Aromatherapy for Winter Transformations

 

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.