now....you know you've got 'em). Your kids can make this a special gratitude journal by painting or colouring the outside, or even putting stickers on it. When putting them to bed at night, together, write three things you're grateful for that happened that day. You may think that you'll repeat the same thoughts, but you can always find different things to be thankful for - like the sunshine and air we breathe or how about the fact that routine bed times are a thing of the past.....
3. Make your next family game night a game of gratitude where you state something you're thankful for but hasn't actually happened yet - this sounds crazy, I know, but hear me out.......Example, if you wish you were in sunny Mexico right now, you could say "I'm so grateful that I'm in Mexico on this beautiful beach enjoying my delicious pina colada". Or maybe one of your kids wishes they could have a big pool party.....it could be something like this..."I'm so thankful that I'm doing cannon balls in the pool with my best buds" You get the idea. This is a fantastic way to get your family's spirits up and imaginations flowing. Sometimes just thinking we are in those situations and being grateful in that moment can shift our energy to feelings of joy and excitement. And who doesn't need a positive shift right now - am I right, or am I right?
I hope you can find ways to cherish the time you have together. We always want more time to spend with our families, so if you're home now with your family, take this opportunity to express your gratitude; and your time together will be so much more enriched and enjoyable.
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
