By Tracy Griffiths, BCPP and Julie Sinclair, BCPP
Spring is a great time to lighten your load and let go of what no longer serves you—physically, mentally, and emotionally. This year, instead of jumping right in, consider a “pre-cleanse” period when you slowly begin to eliminate foods, beverages, clothes and other objects in your home that don’t support your highest potential for wellness and vitality.
During this time, we suggest nurturing yourself with an aroma-infused night-time ritual. A great balancing essential oil blend is Ylang Ylang, Clary Sage and Patchouli.
Clary Sage has an herbaceous aroma that is believed to create a calm and relaxing environment with a rich history and unique aromatic profile. Patchouli is perfect for the free spirit. Use its calming, relaxing aroma during meditation or yoga practice. Ylang-ylang balances male-female energies, enhances spiritual attunement, combats anger and low self-esteem, increases focus of thoughts, and filters out negative energy. It may also restore confidence and peace.
Directions: Place 2 drops of each of these essential oils into your left palm, gently rub your hands together, and breathe the aroma deeply into your lungs. Then, rub the blend on the back of your neck, on your chest and on the bottoms of your feet. This ritual will help you get into deep sleep, which is important for all areas of health.
Reading passages from inspiring books as well each evening will set you up for better choices for the next day. Some of our favorites are Detox for Life by Loree Taylor Jordan, Staying Healthy with the Seasons by Elson M. Haas, There Are No Incurable Diseases by Dr. Richard Schulze, and, of course, Health Building by Dr. Randolf Stone.
Here are additional tips:
Set an intention. Ask yourself, “Why cleanse?” Is it for more energy, glowing skin, releasing extra weight? Perhaps it’s for clearer thoughts, to create room for more creativity, or to be more productive.
Get a cleansing buddy. Find someone you can be accountable to and with. It is shown that having support and supporting another will keep you in the game.
Do an environmental pre-cleanse. Start cleaning out your cupboards, pantry and refrigerator of what you know isn’t going to support your cleanse. This can be looked at symbolically as to what you are going to be doing for your body. Also clean out your closet, backpack, purse and car.
Slowly begin eliminating the foods and drinks from your diet that won’t support your cleanse. It’s easier than going cold-turkey.
Drink water in the morning — at least 8 to 16 ounces before ingesting anything else. For variety and additional health benefits, add a drop of Young Living’s Peppermint Vitality™, Lemon Vitality™, or Grapefruit Vitality™ essential oil into the water.
Lemon essential oil has many health benefits when taken internally, including immune support and antioxidant properties; Peppermint helps support healthy digestive function and gastrointestinal comfort; and Grapefruit offers lymphatic system support and cleansing properties.
Hydrating yourself in the morning is key to good digestion and elimination, and adding a drop or two of any of these oils to your drinking water may help curb your appetite throughout the day. Be sure to drink half of your body weight in ounces every day. For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink at least 75 ounces of water daily. Juices and tea don’t count!
Get a juicer and buy organic. As you get more into your cleanse, juicing will be key!
Twist, move, and sweat. If you do yoga, add more twists. Twists help encourage better digestion and elimination for your colon and help activate liver and kidney function. Incorporate more cardiovascular exercise into your daily routine. You may not realize this, but your skin is one of the largest organs of elimination. You want to sweat every day.
Here’s to spring—and a clean slate!
If you’d like to join Young Living and get a 24% member discount on all essential oils and essential oil-infused products, visit our website. Or, if you’d like to learn more about Young Living essential oils and how to use them in your daily life, sign up for our e-newsletter by emailing FlowIntoWellness@marketingscents.com.