Episode 267: Yoga and Oils

Yoga has existed for thousands of years, and millions of people around the world love the benefits that they get from practicing yoga. Today, we'll talk about how you can start incorporating yoga into your routines.

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Today we're excited to talk to Marty Harger about how to start doing yoga yourself, as well as how you can incorporate essential oils into your yoga routine.

doTERRA: Marty, thank you so much for being here with us today.

Marty Harger: Thank you. I'm looking forward to talking about yoga and essential oils.

doTERRA: I am too. I think it's a topic that a lot of people would love to learn more about. So, let's jump right in with my first question of: how can you start practicing yoga as a beginner? Because I think a lot of people get a little bit intimidated.

Marty: You know, that's a great question and yoga is such a fantastic thing to bring into your life, no matter what age you are. No matter what your physical ability is. It's great for children, it's great for men and women and people of all ages. And there are a couple of different ways that you can get started.

You know, some people see things online and they think, "Oh my gosh, I've got to bend backwards and stand on my head." And no, you don't have to do any of that. And really, yoga is about bringing the body, mind and spirit together. So, attending a class is ideal.

There are often places at yoga studios in your area you might look at who have beginner programs or introduction to yoga. There could be something at a local fitness center or maybe a YMCA or something like that—community centers. And we're finding yoga in more and more places now because people are realizing that this is a way to quiet the mind and allow the body to have so many benefits.

So, if you can, look for an introduction or beginner level class. If not, one of the things this time of year--we're talking in the summertime--a lot of communities offer like a free outdoor yoga. And that's a great thing to participate in, and just to bring a yoga mat—you can pick one up in a lot of different places very inexpensively—and just try to follow along as you can.

I do encourage people, though, to seriously think about getting to a class where a qualified yoga instructor can give you, not only some specific suggestions about how to move and position the body, but this is a way to make sure that you avoid any kind of injury by trying to mimic others around you. It's really important that you learn the proper alignment of the body so that you can get the most benefit from it and make sure that you're taking good care to protect your joints and your limbs as you get started.

It's really a practice—it's not a perfect. So, this is something we all spend our lifetimes, continuing to improve the depth of our practice. And I say that not just the physical part, but the way that we can quiet the mind and really be present as we are practicing yoga.

doTERRA: Absolutely. Now, you mentioned a couple of things there, things that draw people toward yoga. What are some of your favorite things that your yoga practice brings to your life?

Marty: You know, that's a great question, Annie. The favorite things for me have changed and evolved overtime. I've been practicing yoga off and on since I was—oh, gosh, several decades, I'll just say. You know, originally this was a physical—I was attracted to the physical concept that this is about improving flexibility, about improving strength, improving coordination and balance. And I thought, well, this would be great because I'm a skier and I like other outdoor activities, and physical athletic activity. And so I thought, well, this is great.

This is an opposite of really hard workouts. This is slow. It's opening the tissue. But what I found overtime is that this is emotionally and mentally something that helps me calm myself as I've learned more about the aspects of yoga that are about focusing on the breath, and watching and noticing the breath moving in and out of our bodies, moving through our bodies. How we can create a deeper breath and understanding and connection to what's going on inside of us, not just physically, but emotionally, by quieting ourselves.

And I think that so many people, especially now, are really seeking tools that they can bring into their daily life. And yoga offers so much of that, so many ways you can learn about how to make yourself come to a place where you're feeling less anxious feelings. Where you're feeling more calm, you're feeling more grounded. You feel like you're in the moment instead of worrying about the past or worrying about the future. And yoga has really brought that into my life more and more as the years have gone on.

I think this is where the practice evolves overtime, and therefore, it's bringing in not just the physical but the emotional, the mental. And I do believe that it is an opportunity overtime as we quiet our mind to connect us to spirit. And that is also something that's very, very helpful.

