I remember from the early years of my life being shown how to stop, look, respect, and smell the flowers. Thanks to my father who was a flower lover, orchid grower, and someone who truly appreciated all the beautiful sights,sounds,and smells around him.
Scents have always been a part of my daily life and rituals. When I lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia I often used flower petals to make “potions” during imaginary play. When I lived in Nonthaburi, Thailand I was blessed to have an array of fresh flowers to smell, be creative with, decorate my hair with, and or decorate our house with. The reality is flowers are more abundant all year round in Asia and they are often free or their cost is a lot less than in North America. Living in North America has made me find ways to be creative with incorporating scents into my daily life. I am ever so grateful to Jenny for coming to do an essential oil workshop for my colleagues and I on the uses and benefits of essential oils! Studies have shown the impact of scents on one's brain and well being. If you google it, trust me you will find lots of articles!
Jenny’s company, my favorite woman-owned, Northern California based essential oil company, is Nectar Essence. On the website there is a compiled breathe me customer concern chart. From low energy, to ADHD, to vertigo, to foggy brain, to cancer, to insomnia, to grieving a loss, the list goes on and on! I invite you to check out it out here under Creativity and Wellness Links on my website or just highlight this link and click "go to
www.anya-da-rucards.com/blank-page
Oil Rituals:
When I start my day I stand in front of a bedroom mirror and take a few moments to go inward and ask myself, “ What does my mind and body feel that it would benefit from in this moment?” I then rub, inhale, or spray oils on or around my body. Some days I look at myself in the mirror and say, “ I am balanced, I am healthy, I am loved etc” as I use the supportive oils. Once I’ve done my oil ritual I feel ready, grounded, and motivated to start my day. Do you have any rituals that help you be creative or take care of your well being? Please share in the comments.
I have been found to be called “a spa on wheels” or “Spa-nya” because I always have them in my purse or bag. My husband will often ask, “Do you have your oils with you because my coworker needs some super immunity?” or “ I’m feeling tired, do you have your energy oils?” I laugh everytime he asks me if I have my oils because of course I do I'm "Spa-nya!"!
If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a sensory oriented person! Scents bring me back to places in my childhood, places of wonderful memories. My creative juices flow and my ideas come to reality after I smell a flower or use some essential oils. Scents uplift me, ground me, focus me, and they bring out my creativity. Scents connect me with myself and to other human beings. Scents connect me to places from my past, and places I dream of going to in the future. Scents connect me with different cultures, people, and food. I am ever so grateful and don’t take for granted my sense of smell!
Do you have any experiences with how scents affect you?
Do you have any questions about the specific oils I use? Leave a question in the comments.