My daughter and I had so much fun exploring Disneyland, California Adventure Park, and SeaWorld SanDiego (thanks to recommendations from friends). She loved meeting the characters at Disney and seeing the shows at SeaWorld.
The thing about SeaWorld compared to Disney is the lack of shade. So even though we did our daily sunscreen routine and wore our sun hats, I still got some sunburn on my upper back. When we got back to the hotel, late, my daughter asleep, after driving back to the hotel with the gas tank on empty -- I mean the indicator was on the last line by the time we pulled into the hotel -- I put on my favorite Indu aromatherapy lotion and added a few drops of Lavender oil to soothe my skin and calm my nerves. I did the same to my tired and blistered feet. Applying the lotion and adding lavender helped to soothe my sunburned skin as well as help me to relax after a long and overstimulating day and have a good night's sleep. I did the same to my daughter as she was sleeping even though she fared better in the sun - just a rosy pink to her skin - thank heavens. I found that my sunburn didn't sting or bother me for this episode as it has in the past.
I recently read a newsletter post from my friend, health coach, and essential oils mentor, Amara Wagner about making a spray bottle of water with Lavender and Peppermint in it to soothe sunburn. I still need to do that. Sounds like a great idea with the cooling qualities of Peppermint, the soothing qualities of Lavender, and the anti-inflammatory properties of both.
One of our last uses of the oils on vacation came during the plane ride home. All was going well with the exception of some serious turbulence that my daughter thought was fun just having come off of 4 days of amusement park rides. It was getting late and we wanted to try to get her to sleep but she had other plans. So I got out my Peace & Calming, put some on myself, had my husband smell it because he was also tired and a bit stressed, and then put some on my daughter to help her calm down and get some rest. She did then allow us to put on her pajamas and she drifted off to sleep. I think it helps that she knows that is part of our nighttime routine at home. Just about every night we put an essential oil on her feet and our own before bed (as well as diffuse a second oil sometimes). Usually, Peace & Calming or Lavender to help get a good night's sleep or Thieves if we were around someone who was sick that day to boost our immunity. For example, the night we arrived in CA and had just spent 6 hours on the plane, we all rubbed a couple drops on the soles of our feet before bed. My husband asked, did you bring the Thieves? Of course. And also, the night we arrived home from our trip -- round 2 of 6 hours on the plane, we put it on. Probably some of you feel the same way about being on the plane for so long and breathing the same air with so many people. The potential to catch an illness seems pretty high. We all stayed healthy during our vacation and after : )
And so, that is how we used essential oils on our vacation. I'm so glad we had them.
Stay tuned for more sharing about how we use essential oils. We use them everyday, multiple times a day. How about you? I would love to hear from you. And if you have any questions about the oils I use or how to get them, drop me a line: angelacays@aol.com. I would be happy to support you on your journey into essential oils.
And, one final reminder about the free essential oils workshop Amara Wagner and I are giving at Highland Yoga in Butler on Tuesday, August 13th from 10:30am-12:00pm after my 9am yoga class. Let us know if you are coming. We look forward to seeing you there to share our passion about essential oils in person.
All the best to you!
May we know peace in our hearts, peace in our homes, and peace in the world,
Angela
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
How we used essential oils on summer vacation, Part 2
I bought a diffuser last year which I love. Then I bought a second one so we could have one for upstairs and one for downstairs. We used it daily during cold and flu season last year, often diffusing Thieves blend to help boost our immune system and kill cold and flu germs in the air, or diffusing RC to help alleviate cold symptoms of cough or congestion (in addition to applying these oils topically which I'll discuss more in depth in another blog post). We also used it nightly diffusing either Thieves or Frankincense or Lavender or Peace & Calming in our daughter's room to help boost her immunity, fight cold and cough, or help her calm down and get a good night's sleep.
Given that we were going to be spending 6 nights in a hotel, I decided to pack my diffuser. You know how hotel rooms can get smelly and really dry at night when you sleep. When we arrived and made a shopping trip for some supplies, I purchased a gallon of distilled water to use in the diffuser. I ended up diffusing Peace & Calming each night to settle us down from the activities of the day so we could enjoy a good night's sleep. And, beyond enjoying the scent of the oil, the diffuser sends out cool mist that humidifies the air so that the hotel room would be less dry through the night. Then every time we came back to the room following our adventures to Disney or just to the hotel pool or restaurant, we were met by a wonderful smelling room that had been cleaned by someone else. Yay!
