Scott Johnson: Hello again and welcome to this edition of Young Living’s audio education series. I’m Scott Johnson, Young Living’s Director of Global Education and Sales. Thank you for joining us today as we discuss two very important topics – emotional balance and mental acuity. Every holistic modality respects and cherishes the intimate relationship and connection between our mind and emotions, our body and our spirit. Quite frankly, in order to achieve optimum wellbeing you must focus on all of its interrelated aspects, including balancing your emotions and optimizing your mind. Essential oils excel at influencing both of these categories, helping you to cope with the effects of negative emotions and aiding cognitive functioning.
Today we are discussing two fabulous essential oils that shine in these areas, namely Release and Rosemary. For a moment I want you to imagine with me what emotional health really looks like. Many people will say that emotional wellbeing is the absence of a mental illness or sadness or frustration or anger; however, true emotional wellbeing involves much more than this. It is a state of emotional wellbeing where you are able to use your intellectual and emotional capabilities to function in society and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life. An emotionally well person is one who feels positive and enthusiastic about one’s self and life, manages and expresses feelings appropriately, and maintains satisfying relationships with others. Maintaining this state of emotional wellbeing is a critical part of optimum health, or the state we at Young Living refer to as vigor and vitality, and ultimately leads to a more meaningful and purposeful existence. This doesn’t mean that you’ll never have a bad day, nor does it suggest that you won’t feel negative emotions; they are just a normal part of life that everyone experiences from time to time. However, this state of emotional wellbeing does mean that you will be better equipped to cope with these bad days and negative emotions when they do arise.
No remedy is so perfectly suited to immediately influence and begin correcting emotional imbalance as essential oils. Pure and authentic essential oils affect your wellbeing at several levels, rapidly offering correction. Receptors in your nose immediately respond to the aroma of essential oils, triggering signals which are sent to your brain. These signals reach the limbic system, the part of your brain involved in emotions and memories; and the neocortex, which is where conscious thought originates. By inspiring the limbic system essential oils are able to influence heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, the stress response, and other critical processes controlled by the limbic system. This cascade of events positively impacts your mood, propelling you from one emotional state to another. The powerful aromas of essential oils simply can’t be ignored by the brain.
One of the most powerful of the emotionally-supporting blends, Release, combines five oils that stimulate a sense of peace and emotional wellbeing. Together Ylang Ylang, Lavandin, Geranium, Sandalwood, and Blue Tansy synergistically promote harmony and balance in the mind and body. Release is particularly useful when repressed negative emotions are holding you back from achieving the state of optimal emotional wellbeing. The oils in this blend open the subconscious mind to release anger and memory trauma, freeing you to move forward and overcome difficult emotional challenges.
Ylang Ylang has a long history of use dating back centuries. Its intensely sweet exotic floral scent promotes relaxation, and restores confidence and peace. It helps to balance male and female energies, and filter out negative energy. In addition it helps restore equilibrium, promotes greater self-esteem, and increases focus of thoughts. Some users report that the aroma of Ylang Ylang helps them recognize and appreciate their inner beauty. A hybrid plant developed by crossing true lavender with spike lavender, Lavandin possess calming effects similar to lavender but its aroma is sharper and more intense. Smelling Lavandin may boost self-esteem, confidence, and hope, making it a great choice to balance moods affected by insecurity and loneliness. Geranium’s inspiring calming floral scent helps release negative emotions and ease occasional nervous tension. It is very balancing to the emotions and helps to uplift the spirit, fostering a sense of peace, hope, and wellbeing. High in sesquiterpenes, Sandalwood influences the pineal gland and limbic region of the brain, which is the center of emotions and memory. This may be one reason why it has been used in religious ceremonies and for meditation for centuries. Its rich, sweet, warm and woody aroma may help remove negative programming in the cells, something that is very important when balancing your emotions. Some healers believe that when a significant emotion is suppressed it gets stored in the cell’s memory; thus our subconscious mind magnifies this negative emotion that is stored away, leading to less than optimal wellbeing. Repetitive negative thoughts can cause us to create similar negative programming. Blue Tansy has a slightly sweet herbaceous aroma, and it is also high in sesquiterpenes. It helps combat occasional negative emotions like anger, and promotes a feeling of self-control. It also helps ease occasional nervous tension and stress. Rounding out this formula is olive oil, which is great for your skin, promoting a clear complexion and a youthful glow. It has been prized by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; and was revered in ancient times as a fountain of youth. Now any one of these oils alone can produce great results and balance your emotions but you are far more likely to achieve your desired results when you put them together in one blend like Release.
Next we have Rosemary, which has been used for centuries as incense and was part of the Four Thieves Vinegar used by grave-robbing bandits during the plague of the 15th century. Ancient cultures believed that rosemary warded off evil spirits, and those who were ill burned rosemary to protect against germs. Until recently, French hospitals used rosemary to purify the air. Rosemary’s fresh, herbaceous, sweet aroma is energizing and invigorating to the senses. These properties may help to restore mental alertness. It is believed that rosemary supports cognitive function by delivering oxygen-rich blood to your brain, aiding your ability to retain information. Traditionally it was used to aid memory and support the circulatory and nervous systems. Modern scientific research supports this usage; two separate studies in the International Journal of Neuroscience demonstrated rosemary’s influence on mood and cognition. The first involved 144 participants who were asked to complete an assessment while smelling the scent of rosemary or another essential oil. The rosemary group maintained the highest mental alertness and remained more content than the control group or the group smelling a different essential oil. The second study also compared two essential oils, with two groups completing simple math computations before and after smelling the aroma of either of the oils. The rosemary group again showed better mental alertness and completed the math computations more quickly than the other group. Interestingly, the rosemary group also reported feeling less anxious about the assessment. These findings were later confirmed in a 2009 study reported in Holistic Nursing Practice: 40 graduate students in a nursing program were placed in a room where they could smell the aroma of rosemary or another essential oil while taking tests to complete their Master’s degree program in Advanced Nursing Practice. They had to achieve a score of 80% or better on the test to pass, so this could create a very stressful situation which could diminish their performance on the exams. Again the rosemary group reported feeling less anxious and more alert than the comparison group. For many, taking a test is a very stressful event, even if it’s not a graduate-level examination. Maybe your children feel anxious about an important upcoming test in school; it’s comforting to know that Rosemary may help calm those anxious feelings, allowing you or your child to do your best on the test.
Now no one likes to forget things. Have you ever gone into a room because you needed to get or do something, only to forget why you went into the room in the first place? Or maybe you forgot an important date like a birthday or an anniversary. Rosemary may be beneficial for these situations as well, according to findings reported at the April 2013 Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society. Researchers at this conference reported that healthy adults who were placed in a room where rosemary essential oil was diffused experienced better memory recall of events, and remembered things they needed to do at the right time, so you can see how beneficial rosemary could be for a variety of situations involving memory and mental alertness.
The next time you need to balance your emotions or release negative programming in your emotions, you have a great option in Release. If you want to support cognitive function and aid memory recall, try Rosemary. Men, it just may save you the embarrassment of forgetting the next birthday or anniversary! Start using them today and experience their benefits for yourself. Until next time, we wish you abundant health and a wonderful day.
*The statements made in this presentation have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Association (FDA). The products discussed are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
Thank you so much for these! I struggle listening, but I love reading!