Awareness

During the month of May we’ll be focusing on ways we can connect/ re-connect to the earth, which is a powerful source of renewal for us.

This week let’s talk about awareness of what is happening in us and all around us, and how that can serve us. What does awareness have to do with connecting to the earth? Well, science has proven that the earth is full of magnetic and energy fields. What may look to us as ‘empty space’ really contains countless atoms and molecules that are carrying messages to us and away from us on an energetic level. As we become more tuned in to ourselves and all that is around us, we can navigate our earth experience much more effectively.

The first level of awareness might be the physical sensations we feel in our own bodies…when you plug both ears you hear a rushing sound similar to the ocean, as we become familiar with the sounds of our own cardiovascular system. Or when you close your eyes during daylight hours and you still see outlines of images and a reddish hue. After a strong workout when our muscles feel shaky but our lungs feel clear. There is something renewing about paying attention to these types of sensations that helps us feel more fully present in our own skin.

Another level of awareness has to do with expanding our sense of vision. How many times do we take our sight for granted. We see what we see. But have you ever paid particular attention to what is on the very edges of your vision, to your peripheral vision. This is actually a skill that can be developed that will help you be far more aware of what is around you. Practice extending your awareness to include what is just past what you can clearly see in your line of vision (up, down and sides). Does this extended awareness make you feel that perhaps there is a ‘sixth’ sense out there that can magnify our existing senses? (We’d actually love to hear your thoughts when you try this out, post on our facebook page..)

We can also choose to “listen to the listening,” which is when we hone our ability to accurately perceive the mood that exists in a room when we enter it, or sense the mood that another person is experiencing before even starting a conversation. As children, many of us were aware of when we should ask our parents for extra money or a chance to participate in a social situation based on their mood. Why then, as adults, do we tend to plunge into a conversation with someone without pausing a few seconds to sense the emotion that is charging all around us. Challenge: sometime today or tomorrow, pause a few times as you enter a room and identify to yourself the mood you feel as you enter. Not only will this increase your ability to navigate social situations around you, but it will also help you come to know and trust your own intuition.

Yoga and essential oils are phenomenal tools that can help us increase and hone our awareness. Through pranayama (breath work), asana (poses), meditation, sound therapy and more, we learn to sit in a more quiet space that helps us better connect with our mind, spirit and body. We are able to extend our awareness outside of ourselves until our expansion reaches levels we never dreamed of ‘holding’ in our own personal space. It’s really a beautiful experience when we find a pose or meditation or any specific practice that helps our heart and spirit soar in this way. Reflect on the first time you felt this sense of wonder when you participated in a branch of yoga.

Essential oils can physically and spiritually/mentally help expand our awareness. The powerful combination of peppermint and frankincense impact the limbic center of the brain in a way that we are able to make connections in reasoning and memory that we might not otherwise be able to make. Wild orange, lime, lemon and other citrus oils impact us energetically to provide a pick-me-up during the late afternoon slump but can also calm and soothe in the evening to help us with proper rest. Aromatic use of pure and potent essential oils can support us emotionally in powerful ways in addition to impacting focus.

And of course, as we well know, the combination of essential oils with yoga brings about a synergistically powerful experience. Let us know what poses and essential oils you like for deepening your awareness as a whole.

Post to our social media page(s) to let us know your favorite way(s) to expand your influence. Join us July 16th for our Essential Yoga Sangha for tips on how to combine essential oils with yoga for powerful results. The Sangha was uniquely created to be perfect for newbies to both yoga and aromatherapy, but has a component for yoga teachers that provides CE credits.