Tag Archives: clear your mind

Oils for Meditation

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aaahhh meditation!

Meditation is a wonderful thing, and doesn’t really need any added help. It’s about being, not doing. It’s about connecting and detaching. So do we need essential oils to help our meditation practice? Probably not, but sometimes it adds anchoring to the ritual and helps some relax into the process. When you vapourise oils in a classic “oil burner” with a candle, the flame acts as an agent of transformation.

I love this oil burner from pagethirtythree.com

My choices for meditation oils are:

Lavender – I use lavender for everything! It is as warming as it is cooling, It is calming and nurturing, It is centering and grounding, and brings together your energy. It is a well-known oil for relaxation due to its high ‘linalool” content. A few deep breaths of lavender at the start of your meditation will help you zone in to yourself quite quickly. My motto is “If in doubt, use lavender”.

Frankincense – oh ye olde magic of frankincense! It starts out as a resin from the tree and is then steam distilled to make the oil. It is the oil of breathing deeply and has its roots in spiritual and religious practices. By breathing deeply and expanding your lungs, more oxygen can flow into your body. The combination of increased oxygen and the natural feeling of relaxation when you take a deep breath, adds up to a very peaceful vibration. It is in this state we can connect with our higher selves, and essentially “God”. It is almost used in churches as a scent to induce a type of hypnotic trance.
For a quite peaceful meditation use frankincense oil.

Rose – the ‘queen’ of oils, it is an oil of self nurturing and self-love. Rose can be used for everything from heat exhaustion to cuts and wounds. The scent is divine and when you are in the presence of pure rose oil you wont be able to escape is enveloping nature. I think of rose crystal quartz when I use this oil too, the love crystal. Shakti Gawain talks about “pink bubbles of love” in her revolutionary book from 1978 “Creative Visualization”. Pink, oil of rose, and rose quartz go hand in hand – I often surround myself with the energy of rose quartz, and rose oil, when I feel I need a bit of help and kindness. Use rose oil in your meditation to give yourself a feeling of security, softness and love so you can open to the messages of the universe.

unpolished rose quartz borrowed from angelreikihealing.com

So many oils can be used for the practice of meditation just be guided by your intuition and your personal fragrance preferences. You don’t even need to vapourise the oils you could just put a drop on your upper lip (patch test for sensitivity first).

Some more relaxing oils for meditation are:

orange, bergamot, petitgrain, lemon balm, neroli,

Some expansive oils:

pine, cypress, fir, tea tree, basil

The most important thing is to set some time aside to meditate – and that can be so hard in our busy daily lives! The oil is the icing on the cake.

Meditate, and the whole world will benefit.

10 Great Reasons to use Essential Oils

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There’s a 10 in there somewhere

1. They are from a natural source and have a distinctive scent

Essential oils come from a natural source and you can detect a deepness in their scent that can never be replicated.

2. Essential Oils can set a Mood

When you use essential oil in your home or space, their chemical structures positively effect your emotions and those who enter you’re scented zone. This doesn’t happen with GLADE or other chemical, synthetic fragrances.

3. Oils can support your life journey

Your spirit will be uplifted when you use essential oils to conjure change in your life. This is not about the emotions, it’s about acknowledging your soul with heavenly scents from nature.

4. Essential oils are great for First Aid

Essential oils are great for first aid. Lavender is #1 and Tea Tree is #2. When in doubt use lavender as it has anti-inflammatory and cell regenerating properties. Tea Tree is more

sneakily borrowed from jigzone.com

sneakily borrowed from jigzone.com

anti-bacterial.

 

 

5. Use them in your cleaning/cleansing regime

Add essential oils to your cleaning products to leave your home beautifully, naturally scented while removing bacteria and inviting new beginnings.

6. Use oils for a great sleep

Induce and enhance sleep with chamomile, lavender, lemon balm and even orange. The best way to do this is to vapourise the oils in the bedroom. This is great for calming kids down in the evening.

7. They can nurture your skin

Add a drop or two to your moisturiser to stimulate cell growth and leave a wonderful, natural calm energy.

8. Essential oil will make you the envy of your friends

Everyone will notice when you wear essential oils as a perfume or body oil. They have far reaching effects, they are quite magical and a little goes a long way.

9. Essential oils have a medicinal history

When you use an essential oil you are connecting to the history of the plant through the ages. Most oils and the plants they come from, are the original medicines. Using these plants as medicines, early man was connected to Earth as a life giver.

sneakily borrowed from scientificillustration.tumblr.com

10. Essential oils can help you create

Essential oils will help you tap into your creative force by working through your brain and affecting how you see the world. They use their subtle power to weave your subconscious mind into your everyday life. The results can be amazing!

