About a year ago, we moved out of our bus, into a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house with a large fenced yard and a laundry line (something I’ve wanted for a very long time). The transition was challenging, but it had its perks.

For one, we have the most amazing neighbors ever. Plus my husband can now sleep at home when on duty because we’re so close to the EMS station. And I’ve loved being close to things again.

Living on an organic farm in the middle of nowhere is great, but I really like being able to walk to the library, coffee shop, etc. So when I realized that the yoga center I’d practiced at briefly years before was a mere 30 seconds away (right next to EMS in fact), I decided it would be a great time to start a yoga practice.

And when the owner offered a ridiculously amazing 90-day membership discount, I immediately signed up for it. So that’s how my yoga practice began.

Since then, I’ve transitioned to practicing more at home and trying out lots of different classes online (Yoga with Adriene is my favorite). I’ve built strength, increased flexibility and found myself in poses I never thought I’d be able to do.

As confidence in my practice has grown, so has play. I used to think I could only do practice when I had a class to follow along with. Not so. Turns out, I can lead my own practice. I can practice outside in my neighbor’s grass. I even play with adding essential oils to the mix.

One of my favorite things these past few months has been integrating essential oils (ok, I also love that I can now touch my toes with ease). And it’s not just because I’ve become a crazy oil lady over the years. Well maybe that has a little to do with it.

Anyway.

Essential oils have a myriad of benefits for emotional, physical and even spiritual well-being:

• Increased awareness to breathing
• Alertness and focus
• Cleansing (and not just for your yoga mat)
• Calming (like during final resting posture and yin yoga)
• Grounding
• Energy clearing

Which makes them a perfect fit for use in your yoga practice.

So when it comes to getting started with essential oils for yoga, I advocate keeping it simple. Naturally. Which is why I’m only recommending five oils in this post. And of those five oils, I suggest picking just one or two to start using in your practice.

Essential oils for yoga

• Lavender: Excellent for calming the body and the mind. Diffuse during your practice (or inhale prior to starting) and/or apply a swipe to your forehead for final resting posture.
• Lemon: Gently detoxifying, lemon is great to add to water after your practice (if your oils are consumable). It’s also great for cleansing your yoga mat and the floor/air where you practice (add 10 drops to a glass spray bottle and top with water).
• Frankincense: The King of Oils. Excellent for applying topically to your wrists prior to practice or diffusing. One of the spiritual oils, it helps encourage the flow of energy.
• Peppermint: Inhale prior to your practice to open the airway and draw attention to your breath. Dilute and apply to your chest for cooling and more breath awareness.
• Tea tree/melaleuca: Add to a spray bottle with water (like the lemon) to clean your yoga mat and the space around you. Also, apply to the forehead prior to practice. I learned in this book that melaleuca is the oil of energetic boundaries. And as someone who is extremely sensitive to the energy of others, I wear this often.

Need essential oils? Here’s what I recommend.

Do you use essential oils in your yoga practice?