Leave it as it is.

I was 60 minutes into my last Escents Aromatherapy Yin class at YYoga. “In the the fight or flight response adrenaline is the hormone that tells your legs it’s time to run or kick…” I softly said as I headed towards the front of the room just as I sensed the studio door behind me briskly swing open. As I took my next breath to finish my thought I heard a voice yell “I’m sorry but we have to evacuate.”

Fittingly, the multiple aromatherapy diffusers had masked the smell of a potential gas leak in the building and while it can pay of to take risks for happiness, seldom is taking risks ever prudent for safety. The manager emphatically told us to leave everything except our personal belongings as we shuffled out of the room.

Still half in a meditative state, the entire class got up quietly to walk away as we left our mats and blankets and shuffled outside as the fire department walked up the stairs to the studio. We left the comfort of our cozy yin castles to venture out into about a foot of snow and ice that had covered the streets of downtown Toronto. The winds had kicked up to a howl – a far cry from the relaxing singing bowls and flute music that had lulled us into relaxation mere moments ago.

A few students and I quipped outside about how nice it would have been to finish the class but we were all in it (or out of it) together understanding that no matter what we wanted, we had to go. We had to walk away no matter how tough it might have been to leave everything unfinished, open and unresolved. No arguments – no discussions. Out of the comfort zones, into the unknown…

On the surface it was calm and effortless – on the inside there was a storm of anxiety rippling underneath me. I was leaving a group of people who had supported me for a year – who were patient with my growth as a teacher, who took time out of their Sundays to learn together. I was afraid. Not of the weather, the gas or the immediate danger surrounding me – of walking away without saying anything. I wanted to fill this discomfort with words. I wanted to soothe myself that the transition would be seamless and easy – it wasn’t.

I was uncomfortable. I wanted to fight to stay here even though I knew I needed to leave. I struggled leaving the comfort of the space I had built. I wanted to run sometimes from the idea that I was letting people down. I panicked over how to say goodbye for weeks before settling on a few words of appreciation. I worried about how to express the gratitude I had for those who decided to take a risk in spending their time with me. How vulnerable yin yoga makes us as teachers just as much as they do our students. I wanted to leave our goodbyes to happily ever after… not a cliff hanger without a sequel.

Now when I reflect on going out without a “bang” (pun very much intended), I realize it was perfectly befitting. It was perfect as it is. I had created space in this room and left it there untouched, unresolved. Perfectly ready to receive whatever happened the week after. Without filling the discomfort with goodbyes, and meanings – I had left it open and full of potential as to what would happen next… I wouldn’t know where it would take us but I knew I had left something here. I had left it as it is – silent – ready for the next voice to fill it’s space.

Your Starter Guide to 3 Key Chakras, Yin Yoga and Essential Oils

{I’m a yoga teacher not a medical professional – as always ask your doctor before starting any exercise, stretching, wellness routine or aromatherapy program!}

Anyone who has been to one of my Saje Aromatherapy Yin yoga classes knows I like to talk about chakras… a lot.  My love affair with the chakras has been a life long one – always mystified by the mental and spiritual connections experienced by physical tension in the body (why are my hips so tight!? why does my jaw clench all the time?!) it wasn’t until I discovered Yin Yoga with friend and mentor Ashely Holly that I really experienced how essential oils can relax our minds and give us some headspace to start working through our tensions so we can look clearly at ourselves from the inside out.  This self-discovery can happen with or without these oils (or with yoga at all some might argue) but if you’ve ever wondered “Why is this lady putting this stuff on my head?” and what affect this might have on your energy centres then this is the blog post for you!

A chakra is an energy centre, usually anchored on clusters of nerve ganglia – it’s not a physical thing but rather an energy centre associated with a physical centre of the body – much like meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Depending on who you talk to about chakras you’ll get a bunch of different answers on what a charka is.  Basically it’s a connector between the physical and the energetic body. To achieve optimal energy – the practitioner aims to find balance in the chakras – not too open not too closed.  The idea is to find the “Goldilocks” (just right) state of energy.

Traditionally in meditation, incense was used to ground the mind through the senses. In my sphere of influence – I like to use essential oils in much the same way.  Smell is a powerful sense – one that we have mostly become unaware of as we don’t use it in day to day life as much as our ancestors did when seeking out food (now it’s limited to “Is this milk off?” haha).  You can use smell and scent to ground the various chakras as well.

This guide will use the Saje Aromatherapy’s Pocket Farmacy – which is a great starter kit that we use in our Saje Aromatherapy Yin classes and the core chakras that can be balanced using the kit.  Don’t use aromatherapy without consulting a physician first as there are contraindications for pregnant women as well as those with certain health conditions and allergies:

1st Chakra – Muladhara: Connected to the right to exist and the elements necessary for survival. Located at the base of the spine in the pelvis.

Pocket Farmacy Blend – Peppermint Halo:  This oil blend contains Vetvier which is used to ground all the chakras (or energy centres in the body). It’s the base or ground in which that all of your energies stand on! Grounding is always easiest when you can get out of your mind and into your body – soak in the smell and focus your attention there. Use it along your hairline or at the temples – keep it away from your eyes!

Yin Yoga Pose: Toe stretch.  Balancing your feet that are the base connector for your body to the earth.

3rd Chakra – Manipura: Connected to the elements of the will. Located in the solar plexus, navel. Linked to digestion as it transforms the physical (food) into the energetic (energy).

Pocket Farmacy Blend – Eater’s Digest: The eater’s digest blend contains mint oils helping to ease digestion. Mint is one of those “just right oils” – as it’s both cooling and warming. It stimulates the flow of prana or chi in the body and is said to enhance positive self image (who doesn’t feel great when they’re minty fresh?).  Use it on your belly (not in it!) rolling from the top of your ribs on the left drawing a square without a lid down to the navel line, across the belly button and straight up to the right rib.

Yin Yoga Pose: Twisted Roots.  Supine or reclined twists are well documented as digestion move along-ers and manipura stimulators.

4th Chakra – Anahata:  Connected to the elements of love, compassion, grief and sadness. Located in the heart / chest centre it’s connected most often in the west to relationships.

Pocket Farmacy Blend – Immune:  This little guy contains Rosemary.  Rosemary is typically associated with Ajna (6th chakra) but it’s also relevant for the Heart Centre as it’s said to promote spiritual understanding – enhancing the connection of one’s self to all of that around it. Use it by rolling from the inner wrist through the shoulder across the chest and down the other side.  Connecting the left energies (yin) and right energies (yang) of the body to find connectedness and balance when opposites connect.

Yin Yoga Pose – Supported Fish: Opening the heart centre by providing a propped backbone with a bolster, supported fish always reminds us that the earth has our back so we can open our hearts!

As with any yoga practice, bells and whistles aren’t necessary – just a body and breath. Sometimes we can use the tools provided by aromatherapy to set our mind to a more receptive state allowing us to ground it in an experience or happening – be it aromatherapy oils, a sound, or a physical experience.  If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!  What has your experience been with aromatherapy and yoga?