Presentation regarding yoga and meditation while utilizing aromatherapy and its benefits.

1. Yoga and Meditation
alongside Aromatherapy
Amee Alexander

2. Yoga
•Yoga improves the general well-
being, this includes the improvement
of mobility, muscle strength, and
balance. It is an ancient Indian mind–
body technique that mostly focuses
on meditation, mindfullness,
breathing, and activity or posture. All
yoga exercises mild or with much
exertion can improve the muscle tone
and reduce fatigue and spasticity
(Namjooyan, Ghanavati, Majdinasab,
Jokari, and Janbozorgi, 2014).

3. Meditation
•“There are many types of meditation, but most
have four elements in common: a quiet location
with as few distractions as possible; a specific,
comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking,
or in other positions); a focus of attention (a
specially chosen word or set of words, an object,
or the sensations of the breath); and an open
attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally
without judging them)”(NIH, 2017).

4. Aromatherapy
• Aromatherapy is the art or science of extracting the scented oils from certain
plants in order to balance and promote the order of the body, mind and
spirit. "Aromatherapy is a caring, hands-on therapy which seeks to induce
relaxation, to increase energy, to reduce the effects of stress and to restore
lost balance to mind, body and soul”, (NAHA, 2017). It can also give
significant relief from anxiety. It works by stimulating the smell receptors in
the nose and then sends impulses to the nerve endings the brain. The
essential oils can used in a diffuser to disperse throughout a room.

5. Combining
Alternatives
•When you combine
aromatherapy with meditation
or yoga then the practice can be
enhanced to a positive degree.
There are combinations of oils
that can be used together or
alone to create that atmosphere
that that one is looking for such
as relaxation, mindfulness,
deeper breathing techniques,
and different energy levels.

6. Just a few Essential Oil Combinations
• For Stress Relief : Bergamot, Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon, Orange,
Patchouli, Vanilla
• For Anxiety/Fear: Bergamot, Chamomile (Roman), Cedarwood,
Frankincense, Jasmine, Lavender, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood
• For Memory Boosting: Basil, Cypress, Lemon, Peppermint, Rosemary

7. Resources
• WebMD – Aromatherapy – This has some great information regarding
Aromatherapy that anyone can get to.
• Herbs-Info – This website has a list of the commonly used essential oils and
what moods they are good for.
• Mama Natural – Here is a video that will give more information on using a
diffuser for essential oils:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzpoTzBpcLE

8. Precautions
Meditation and yoga is are mostly safe activities for healthy people but there
can be limitations such as people with some physical issues may not be able to
participate in all meditative or yoga practices involving movement or people
with some health conditions should speak with their health care providers
before starting a meditative and yoga practice, (NIH, 2017). Also they should
make their meditation/yoga instructors aware of their condition.
Topical use or ingestion for essential oils is not recommended without
advisement of a professional. Some can cause skin irritation, (NIH, 2017).
Inhalation through a diffuser should be the only means until full knowledge of
the oils are known. Do not let children come in contact physically with any
essential oil because they are usually concentrated.

9. References
• F. Namjooyan, R. Ghanavati, N. Majdinasab, S. Jokari, M. Janbozorgi, 2014,
Uses of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Multiple Sclerosis , Retrieved
on May 13, 2017, Retrieved from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142451/
• Herbs-Info, 2017, Free In-Depth guide to Essential Oils, retrieved on May
2016, retrieved from: http://www.herbs-info.com/essential-oils/essential-oils.html
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2017, Meditation:
In Depth, retrieved on May 16, 2017, retrieved from:
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm
• National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, 2017, Exploring
Aromatherapy, retrieved on May 16, 2017, retrieved from:
https://naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/research

10. References Continued
Mama Natural, 2016, How to Diffuse Essential Oils(and why you’d want
to), retrieved on May 15, 2017, retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzpoTzBpcLE
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2017,
Lavender, retrieved on May 15, 2017, retrieved from:
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender/ataglance.htm
WebMD, 2017, Aromatherapy, retrieved on May 16, 2017m retrieved
from: http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-
management/tc/aromatherapy-essential-oils-therapy-topic-
overview#2