Lemongrass! An oil for all seasons

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sneakily borrowed from candlemaking.com.au

Just look at the pic above. Lemongrass appears to be a substantial, almost “meaty” root. The essential oil of lemongrass definitely has a substantial scent, and I would dare say is one of the more popular oils. In general, men like the deep gutsy scent, women adore the verve and vitality and kids and pets resonate with it’s fresh yet syrupy energy.

Lemongrass is a great oil for energising and creating energy where there is lack. In cooking lemongrass gives a zingy, lemony bite to a dish. I often use the oil with clients when they are lacklustre. It’s like the giddy-up oil. The get-going oil.

Lemongrass is great for summer to ward off insects – just put some drops straight onto your skin to keep away the mosquitoes.

Lemongrass is great for winter as it helps to start you up on a cold morning.

Lemongrass is fantastic for spring to clear away the cobwebs of winter.

Lemongrass is wonderful for autumn as a mood enhancer when you realise summer is coming to an end.

The main active ingredient in lemongrass is citral. Then there’s lots of other little helpers including geraniol, limonene and nerol. Can you guess what other oils these belong too? If you said geranium, lemon and neroli you are right. These molecular structures are found in other oils too. Each essential oil has its own character that is created by different chemical consituents but it’s hard to pinpoint the magic. It’s all about the old adage “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. This refers to the energetic presence an entity has. You can break down a plant into scientific measurements, but its the synergistic combination of all the little molecules that makes it unique. With essential oils, their uniqueness is their scent.

The scent of lemongrass can been described as lemony, herbaceous & strong. A little goes a long way. It’s a very tropical scent and is grown in hot areas in Asia and Africa. Perfect for bringing the warmth of the tropics into your life.

Try a few drops in the shower for an awakening steam treatment.

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

Remember with Rosemary – Lest We Forget

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We remember Ken with rosemary

I was at the funeral of my ex-partner’s Dad the other day. He was a war veteran and the service was in the chapel of a beautiful retirement village for old soldiers. The service was a simple family affair with tears and laughter.

As people were arriving the chaplain said to my friend, “there’s a rosemary bush out there. would you like me to pull some off the tree, and then all the family can have a sprig to lay on the coffin?” I piped up and said yes.

At that moment I took the picture above, and silently said to myself “remember with rosemary”. I’m not sure if it happens in any other country but we celebrate our soldiers, war veterans and give thanks to those who have given themselves selflessly. We do it with with rosemary.

I’ve always loved the way such on old herb has made it through to modern times. I’ve always loved that it’s made it through the ages with it divine purpose intact. Rosemary is used to stimulate the brain. Always recommended for study, rosemary can help you remember things.

So when the ANZACs (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) and other soldiers from Australia who have fought in wars, commemorate the fallen in marches and ceremonies, it is common to wear a sprig of rosemary on the lapel. To remember. To stimulate the mind and create an anchor to the scent. So the next time rosemary is smelt, the memories of those who have gone before us, will bring them right back into our minds again.

I just loved that we were given a sprig of Rosemary for Ken’s farewell. The Last Post was played and the beautiful stanza from Laurence Binyon’s poem “For The Fallen” was read. It is synonymous with Australian and New Zealand Remembrance days:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.
So to connect with a love one who has passed, remember a person or animal that has lived before you, or to connect with a time in history or your own past life…….
flowering rosemary

flowering rosemary

Use rosemary.
Remember with rosemary.

Attention All mothers – Have a Massage!

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To all my beautiful mothers out there – look after yourself – have a massage! Relieve stress and relax your muscles, unwind and release all those thoughts – thank yourself for the impressive job you’re doing bringing up the next generation of leaders.

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Please check out my new book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

and many other stores worldwide as an ebook and paperback

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Give yourself a moment away from the tasks at hand

Give yourself a moment away from the tasks at hand

 

I gave an old friend an aromatherapy treatment today. When I do a treatment I like to take my time, have a chat, and relax into it.

I always formulate a special oil blend for each client.  I choose oils based on the answers to various questions. I want to know what’s happening for them on the day, as far as their general health is concerned. I ask about their body and how it’s feeling, their emotions, what’s happening in their life and click into their vibration. It doesn’t have to be a long process and in fact can just take a minute or two with the right questions.

My friend and I used to work together in a restaurant in the nineties called The Wharf Restaurant. It was at the end of the pier that The Sydney Theatre Company calls home. All of us that worked there still remain friends, even though we may only see each other from time to time. We call ourselves “Wharfies”. And actually another Wharfie paid for the massage today for my friend – isn’t that lovely?

