Aromatherapy has been used for centuries to transform the mind and body through meditation. Yet, with so many scents on the market, it can be challenging to determine which scents are good for meditation.
Scents that belong to the floral, earthy, and camphoraceous scent categories are great for meditation. The following scents, in the form of essential oils, are among the best:
- Sandalwood
- Clary Sage
- Lavender
- Frankincense
- Jasmine
Some doubt the merit of essential oils. Millions of others swear by their benefits. Keep reading to learn more about these essential oils and how they can help you meditate.
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What Scents Are Good for Meditation?
There is an intimate connection between our olfactory system and our emotions. That’s why people use scents during meditation. Fragrances for meditation come in the form of essential oils. These essential oils are then infused into candles, wax melts, and more.
The following scent types are suitable for meditation:
- Floral: Floral scents are a favorite among those who practice meditation. These scents evoke a calming effect. This is essential when trying to center yourself with meditation. Some examples of floral scents are bergamot, rose, lotus, and chamomile.
- Woodsy/Earthy: Earthy scents are some of the best scents for meditation. They help the user feel grounded and calm. Sandalwood, cedarwood, and vetiver are popular woodsy scents for meditation.
- Camphoraceous: Camphoraceous scents, like their name, have a smell similar to camphor. Scents in this category lend themselves well to meditation because they help to relieve stress and promote mental balance. Some examples of camphoraceous essential oils include hyssop, rosemary, and frankincense.
The 5 Best Essential Oils for Meditation
It may surprise you that there are over 90 essential oil types currently on the market. On top of that, each essential oil has a unique profile of uses.
Not all essential oils are good for meditation. But specific ones help to offset negative feelings and mental blocks that prevent you from entering a calm state during meditation.
Sandalwood
Sandalwood essential oil comes from the wood of the same name. The oil is made via a distillation process that involves extracting the oil from the wood of the sandalwood tree.
Woodsy is the best way to describe the scent of sandalwood. The oil smells just like the wood from which it came.
This essential oil is by no means new. It has been used for centuries for meditation and spiritual practices. Sandalwood essential oil is perfect for meditation because its scent instills in people a sense of peace and tranquility. People also credit sandalwood with calming their anxiety or stress.
Not only does the oil boast these benefits. People also report experiencing these other benefits from the oil:
- Healing of internal wounds and scars
- Enhanced focus on breathing
- More alertness
Everyone can benefit from feeling a sense of peace, rather than anxiety. This essential oil helps in meditation because, without anxiety to derail your thought process, you can fully immerse yourself in meditation.
Clary Sage
Clary sage essential oil is derived from the herb clary sage. The oil’s scent is light, refreshing, with earthy and floral notes.
This essential oil helps you feel more relaxed and clear-headed. Since one of the main objectives of meditation is to relax your mind and body, clary sage essential oil is a great accompaniment to meditation.
In addition to its relaxing effect, clary sage also help with feelings of depression, stress relief, and lack of control. This also helps to enhance the effects of meditation.
When you’re at a moment of transition in your life, or you’re dealing with chronic negative feelings, this essential oil can help. Combining it with a meditation ritual is especially helpful.
Lavender
Chances are you’ve heard of lavender. It is one of the most popular essential oils in existence today.
This popularity likely stems from the fact that the oil is extremely versatile. Lavender has a distinct, sweet scent that invokes feelings of relaxation and reduces anxiety. Using lavender, along with meditation, can help you calm your mind after a long day of stress.
One special thing about lavender essential oil is the fact that it helps to promote restful sleep, and sleeping is essential to brain health. So, you can meditate with lavender oil before bed to help with sleep issues like insomnia. Note that this may not work for everyone. Sometimes lavender can actually make you feel too sleepy while meditating.
Frankincense
You may already know about frankincense from the Christian story of the Wise men. It was one of the gifts they gave to baby Jesus.
What you may not know is that frankincense essential oil comes from Boswellia sacra trees. The harvesting process for this oil is unique. After cutting the tree with a blade, a liquid comes out and hardens with time. A distillation process creates an oil from the hardened liquid.
Frankincense has a very peculiar scent, smelling of sweetness, wood, and a hint of lemon. This gorgeous scent helps to relax the mind and to make you feel more grounded. Undoubtedly, this effect pairs greatly with meditation.
