I cannot express enough just how much love I have for essential oils and how fantastic they are to enhance any yoga practise. Whether it be on a physical level to energise, rejuvenate and uplift us or on an emotional level encouraging feelings of joy and happiness or on a mental (spiritual) level to help us feel mentally focused and connected.

For this reason i believe every yogi or yogini should know more about essential oils and how to incorporate them into their life on and of the mat.

So I thought I would share with you three Essential oils that I love to use in my personal yoga practise for relaxation (keep in mind our sense of smell is a very personal thing)

The hard part of writing this blog post was trying to narrow my list to three oils because I love so many. However, I have worked with the musical notes to give you the best balanced blend of three essential oils that work perfectly with each other. You can also use one and it will still be fantastic however combined the aroma will be even more delicious (Aromatherapists will know what i am talking about). Think of it like getting 1 rose to smell compared to a bouqet of flowers

Before we begin I want to make sure you are aware of the power that essential oils have over us and why:

1. When essential oils are inhaled tiny nerve receptors in our nasal passage detect the aromatic aroma and carry this information to our brain. Which creates its own nerve and hormone response triggering a feeling of relaxation or stimulation.

2. When applied to the skin the essential oils are absorbed by the skin cells and enter our blood stream. From there they are carried around the body to be used by other cells to regenrate and replenish, improve overall function in our organs and systems. They repair damage, kill microbes and amongst other things, fight infections. (Please always use a carrier oil to dilute your essential oils - NEVER use them neat on skin because they are highly concentrated and can cause serious burns or bad reactions. I would also add that: you MUST be careful which essential oils you are using if you are pregnant and this is because the oils do affect us on a hormonal level)

My Top 3 Essential oils for relaxation

1. Frankincense (Base Note) - This has a warm, smokey smell with a hint of lemon. It is great when applied to any skin type especially oily and mature/aging skin. The reason I love this so much for relaxation is due to its ability to slow down and ease our thought process which helps to alleviate stress, tension anxiety and fear. Also I find the smell absolutely divine. best to be avoided during the 1st trimester of preganancy

2. Lavender (middle note) - Suprise Suprise. I think we all know the calming benefits of lavender, you only have to look at relaxation body care products or "good nights sleep" lotions and potions and you will be sure to see lavender in there somewhere. I could talk forever and expand on the many, many benefits that lavender oil brings to the table however lets be specific in regards to relaxation - Lavender is known for its sedative and antidepressant effects. It balances the actions of our central nervous system helping us to stay positive, healthy, happy, well rested, relaxed and calm.

3. Bergamot FCF (Top Note) - Beautiful fresh, citrus smell (one of my favourite essential oils to burn around the house). Bergamot is another oil that is classed as a sedative and antidepressant it is very effective at lifting our spirits, improving moods and raising our emotions promoting that feel good factor.

Frankincense and Bergamot

Yoga Mat Spray

I love to make my own yoga mat spray that incoporates bergamot essential oil because it has such amazing antiseptic, antibacterial and deodorant properties.

2 ways to use essential oils during your yoga session

1. A very Simple way is to buy the oils and add a few drops to an oil burner or diffuser so that you can enjoy the aroma during your yoga session or throughout your

meditation practise.

2. If you are more experienced with adding essential oils to carrier oils then you can make up your own rollerball blend or lotion. All you need to do is apply a small amount to a desired area of skin and let the oils work their magic.

If you would love to know more about essential oils and how they can enhance your health and wellbeing then stay tuned to our podcasts and blog posts.

Remember It doesn’t matter if you practice yoga at home or in a studio, and it doesn’t matter if once-a-week yoga is enough for you or yoga is part of your life every day, you can incorporate essential oils into your routine to improve your entire yoga experience.

The key is just to get started.

Aromatic Yoga workshops 2017

Before the end of 2017 I will arrange a specific yoga workshop called 'the aromatic yogi - chakra series'. In the workshops we will use essential oils and specific yoga postures to work with our 7 chakras and you will all get to take home Aromatic yoga products 'made by me for you'. The class size will be limited so please contact me if you would like to be added to the waiting list and get updates on venue, price and dates etc.

Aromatic yoga Products on sale soon

I have been busy studying my 'Formulating natural and organic skincare Diploma' course and have also completed my 'Aromatherapy Diploma' course and now finally after 2 years of research I am at the last stage of development which is to 'safety assess' my products for eventual sale to the public and am of course very excited to see how these products are recieved and look forward to bringing them to you my beautiful yoga students : )

Not only are all my products ethically sourced they are never - and will Never be tested on animals. Anyone that knows me will already understand how passionate i feel about animal wellfare and for that reason we will donate a % of our profits to various animal charities.

Thanks for reading xx

love and happiness Angela Elliott