My Wharfie today studied massage and herbs when I studied aromatherapy so we are connected through natural therapies too. She is a mum of two beautiful children and rarely takes time out for herself. As I was doing the treatment I thought about mothers everywhere who do so much for their families, and who often place themselves last. Some of these women are single mothers, some have male partners and some have female partners, so the situation is different for everyone.  However, often the one thing mothers have in common is lack of personal time, and nurturing. They nurture everyone else, rarely themselves.

get your energy singing and dancing -

get your energy singing and dancing pic via healingthemindandbody.com

 

A massage is a wonderful thing for a mother. Simply the time alone can be just as good as having the treatment. Allowing and receiving nurturing is extremely important to stimulate the flow of energy throughout the body and the etheric body. Finding a balance between giving and receiving is necessary in all aspects of life. It’s the yin and yang, hot and cold, up and down, light and dark. We need both to show us delicate design of the universe. Adding essential oils to the mix amplifies the treatment and creates an aromatic moment that is sheer bliss.

50 ml bespoke body oil made by me

50 ml bespoke body oil made by me

 

When I make the individualised formula for my client, I add my intention to the mix. Intention will gently steer the oil blend to work in harmony with me, and the body on the massage table. And of course the physical stress release of a massage is amazing and rejuvenating!

Mothers – have a massage.

Partners – buy your love a massage as a gift to return the nurturing you receive.

Remember, treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

copyright suzannerbanks 2013

Meet me in the Shower

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Hot steamy shower with essential oils

A fast, easy way to brighten up your day is to take something (or someone you love) into the shower with you. Or both. When I say ‘meet me in the shower”, I really mean, take my hints about aromatherapy into the shower with you.

So that could be really disappointing for some, and an absolute relief for others.

Steaming with essentials oil in the shower gives your entire being a blast of positivity.

Mentally

A few drops of essential oil will literally and figuratively open your mind. When the oils mix with the steam and are inhaled by you, the little molecules of scent will connect with receptors in your nasal cavity, the information being transported through different parts of your brain to effect change in hormonal glands, and in turn your feelings.

They will also open up your nose, your facial sinuses, and make you feel alive!

The best oils to wake you up will be peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon, lemongrass and tea tree (among many, really).

Spiritually

Essential oils have a bewitching nature that will surround and envelope you with their presence. It’s like a scented meditation and will set the mood of inspiration for the entire day. To be inspired is to be in spirit. To acknowledge your spirit via the fractal nature of essential oils will connect you to the beauty of the universe.

Physically

I did a weekend workshop many years ago with In Essence, an Australian company founded by two sisters. Their recipe for showering with essential oils was to put 6 drops of oils in a 200 ml bottle, shake as you go and pour the water onto your body with the addition of a skin brush. Although I don’t do that everyday, occasionally it can be a real wake-up zinger! I prefer to use a body oil blend after the shower as its softer and more nourishing.

When you do your essential oil steam you will need to cover the shower drain with a plug or a wash cloth, and simply drop some oils into the bottom of the shower recess. Depending on what oils you use, about 6 drops will be plenty.

It’s easy and effective!

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

Clear Your Mind, Make Pesto

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Sneakily borrowed from addme.net

I’ve got a brilliant idea. Make dinner and have an aromatherapy treatment all at the same time. My choice for today is pesto. This classic Italian dish is made with fresh basil. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is the kind used for pesto and essential oil, although there are many types. It comes from the same family as thyme, lavender, oregano, marjoram, peppermint and spearmint.

Sneakily borrowed from thepoofairy.com (hehehehe)

So what can basil, and essential oil of basil do for you?

Sharp and spicy, basil helps clear the head and open avenues of expression. It is a very powerful clearing oil, particularly effective when used in a vapouriser as an inhalation, or when you are cooking!

It is used for mental and physical fatigue and its anti-spasmodic properties make it ideal for treating menstrual problems and digestive disorders.

* Sinus congestion, asthma and bronchitis are all soothed by basil.

* Fever can be treated effectively with basil.

* In the middle ages it was prescribed for melancholy and depression.

Basil takes its name from the latin ’Basileum’ meaning royal.  It is also considered a holy plant of India used in Ayurveda and dedicated to Vishnu and Krishna. This Indian basil is a different plant and is called tulsi. There are some great tulsi teas on the market – they don’t taste like the sweet basil, just a soft lovely herb.

I love the fact that this modest little herb with a big presence has been around for ages. Literally ages. The old herbs of healers and witches alike are still here because they work. Food is medicine, and always has been.