On the days we went to the pool, my daughter made fast friends with the children and some of the adults who were present. One day, there was a mom there with her two children, one of whom appeared to be on the Autistic spectrum. I could see that she had her hands full when they first arrived at the pool and the daughter was putting gobs of sunscreen in her mouth in a matter of seconds. My heart went out to her. A good bit later as the mom was trying to get her daughter to pack up and go back to the hotel room, the daughter got upset and started thrashing her body and slammed her head into her mom's jaw. I could read the mom's distress in her body language from across the pool. I felt compelled to approach to see if she was ok and if there was anything I could do to help. When I asked if she was ok, she responded that she could feel her jaw swelling and she was in pain. (I immediately think of oils these days with any issue. I had Lavender, Peppermint, and Deep Relief Roll On in my little purse that I brought to the pool.) So I told her I had some Lavender essential oil which has anti-inflammatory and calming properties and she could put some on her jaw to help reduce the swelling which she did. Then I offered that it may help her daughter calm down if she wants to rub a few drops on the bottom of her feet. I also told the mom to smell the oil in her hands and to put her hands in front of her daughter's nose so she could also breathe it in so that they both could benefit from getting the effects via aromatherapy as well as topical application. She did and felt that it was helping them. She was so thankful for the kindness. And it felt good to be able to offer something to her. I think compassion and presence is a wonderful gift to offer anyone and beyond that it lessens my sense of helplessness or powerlessness when I can offer an essential oil to help alleviate physical, mental or emotional suffering. The loving action and ritual of rubbing essential oils on the body and smelling the oil which invites deep breathing and the symbol of care in human touch is all part of the healing. I especially feel good about being able to offer this to my family. As a mom and a wife, it empowers me to feel like I have some additional tools to take care of my daughter, my husband, and myself and I like that feeling.
If you think you would like to utilize some of these essential oils in your life, I am happy to talk to you about the line of oils I use personally with my family and how you can get them for yourself. Feel free to drop me a line: angelacays@aol.com or RSVP to join Amara Wagner and me at a free information session about essential oils on Tuesday, August 13th from 10:30am - 12pm at Highland Yoga in Butler, NJ.
Stay tuned for one more installation on essential oils from our vacation...
May we know peace in our hearts, peace in or homes, and peace in the world.
Angela
Given that we were going to be spending 6 nights in a hotel, I decided to pack my diffuser. You know how hotel rooms can get smelly and really dry at night when you sleep. When we arrived and made a shopping trip for some supplies, I purchased a gallon of distilled water to use in the diffuser. I ended up diffusing Peace & Calming each night to settle us down from the activities of the day so we could enjoy a good night's sleep. And, beyond enjoying the scent of the oil, the diffuser sends out cool mist that humidifies the air so that the hotel room would be less dry through the night. Then every time we came back to the room following our adventures to Disney or just to the hotel pool or restaurant, we were met by a wonderful smelling room that had been cleaned by someone else. Yay!
On the days we went to the pool, my daughter made fast friends with the children and some of the adults who were present. One day, there was a mom there with her two children, one of whom appeared to be on the Autistic spectrum. I could see that she had her hands full when they first arrived at the pool and the daughter was putting gobs of sunscreen in her mouth in a matter of seconds. My heart went out to her. A good bit later as the mom was trying to get her daughter to pack up and go back to the hotel room, the daughter got upset and started thrashing her body and slammed her head into her mom's jaw. I could read the mom's distress in her body language from across the pool. I felt compelled to approach to see if she was ok and if there was anything I could do to help. When I asked if she was ok, she responded that she could feel her jaw swelling and she was in pain. (I immediately think of oils these days with any issue. I had Lavender, Peppermint, and Deep Relief Roll On in my little purse that I brought to the pool.) So I told her I had some Lavender essential oil which has anti-inflammatory and calming properties and she could put some on her jaw to help reduce the swelling which she did. Then I offered that it may help her daughter calm down if she wants to rub a few drops on the bottom of her feet. I also told the mom to smell the oil in her hands and to put her hands in front of her daughter's nose so she could also breathe it in so that they both could benefit from getting the effects via aromatherapy as well as topical application. She did and felt that it was helping them. She was so thankful for the kindness. And it felt good to be able to offer something to her. I think compassion and presence is a wonderful gift to offer anyone and beyond that it lessens my sense of helplessness or powerlessness when I can offer an essential oil to help alleviate physical, mental or emotional suffering. The loving action and ritual of rubbing essential oils on the body and smelling the oil which invites deep breathing and the symbol of care in human touch is all part of the healing. I especially feel good about being able to offer this to my family. As a mom and a wife, it empowers me to feel like I have some additional tools to take care of my daughter, my husband, and myself and I like that feeling.
If you think you would like to utilize some of these essential oils in your life, I am happy to talk to you about the line of oils I use personally with my family and how you can get them for yourself. Feel free to drop me a line: angelacays@aol.com or RSVP to join Amara Wagner and me at a free information session about essential oils on Tuesday, August 13th from 10:30am - 12pm at Highland Yoga in Butler, NJ.
Stay tuned for one more installation on essential oils from our vacation...
May we know peace in our hearts, peace in or homes, and peace in the world.
Angela
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