that first step

This past September, I took a journey – one which I knew would change me spiritually, mentally and physically.  I learned so much from my yoga teacher training in Hawaii, I made many friends and I quite literally changed my life.

 

I left Hawaii with not only a change in my consciousness, but also an awareness that I wanted to take care of myself the best way I could, and take care of my family.  I wanted to completely eliminate toxins from our lives – as much as we could – and this included things that we put in our bodies, on our bodies and also, in our minds.
It all started with some lavender.  The girl that I was rooming with told me to put some on my pillow before bedtime.  I also had some on the bottom of my feet.  I love the smell of lavender and was surprised by her offer.  She also gave me some melaleuca (tea tree) oil and told me that it works well on blemishes and skin irritations.  To my surprise, she was right.  With the humidity in Hawaii, as well as the journey to get there (often tense at times) plus all things hormonal, I started to break out.  The melaleuca tamed those blemishes quite remarkably.

My friend shared all of her oils with me over the course of our 16 days together.  Since caffeine was not allowed on our training, many of us had the headaches that come with the withdrawals.  Peppermint rubbed on the temples and behind the neck made those manageable.
Sore muscles prevailed throughout the yoga teacher training and one soothing oil blend relieved a lot of those pains.  About halfway through the training I was inflicted with the venom from a fire ant.  Lavender calmed that discomfort.

I knew that these oils had a place in my life; I wanted to try and incorporate them into my daily life as much as possible.  Before I had left, I had signed up and was able to get these oils for myself.
Since then I have used these oils daily.  On the kids to appease bug bites, diffuse it aromatically for the holidays, calm digestive issues, soothe sore throats, assist with bruises and head bumps, disinfect the kitchen and bathroom, remove sticky residues off of glass jars, the list is endless!
Perhaps the most satisfying thing is not only with having these oils in my life, but actually sharing them with others.