Ever wish you had a calm button?  You do.  Here’s how to access it…

instant-calm

Want to learn about a secret “calm” button that chills you out, on the spot?

Video transcript:

Today, I want to talk with you about essential oils. They are very lightweight, so they easily distribute into the air. We breathe them in, and when they reach the top of the nose, they engage the olfactory nerve. This nerve is hard-wired into the very small center part of our brain, the hypothalamus. This part of the brain is the “caveman brain”…it’s the non-thinking center, the limbic seat, which controls all sorts of reactions like heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. These are probably triggering in your mind those symptoms which get set off in a stress response…the heart rate increases, respiration increases, etc. when we experience stress.

How essential oils work:

The olfactory nerve and the hypothalamus are hard-wired, so when we breathe in a certain essential oil, we can trigger a calm response. It’s not even a matter of having to think about it, it just goes right to the center part of our brains and calms us down. Our heart rate comes down, our blood pressure comes down, we can breath more deeply, we start thinking differently. And it’s all because these essential oils are interacting with the central, core part of our brains. It’s pretty amazing what they can do!

A few examples:

Different essential oils have different effects on us. So I’m going to show you a couple that have relaxing or calming effects on us, and introduce them to you. The first one is lavender — you’re probably familiar with that one, it’s pretty popular — and the second one is geranium. Also, sandalwood is one I often keep in my office — I often use it to help me focus — I just couldn’t find it for this video.

Characteristics:

Essential oils come in these dark vials, which is very important because the compounds are very sensitive and can easily oxidize in direct sunlight. If you open up a vial, you notice immediately that it has a very strong smell. These are highly concentrated. If you place a drop in your palm, you’ll notice that, even though it is technically and oil by its chemical nature, it feels very light and quickly dissipates into the air. And this is one of the ways in which we are going to use essential oils.

A simple technique:

Place a single drop into your palm, rub it around a few times, cup your hands over your nose, and breathe deeply. Simple, right? This is a tool you can use anytime, day or night. At a moment’s notice — anytime you feel that rise, notice a tightness — just place a drop, rub your hands together, and simply inhale deeply. You’re bringing those compounds right into your olfactory nerve, which is fantastic.

Lisa