Aromatherapy & Meditation (Part One)

Don't Procrastinate, Meditate!

Many of us feel somewhat intimidated or shy about picking up meditation thinking it's too difficult, or accessible only to the select few, or too time-consuming and costs too much to learn to just sit around all day with eyes-closed doing absolutely nothing!

I'm here to tell you that Meditation is none of those. In fact, yoga and meditation were nothing more than body and mind exercises invented in India by ancient gurus or ascetics for everyone to practice, even poor farmers who probably couldn't afford a local gym membership back then.

Why Meditate?

The origins of yoga and meditation were altruistic and religious in nature. Having attained enlightenment, the intentions of the gurus were to create techniques that were systematic yet simple enough for their followers to learn how to keep their bodies strong and healthy – a vast majority of them were plebeians who were so impoverished that they couldn't even have enough to eat, let alone maintain a healthy diet – and their minds pure and connected with the divine so that they, too, could attain enlightenment.

In modern times, practicing meditation is an excellent way to destress and relax the mind, body and spirit. There are no prerequisites, no special equipment, no exclusive membership and, here comes the best part, is absolutely free! There's also preliminary scientific evidence to show that meditation provides moderate improvement to overall health and well-being. Furthermore, it's widely believed that meditation slows down the ageing process by reducing stress and anxiety. So, if you ask me, I would say that since it's free and there's no harm involved, why the hell not?

What's recommended, though, is to be dressed in loose, comfortable clothing and find a conducive environment that's neither too warm nor too cold in which to completely immerse yourself, free from worldly distractions.

How To Meditate?

Those who are already familiar with the meditation techniques may skip this segment and jump straight to the different essential oils that help enhance your meditation experience.

Simple Meditation Techniques

1. Basic Meditation

As mentioned before, meditation need not and should not be complicated and long. The simplest way to meditate is to sit in a comfortable position, keep your eyes half-closed while focusing on nothing in particular – in exactly the same manner when you 'zone out' from a boring conversation or meeting – and allow your mind to think of nothing. If thoughts materialise just let them go. Don’t focus on them, don’t follow them. Simply observe them as they pass through and don’t get drawn into them. This gets easier with practice.

For a start, you may spend two minutes on the exercise which you can then repeat for a longer period of time as and when you wish. If, however, you fail to disassociate your mind from distracting thoughts, don't fret. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly while internally counting between six and ten. Do this breathing exercise twice or thrice and try to meditate again. If you still can't lose those thoughts, stop and tell yourself that it's ok, there are simply too many pressing concerns that require your attention. Attend to them and get them over and done with before your next attempt. The idea is to not let the meditation itself become a source of stress!

2. Focused Meditation

This technique involves focusing intently on something without engaging your thoughts about it. You can focus on something visual like a mandala¹, or on something acoustic like a mantra² or the sound of running water, or you can focus on something that is constant and even like your own breath, for example. Some find focusing on a single concept like ‘gratitude’, ‘compassion’ or ‘universal love’ easier but most people find it easier to focus on something rather than nothing. Nevertheless, the goal is the same – to quiet the conscious mind.

3. Activity-Oriented Meditation

If you find that sitting still is just something you can't do, then, this may be the better option for you. Here, you engage in a repetitive type activity allowing you to 'switch off' your mind and ‘zone out’. Activities like gardening, walking, practicing yoga, knitting, vacuuming, ironing, go on a boring date (I'm kidding!) are all examples that have worked and are, therefore, worth trying.

4. Mindfulness Meditation

This is a rather strange technique as it doesn't quite appear like meditation. It simply involves staying in the present moment, 'in the now', rather than thinking about what will happen or what has happened. Sounds simple? Don't be fooled! This can be, in fact, quite difficult to achieve.

One way to do this is to focus on sensations that you feel in your body in order to stay ‘in the now’, for instance, the heat in your breath, or the moisture in your eyes, or the hunger in your belly (!), etc. Otherwise, focus on the emotions you're experiencing and where you feel them in your body, experiencing them as sensations but not allowing the emotions to sweep you up.

5. Spiritual Meditation

Meditation is often a spiritual practice. In fact, for many, it's experienced as a form of religious prayer and establishing communication with the Divine Being. If you're an atheist, search for, instead, a connection with your inner higher consciousness and merge it with the universal one. When your mind is still, it can open itself to experience inner wisdom. In this manner, you may either find solutions to a problem by quietly meditating on it, or you may meditate in order to clear the mind and be open to whatever presents itself. Either way, meditation is the healthier and more fulfilling approach to personal growth.

However you may choose to commence on your journey in Meditation, bear in mind to keep it simple and enjoyable. Try not to force your mind to be still if there are too many pressing concerns or chores that require your attention and neither should you feel time-pressed during the session. Never set an alarm to end a meditation session for there's nothing worse than a mind being rudely jolted out from its reverie unless you're a junkie for getting shocked into wakefulness each morning by the alarm clock.