Fantastic. Get cooking. Click here for a really easy and authentic pesto recipe.

Remember, treat yourself first, than everyone else benefits!

The Loveliness of Lemons

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Hello natural beauties!

I love lemons because they are an adaptable fruit. Seemingly originating from Asia around the start of the common era, they were probably used in some form or another before then. Anyway they’ve been around for ages (literally) and my friend connects them to his medieval past life. Once he came to my house with a gift of oranges and I returned his gift with some organic lemons off Mum’s lemon tree (see pic). He said “oooooo that’s so medieval”.

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Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here: suzannerbanks.com.au

Digital downloads of my book Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

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Mum’s lemon tree with the washing hanging on it

 

Lemon juice can be used in all types of cooking; on salads, in baking, jams and marmalades, as a drink and whenever you can think of lemon flavour.

You can use the juice as a bleach to remove stains from clothing, as a cleaner mixed with bi-carb soda, as a disinfectant on kitchen benches and the list goes on.

When Martha Stewart was on Oprah she lamented the one thing she missed in the big house, was lemons, as she drinks black tea with lemon everyday. I’ll never forget that, it stuck in my mind. She would be ingesting some of the juice which is alkalising, and some of the essential oil which can act as a digestive aid as well as adding flavour. Just like Bergamot is used as a flavour agent Earl Grey tea.

Sunny lemons

Obviously lemon essential oil comes from the rind, and is a sparkly, light fantastically scented oil. I call it a happiness oil. How can you not smile when you take a huge whiff of the oil. It can make your mouth water too.

Lemon essential oil can be used for muscle fatigue among many things. I remember when studying, a massage therapist told me she used lemon juice in olive oil for sore muscles. You’d smell like a salad dressing but I love the simplicity of it. Thousands of years ago basic remedies like this were the only things available for sickness.

Lemon essential oil is an uplifting oil with a sweet innocence about it, but don’t be fooled – it has a solid place in modern aromatherapy.

lemon

Some aromatherapists and scientific data claim lemon oil is good for:

  • stimulating the action of white blood cells
  • killing bacteria in the gut
  • soothing and lessening varicose veins
  • tonifying the circulatory system and aiding high blood pressure
  • helping the body shed excess fluids
  • decreasing cellulite
  • improving concentration
  • easing rheumatic pain & gout pain
  • stopping the flow of blood with cuts and abrasions

…… and the list continues.

All hail the lemon as a stalwart of modern living!

Lemon essential oil is like a treat for our crazy world. Enjoy the simple things in life with this gift from nature.

Scent. Intention. Consciousness. Essential oils

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Scent – Intention – Consciousness – Essential oils

I hope this is the start of something wonderful. I’ll be musing on expanding our consciousness through scent and essential oils, and the evolution of humanity. I’ll also be giving you some easy recipes and hints on how you can make your world a beautiful place.

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Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here: suzannerbanks.com.au

Digital downloads of my book Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

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I love essential oils, their subtle energetic power, amazing scents, and their connection to times in our history. I am an Aromatherapist and treat people through massage, energetic balancing and essential oils. Part of the magic of Aromatherapy is combining your attention, then intention, to create a beautiful blend of oils and to magnify their healing powers and invite beauty into your life.

lemon

Essential oils are like carriers of the truth and they are fractal in nature, which means they have the same fundamental building blocks as everything else in the natural universe. They can connect us to our own emotions, our bodies and our souls. They are peaceful, scented drops of love.

The easiest way to use an essential oil is open the bottle and take a huge SNIFF! The molecules will be carried straight to the brain and will effect the way you feel emotionally, influence hormones which will in turn lead to changes in the body, and connect us to the oneness of all living things. If you don’t believe me then just try it for a few days – whenever you need a boost just take a SNIFF of anything really. Lavender is always a great place to start as it brings a sense of solidarity, calm and evenness.

Caught on camera somewhere in Sydney

Of course using essential oils all over your body is a great way to nourish your skin, soften tired aching muscles and generally make you feel and smell wonderful. For the novice it’s a bit more fiddly, but all it takes is a few drops of essential oil in a teaspoon of almond oil to produce a natural emollient and therapeutic treatment.

bliss with roses

My advice to you is not to get hung up on specifics when using essential oils – just start experimenting and enjoying them for what they are. Allow your intuition to play a part in your own aromatic journey, and in fact improve and flex your intuition as you go, with the amazing world of Aromatherapy. Why not start using essential oils as a natural perfume? Synthetic perfumes can contain toxic ingredients and are thin and weak in comparison to the substantial nature of essential oils.

Dive in and be transformed by the enticing scents of nature.