And then finally, I would say one of the things, unexpected gifts of yoga in my practice, in my life has been the community that it's allowed me to connect with. You know, it's one thing to practice at home, but when you're out in a room or in an open space with others who are moving in the same way together and breathing together, it's really cool. Like there's an energy about that that is so—it's just really a neat thing to experience. And I hope that people will give that a try because that's another gift—is the gift of the yoga community that you can become a part of. And not even with talking, I mean, it's in silence, but it's really powerful.

doTERRA: I love that. I think that's such a beautiful concept.

Now, Marty, you have been using doTERRA essential oils for almost 15 years now, and so we know you have a lot of experience. How can we use essential oils to help level up our yoga practice?

Marty: That's really a great question. And I think that there's—I guess I would say I'd look at that maybe in a couple of different ways.

First of all, there's sort of the before, during and after. So, if we look at before we start practicing, there are a couple of things that are beneficial. You know, sometimes we're coming from work and we're going to a yoga practice or we're coming from something that's been kind of intense. So, I like to choose essential oils to—before I even walk into the yoga studio, or before the practice begins—that are calming and grounding. For me, things like doTERRA Balance^®, InTune^®, things like some of the wood oils: Cedarwood, Sandalwood, things that are going to help us kind of bring ourselves to the moment. Very important.

During the practice, any of the oils like even Spanish Sage I used today, I thought that was fabulous. I love any oil that's going to help me focus on my breath by allowing me to take a deep breath or in helping me to just really use the lungs I've been given. And I think that all of the oils that are supportive of the respiratory system are a great choice during yoga practice.

Finally, after the yoga practice or as we're winding down the practice again, we're looking for calming, soothing: Lavender, Frankincense, oils like Petitgrain. Blends that are calming and soothing, such as Console^®, Peace^®. These are all oils that help us integrate what we've just experienced in our yoga practice. When we go into the final resting pose, also known as Shavasana or Corpse Pose, these oils allow us to continue to integrate, and really go within and connect that body, mind and spirit before we end the practice.

And then finally, after practice, sometimes we maybe haven't been moving our bodies in that way and as often as we maybe need to. So, of course, my good friends AromaTouch^® blend, the doTERRA Deep Blue^® family of products. I love the doTERRA Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex. I love the doTERRA Deep Blue Stick + Copaiba, love the doTERRA Deep Blue Rub. All of these, including the doTERRA Deep Blue blend added into the AromaTouch blend and a little bit of a lotion—great on the legs.

If our instructor had us doing a lot of chair pose or a lot of vinyasa, maybe putting a little bit on the shoulders, you know? So, these are tools we can use for after we've been involved in an asana or movement aspect of the yoga practice. Sometimes we overdo some of the muscles, or some of our stretching. And so, we have so many great tools for that in doTERRA. And that's another way that the oils can help us in our muscles feeling good again. So, we get back out and try it again and again.

doTERRA: Absolutely. And I think it's so powerful, like you said, that they just flow with you through the beginning, the middle, the end and post practice to really support your body the entire time and support what you're trying to do with your yoga practice. That's incredible.

Marty: Yeah. And I think part of that, Annie, just a final comment on that: I think, you know, sometimes we make it awfully complicated for ourselves. We want to blend all these special things together and that is super fun. And I'm a fan of that, like “create your own.”

But I also would just say that, you know, one of my favorite things in yoga is to take the oils of the AromaTouch Technique Kit, which have so many great values, and you look at some of the things that are in there. You've got AromaTouch blend, you've got doTERRA Deep Blue blend, you've got Lavender. Even Wild Orange is a great choice. All of the oils--and the Peppermint to uplift and for respiratory support. There's so many great tools just in that kit, alone that grabbing an oil that just is calling to you that day and bringing it into your practice and you know, it's the best choice for you, because you chose it.

doTERRA: Absolutely. Now, Marty, what other ways can you incorporate doTERRA products into your yoga routines?

Marty: You know, there are a couple of things that I always encourage people to think about. When we think about like aromatically, topically, internally--what are things that we can do?