In the next segment, you will learn how different essential oils can help you prepare and cleanse your mind before engaging in meditation, or aid you in focusing your mind and getting into a transcendental state more quickly, or promote a more receptive mindset towards whatever wisdom that may present itself.

Essential Oils For Meditation

Since time immemorial, followers of Hinduism, Buddhism and even Catholicism had been burning resins of agarwood (oud), sandalwood, opoponax, frankincense and myrrh, releasing their essential oils and inhaling their fumes during ceremonies, rites and rituals to enhance the spiritual experience.

Besides using the resins from various woods, burning incense sticks or cones, lighting scented candles, spraying mist or diffusing essential oils can also be employed for spiritual work. There are also many other different types of essential oils at your disposal.

Essential Oils³ For Spiritual Grounding

1. Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)

Long been considered a sacred oil which helps to heal the spirit and comfort the heart, frankincense is very grounding as it quiets and clarifies the mind. It calms, comforts, centers as well as stabilises the emotions while promoting a state of readiness for receiving and integrating healing energies. Frankincense can be used to awaken one’s spiritual purpose as it guides and reconnects one with the Divine presence.

2. Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)

When it comes to meditation and spiritual work, myrrh is a close companion to frankincense, almost like a twin. It grounds and assists in deep spiritual opening while bringing tranquility to the soul. It is also an uplifting scent that reduces stress while enhancing focus and spiritual insight, healing deep inner wounds and enabling one to let go of negativity, and encouraging fortitude, peace and acceptance.

3. Sandalwood (Santalum album)

Being one of the most indispensable ingredients in spirituality, meditation, sex and healing blends, sandalwood is valued for its ability to: calm and comfort the mind; induce deep meditation and promote wisdom; ground and prepare the spirit to reconnect with one's sense of being; open the heart to trust and receive healing energy; promote positive self-esteem as well as spiritual sensuality; and, teach one to delight in one’s senses, sexuality and appreciate the beauty of life.

4. Cedarwood 

Cedarwood helps one to focus inward, illuminating one's meditation. It can help bring about strength, focus and balance, especially when facing difficult obstacles in one's life. There are many species of which the following three can be considered for use during meditation: Altas Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), Himalayan Cedarwood (Cedrus deodara) and Texas Cedarwood (Juniperus Mexicana).

5. Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)

Loosely translated, Palo Santo means Holy Wood. Palo Santo has been used for hundreds of years by native shamans in America for spiritual applications. In meditation, prayer or other spiritual applications, Palo Santo is particularly grounding and calming. It can help purify and cleanse the spirit by clearing negativity and promoting peacefulness. It also enhances creativity and learning.

6. Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)

Patchouli is very grounding and it promotes calm and peace, as it helps to quiet the mind during meditation. It is considered the oil of peace. Although more commonly regarded as an aphrodisiac, possessing the primal scent of arousal capable of dispelling the anxiety for sex, its sedative qualities can help to quiet the mind in meditation. It is also calming and can help rebalance the body when stress has caused nervous exhaustion.

7. Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi)

Spikenard is one of the most ancient of aromatics, considered precious to the early Egyptian, Hebrew, and Hindu civilizations for both ritual and medicinal purposes. More than being grounding, spikenard is restorative and healing as it helps us reconcile all that has happened to us in this lifetime to make peace with those who have hurt us. Uncommonly used in present day aromatherapy, it enables a deep connection to one’s spiritual self and one’s inner being. Its calming and quieting properties enable a deep state of meditation, almost trance-like in nature. It encourages a kind of stupor that opens the higher senses to a keener receptivity whilst tuning out the mundane.

8. Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides)

Vetiver is restorative and can help reconnect us to our roots. The aroma encourages a sense of inner strength and protection and is, therefore, grounding and nourishing. It attunes one to the earth while helping to create a deep sense of belonging. It clears and cleanses the physical space bringing in positive energy. It aids in developing positive self-esteem and especially helpful to those who feel as if they're a psychic sponge or those who feel too sensitive to outside forces.

9. Gandhi's root (Homalomena aromatica)

Little is known of this essential oil outside of India from which it originates. However, Gandhi's root is known to support the Root, Sacral and Third-Eye Chakras. In other words, it is grounding, protective and nourishing. It also promotes creativity, aids in visualisation during meditation by encouraging connection to the inherent spiritual understanding and sacredness of the natural world, and prepares the soul for spiritual healing. It works well with sandalwood.

In the following post, Aromatherapy & Meditation (Part Two), I'll be introducing other essential oils and the various roles and functions they play in meditation.

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¹mandala a complex circular diagram representing the universe in Hindu or Buddhist symbolism.
²mantra (Hinduism or Buddhism) a single word or sound, usually given from a teacher to initiate a student, to aid in concentration during meditation.

³For the purpose of meditation and spiritual journey, it is very important to use only essential oils of the species of plants identified by their (italicised) botanical names.