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Aromatherapy for Winter Transformations

The Zen of Beauty

 

Have you ever wondered what oils might bring you warmth and comfort, free you from depression, keep you balanced, and help your immune system stay strong this winter?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is a time for going within and for stillness. This will support and nourish the kidney and bladder energies—what is called the water element.

Essential oils can be used on acupressure points to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit. These points are found throughout the body and are keys to the opening of the meridian system. They move the qi (your animating life-force) to support and nourish the blood and to stimulate the corresponding glands and organs.

To create warmth, strengthen your energy, and bring circulation to the kidneys and bladder, here are a few oils and some easy point locations to use for self-balance this winter:

Ginger essential oil can be used on the belly button, warming your core; this can also benefit digestion.

Atlas Cedarwood can be used just below your navel and on the inside back of the ankle, where the hollow area is, for stimulating the kidneys.

For a sluggish lymph system, for water retention, and to decongest and support circulation throughout the body but especially in the legs, Geranium, Cypress or Juniper can be applied to the inside of the lower leg from the ankle to the top of the inside of the knee. These oils are for moving the blood and stagnant lymph in the legs and to strengthen the water element.

FATIGUE, DEPRESSION & IMMUNE SYSTEM

Frankincense is a great remedy for depression, which comes sometimes with winter with its shortened days and less sun exposure. Frankincense also stimulates the immune system. It can be used on the inside of the wrist, where all the meridians pass through the body, along both sides of the spine, where the meridians to all the organs are accessed, along the front centerline of the body, where the great yin vessel is, and finally, directly on the spine, where the yang vessel line is that controls the electrical system and its energy flow throughout the body. In addition, Frankincense can be used to clear the sinuses and lungs: apply it on the chest and to the sinus acupressure points on each side of the nostrils.

BALANCING & NURTURING

Geranium can be used on the bellybutton for supporting, nurturing, balancing and centering. This oil can also be used on the wrists. It is called “the mother of all oils.” Its nature is sweet. It has the ability to strengthen the qi and encourage blood flow. For stabilizing female hormones for all ages, Geranium can be applied on the inside of the leg four fingers above the ankle.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE OILS

Essential oils can work on many levels; they will help you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, based on the constituents of each oil. Here are some thoughtforms for five of these oils taken from Gabriel Mojay’s Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils:

  •  Ginger—Initiative, self-confidence, accomplishment
  •  Geranium—Security, receptivity, intimacy
  •  Cypress—Transition, transformation, renewal
  •  Juniper—Fortification, unburdening, empowering
  •  Frankincense—Tranquil contemplation, spiritual liberation

Come to The Zen of Beauty for a free 15-minute aromatherapy session, to find out which oils are best for you.

Body Cupping for Tight Muscles and Skin Rejuvenation

The Zen of Beauty

How can cupping can benefit overall body health:

  • Unlocks tight muscles
  • Releases stagnant lymph
  • Removes toxins

Do you ever feel you are all bottled up from the chest up to the neck? Cupping is a traditional, time-honored treatment favored by millions worldwide because it is safe, comfortable, and remarkably effective for many disorders. When cups are applied to the skin, suction is created that increases the flow of blood and chi to an area of blockage or injury.

Don’t want those round skin marks?
Not to worry—these don’t occur when cups are gently moved during therapy. This gentle pulling action engages the parasympathetic nervous system, thus allowing a deep relaxation to move through the entire body. It is not unusual to fall asleep when receiving this treatment. People are often surprised at how relaxed, warm, and light they feel for hours—sometimes days—afterwards.

Body Cupping Therapy causes tissues to release toxins, stimulates the movement of the lymph and circulatory systems, clears colon blockages, reduces stretch marks and varicose veins, eases chronic pain, and relaxes stiff muscles and tendons. On a deeper therapeutic level, cupping can resolve asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue, and headaches—just to name a few. It helps open the chest and clear the lungs, thus improving respiratory problems. The most dramatic effects can be upon the skin and the blood flow in the arteries and veins, resulting in detoxification.

Facial cupping
The facial cups are smaller in size and are used to vacuum and lift the facial tissue, increasing lymph drainage. Facial cupping also increases the circulation and absorption of the nutrients in facial products used in the treatment. The drainage of stagnant areas in the face can reduce edema and chronic puffiness under the eyes.

How cupping can be used
1) Along with massage, cups can be applied on the back to open up the fascia and release the muscles. Ten minutes of cupping can produce great results. Warm rocks can be used beforehand to warm cold tissue.
2) For detoxification, a whole-body cupping treatment can be combined with aromatherapy essential oils or a seaweed wrap.
3) Large, stationary magnet cups can be applied over the entire back for major detoxifying effects.
4) Cupping can be used on scars to break up scar tissue and stagnation.
5) Cups can be applied in conjunction with a foot-reflexology treatment and massage.
6) Can be used on sports injuries to bring blood flow to the affected area.

Michael Phelps and other Olympians helped propel cupping into public awareness. The chemicals used in the pools these swimmers train and compete in for many hours daily are highly toxic. Cupping draws these toxins out of the body, which would otherwise lead to stagnation, blood poisoning, pain, and dysfunction. Many athletes rely on cupping on a regular basis to detoxify and enhance their performance.