5 essential oils to stay grounded

Autumn is one of my favorite season.

I love the cooler air gently blowing in my hair, the leaves on the trees turning to fiery colors, the sound as they make their way down to the ground and underneath my feet. But with all changes comes uncertainty, feeling of anxiety as everything seems to be speeding rapidly towards the Holidays, the end of the year.

To enjoy the season fully, we must stay grounded and these oils will help you doing just that!

1. Cypress helps your energy flow while bringing you feelings of calmness for both your body and mind. If your breath is shallow, add a drop to your palm, cup it around your nose and breathe it in to bring more oxygen to your body and create space for your anxious mind.

2. Arbovitae oil helps when there is feelings of distrust, stubborn mind and uncertainty. A great oil to use during meditation for a sense of peace and calm.

3. Frankincense, the king of oils. Help us reconnect to our “Truth” when we feel disconnected and unprotected. Apply to bottom of your feet to promote feelings of relaxation and balance mood.

4. Lavender. Calms the overthinking mind and supports emotional grounding.

5. Vetiver This unique thick oil is known to bring calmness when the mind is overactive. When used aromatically and topically (rub on soles of your feet) it may help bring us down into the physical world, out of the mind chatter

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Easy recipe to ease your mind through ungrounded feelings:

Ground to Uplift

Roller Blend Recipe

• 10 drops of Arbovitae

• 10 drops of Lavender

• 8 drops of Wild Orange

• Fractionated Coconut Oil

Add all the oils to a 10ml roller bottle, top off with FCO.

Apply on wrists, temples, back of the neck & sole of the feet as needed to promote a feeling of calmness while uplifting your spirit!

Summer Cooling Spray

Here is a recipe you can use on super hot day or after a day at the beach.
It will cool you off instantly and bring relief to overheated skin and body!

Make sure you avoid spraying your face as peppermint is not so pleasant in the eyes!!!

Keep Cool & Spray Away!
Namaste

Restorative Asanas to cool your body & mind

Balance the heat of Summer with these 2 cooling poses!

Supta Baddha Konasana • Reclined Bound Angle Pose • Goddess Pose

Supta Baddha Konasana is an amazing pose to practice year long and is particularly cooling for the body and mind. 

Place a block at desired height under far end of bolster to give a slight incline to add support to the spine. Sit with sacrum against the bolster and sit bones on the mat (or blanket for extra cushion) Butterfly your knees & bring the sole of your feet together, placing a rolled up blanket or a block under each knee for support. Begin reclining on the bolster. You can place a folded blanket under your head and another one over your belly and hips area to encourage relaxation.
Stay in this pose for 7-10 minutes.

Benefits of Supta Baddha Konasana

• Lowers blood pressure
• Decreases heart rate
• Decreases muscle tension
• Offers relief from fatigue and insomnia
• Reduces nervous tension and stress
• Relief from anxiety and panic attacks
• Increases overall energy levels

Viparita Karani • Legs Up The Wall

Viparita Karani is known for the calming effects it has on the mind and body.

Legs Up the Wall is a rejuvenating inverted pose that brings relief to the legs, feet, spine, and nervous system. It can be practiced at anytime although some school of thoughts say to avoid this pose during menstruation. 

It can be practiced with or without props. I like using a bolster or a blanket under my sacrum, a blanket over my belly and sometimes one over my feet to ground my heated mind!

Benefits of Viparita Karani:

• Reduces Anxiety & Stress
• Aids with digestive problems
• Relieves Headaches
• Helps with high and low blood pressure
• Relieves insomnia
• Relieves migraines
• Helps with menstrual cramps & PMS

For the ultimate experience join me for weekly restorative classes at Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in Chelsea and Williamsburg. Click here to check my calendar

Cooling Off your body & mind with Peppermint

Summer is finally here and the heat is ON!!
Peppermint is my oil of choice during the summer months and I wanted to share a few recipes to keep your mind and body cool during the hottest months of the year!

I carry it everywhere I go, breathe it directly from the bottle while waiting for the subway, rub a drop of it on the back of my neck for an instant cooling sensation & add it to my diffuser every morning.

Benefits of Peppermint goes beyond its cooling effect on the body!!

TO DIFFUSE:
• 4 drops of Peppermint
• 4 drops of Wild Orange or Lemon
That blend is cooling and energizing!
Great to clear the mind when our Summer projects get out of hand.

Enjoy & Stay Cool!!

Yoga Nidra Bliss Offerings.... and Sankalpa

Next Yoga Nidra Bliss will be New Year's Day at Laughing Lotus BK!

Let's start the New Year setting our intention for 2017 and beyond, and let our intentions be driven not by what our ego desires but what we truly desire deep down inside. 

“When you say something with your whole being…. it can transform the world” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Sankalpa comes from the sanskrit word Kalpa translating as a wish, a desire or a vow and San refers to the connection with the higher truth. Sankalpa is a resolution or a resolve.

Only after a deep meditation, like the practice of Yoga Nidra, as we remove layer after layer of what our ego has a tendency to cover up, can we access what is at our core.
After Yoga Nidra, we have access to more raw and pure information about ourselves because we are removing all the distractions surrounding us from our daily life.
From that state, setting a resolution and finding what would truly make us happy and fulfilled is quite powerful. It is like planting a seed, watering it with each practice and watching it grow and become fruitful.

A sankalpa does not change who you are deep inside, it lets the "YOU" or in sanskrit "So Ham" (I AM) shine out brighter so you can become who you always wanted to be, who you were always meant to be. 

Let your sankalpa and Yoga Nidra practice motivate you to fulfill your aspiration & your heartfelt desire.
What do you really want in your life, right now? What is your life goal?
Once you set your sankalpa, keep coming back to it until your intention becomes a reality. It is a practice of mindfulness and remembering.

Instead of the typical "This year I will....." let's start with "This year I AM" and watch yourself become who you always wanted to be! 

Limited space available. Please sign up online to reserve your blissful spot!

Happy Holidays! Namaste