The great thing about frankincense is this. While it relaxes you, it does not necessarily make you feel sleepy.
Jasmine
Like lavender, Jasmine is another well-known essential oil. The oil is extracted from the blooms of the Jasmine shrub. It is world-renown for its distinct, sweet smell.
Jasmine essential oil is often used in conjunction with meditation because its scent helps to wake you up and foster positive feelings. The oil combats tiredness and negative feelings.
You can meditate with jasmine essential oil whenever you’ve had a particularly taxing day. This oil may be the remedy to help perk you up, both mentally and physically.
What Essential Oils Are Good for The Third Eye?
If you’re unaware of what the third eye is- it’s the chakra that is in the middle of the forehead. It symbolizes both self-reflection and knowledge. Some believe that the following benefits come from opening the third eye:
- Increased dream recall
- Strengthened intuition
- Clarity in your life’s vision
- Improved general memory
There are several essential oils that are good for the third eye, and these include:
Clary Sage
Clary Sage essential oil is good for the third eye because it causes you to feel clear mentally and more grounded.
Pine
Pine essential oil helps with the third chakra because it supports feelings of self-esteem and confidence. It also helps to block out negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Also, like clary sage, pine can help to enhance mental clarity.
Ylang Ylang
Ylang ylang essential oil fosters a deeper connection to your surroundings. And if you are more connected to your surroundings. You will be poised to achieve the goal of being present and noticing what happens around you.
Lavender
Lavender essential oil was mentioned earlier as a great oil for meditation, but it is also perfect for helping to balance the third eye chakra. This is because the oil promotes a reduction in anxiety while improving emotional stability.
How Do You Use Meditation Oil?
Now that you know which oils are good for meditation, it’s time to learn how to use them in meditation.
There are two main ways to use meditation oil. You can either diffuse them into the air or apply them to your skin. We will examine both of these below.
Diffuse the Oils
When diffusing meditation oil, you put the oil into a specialized diffuser to disperse the essential oil into the air around you. There are several types of diffusers you can use, and they are below:
- Candle or Heat diffusers- This diffuser works by heating up essential oils (mixed with a carrier oil or water). The mixture then evaporates into the air.
- Tissue diffuser- Simply put a couple of drops of essential oil onto some tissue paper. The molecules will then evaporate from the surface and diffuse into the air. Many love this type of diffuser because it is nearly free.
- Steam diffuser– You put water into the tank of the diffuser, add a couple of drops of essential oil, and turn on the diffuser. The diffuser then creates aromatic steam via an electric heat source within.
- Nebulizing diffuser-You use this diffuser almost exactly like you’d use a steam diffuser. You add essential oil drops into the tank of the diffuser- no need to mix the oils with water or a carrier oil.
No matter the mechanism used, all of these diffusers disperse the essential oil scent into the air.
After preparing your essential oils for diffusing, you can begin your meditation session.
Prepare to Apply the Oils Topically
It’s important to know first that not every essential oil can be applied to the skin. Some essential oils can cause heinous skin reactions. So, make sure that you check the packaging for essential oil before you apply it to your skin.
You should also make sure that you mix your essential oil with a carrier oil before you apply it to your skin. It should be diluted by half in the majority of cases.
Some common carrier oils are:
- Olive Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Sweet almond oil
There are many other carrier oils available. Try a few to find your favorite!
Finally, before you apply essential oil to your skin, talk to your doctor and do a 48-hour skin allergy test. If symptoms of a reaction arise, contact a healthcare professional and don’t use that oil again.
Apply the Oils to Your Skin
Once you have performed the preparation steps in the last section, you are ready to apply your essential oil to your skin.
You can apply the oil wherever you want (externally, of course!), but the most common places to apply essential oils are:
- Behind your ears
- On your neck
- On your forehead
- On your temples
Ingest the Oils
If your oil is approved for internal ingestion, you can add a couple of drops of your oil to your water or add them as part of your favorite recipe.
Here is a helpful note: You can mix certain essential oils with others to create a whole new scent. The way you mix your oils will depend on your personal preferences and which mental goals you are looking to achieve.
Final Thoughts
Now you know all you need to know about which scents to use for meditation, which essential oils are best, and how to use meditation oil. You’re equipped with the knowledge necessary to jump into meditation with the proper essential oils.
(Looking for the best organic essential oil brands or some healthy essential oil brands? Look no further!)