So I think when we think about aromatically, I've started to encourage people to take like a little cotton pad or even a tissue and put a couple drops on there of one of their favorite respiratory blends or maybe just a blend they love.

Like today I was using the Mālama^® blend or Mālama--I'm not sure how I say that, but you know which one I mean. Anyway, it's really special and I like to use some of the citrusy blends and I put them on like a little fabric and then I just put it right on my yoga mat. So, as I get like, if I'm down near the mat, or I can pull it up and inhale it and it's like my own little personal diffuser.

Another way of bringing the oils in is to create either a blend with Tea Tree and Lavender together in water as a spray or the fantastic doTERRA On Guard^® or doTERRA On Guard Cleaner Concentrate, if your mat gets really dirty, and clean off your yoga mat with it. And eventually, the yoga mat is going to start to smell like that. You just want to avoid the citrus oils on the yoga mats typically. But things like Lavender. And it just smells so great when you're on there. And again, it provides that benefit, aromatically.

I also like to take a drop or two in my hands and just rub it—I try to pick one of the clearer oils, like Eucalyptus is a great choice, the doTERRA Breathe^® blend—I just rub my hands together, cup it around my nose and really take a nice deep inhalation. And then I apply whatever's left just right on my chest and on my yoga outfit because it's clear, it's not going to stay in the fabric. Because these are pure—the Certified Pure Tested Grade (CPTG^®) oils that we can just feel comfortable using.

And then finally, I would say internally, one of the neat ways to use essential oils in our practice in yoga is to just add a few drops of your favorites into your water bottle using a glass or a stainless-steel container. You know, whether it's a citrus oil or some blend combination, you add a couple drops of this and that.

One of my favorites is one drop of Cassia and two or three drops of Grapefruit together. That's a lovely flavor and it's so good for us to take in internally all the benefits that we can expect from these beautiful, clearing oils.

Some people like a little bit of Peppermint and Wild Orange together in their water and then that's a way that, as you take it in—just give it a little shake first so it's not floating on top—but to take in the Peppermint. Again, a little respiratory deep breath and it makes your breath fresh and lovely.

doTERRA: Absolutely. I have already learned so much from our conversation. But before we end, do you have any final tips or thoughts that you'd like to share about yoga and yoga with essential oils, specifically?

Marty: The biggest thing I would say to people is that, kind of where I started, Annie, I feel that yoga, the more I've practiced it, the more I realize there's so many different like I guess I'll say flavors of yoga, just as there are so many different essential oils. And you know, if you have tried it once in some setting and you just didn't you didn't like it, try again. Because honestly, this is one of the most simple things you can bring into your life and learn to do at home.

Incorporating the essential oils just gives you a chance to bring your mind to focus on the moment. And that means paying attention to how your body is moving, how you're breathing, and how that can truly benefit you and help you be present in the moment. So, you stop worrying about what's ahead and what's behind you. You can really be present and that's when we can tune in and realize when we are being our best self.

So, the essential oils combined with yoga, give us an opportunity to tune into our heart and really know that being kind to other people, showing up as our best self, including other people, welcoming others into the world--into our lives; this is a way that these things meld so beautifully together. And I really hope that people will—just like they may say, "Well, I am not a big fan of this essential oil." You may find the same with yoga: "I'm not a fan of this kind of yoga." That's great. Find the kind that makes sense for you, that helps you focus on moving your body, breathing deeply and quieting your mind.

And if we even think about that as three categories that we can put our essential oils in, it gives us a chance to really think about the physical benefits, the mental and emotional benefits, and then the spiritual connection that we can get. All of the oils offer us this, yoga offers us this, and I think the two works so beautifully together. I hope that people will give themselves permission to experiment with yoga and to experiment with their oils collection and just notice how well these two work together.

doTERRA: That is so powerful.

Marty, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today, to teach us more about yoga and how doTERRA essential oils can enhance our yoga practice.

Marty: Thank you. It was a pleasure talking with you today. Namaste.

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today. And remember, if you liked what you heard today: rate, review and subscribe wherever you listen.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.