Essential oils are a great way to freshen up your home, but how we use essential oils goes far beyond creating a pleasing scent. In the same way plants can offer medicinal and emotional benefits to the mind and body, so can the essential oils from which the plants are extracted.
Many essential oils are used today in meditation, yoga, and other self-care rituals to calm the mind, ease tension, and promote relaxation. The constituents in many essential oils work on a molecular level to bring you back to a place of balance. In this article, we'll explore one of our favorite essential oils - hinoki - for relaxation and meditation.
Hinoki Essential Oil
Hinoki essential oil comes from the hinoki tree, native to central Japan. With its beautiful red bark and small cones, the hinoki tree is cultivated for its ornamental qualities and its versatile lumber. Hinoki has been used for centuries to calm the body and mind.
Hinoki's calming and soothing effects also make it an ideal oil for aromatherapy, skincare, and spa products. The woody aroma with subtle citrus notes works powerfully to reduce stress, ease tension, and relax the body.
When used in aromatherapy, hinoki oil creates a serene environment and can have profound positive effects on the mind and body.
What is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to enhance physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The practice of aromatherapy has been used since ancient times to heal the body, calm the mind, promote relaxation, and so much more.
The Science of Hinoki for Relaxation
When you inhale hinoki essential oil, its constituents can stimulate the olfactory receptors and activate the limbic system of your brain. The limbic system plays a role in creating different emotions and feelings and carries the information to the hypothalamus and, from there, to other parts of the body.
The calming effects of hinoki essential oil can help you de-stress, promote a calm state of being, and help you feel more balanced and relaxed.
Hinoki Essential Oil for Meditation
Hinoki essential oil can strengthen your meditation by increasing focus, calming the body, and relaxing the mind.
Meditation is the practice of focused concentration. It's a powerful way to relax the body, calm nerves, promote a more balanced state of being, ease symptoms of stress and anxiety, and increase focus.
As a practice, meditation can look different for everyone. It may look like taking a moment to step away from the noise of your day to take a few deep breaths, or it may be a more structured practice.
Hinoki essential oil is a great addition to your meditation practice, whatever that may look like. The calming effects of hinoki essential oil can help to relax your body and mind, increase your focus and awareness, and help you get the most out of your practice.
A simple meditation
If you're just getting started with meditation and perhaps feeling overwhelmed with where to begin, follow these simple steps to create a practice that works for you.
- Create a calm, quiet, relaxing environment
- Find a comfortable position to sit
- Take several deep breaths while focusing solely on your breathing
How to Use Hinoki Essential Oil During Meditation
Topically
Before you begin your meditation practice, apply one drop of hinoki essential oil, diluted with a tablespoon of carrier oil, such as jojoba oil, to your wrists, bottom of your feet, and neck. Take a few deep breaths as you apply the oil, and allow yourself to let the feelings of ease take over.
Aromatically
Our favorite way to use hinoki essential oil for meditation is by diffusing. Before setting up your meditation space, add a few drops of hinoki essential oil to your diffuser and allow the scent to fill the room with its woody aroma. When you sit down and breathe deeply, you feel instant relaxation and calm.
Inner Peace Diffuser Blend
2 drops hinoki essential oil
2 drops frankincese essential oil
2 drops tangerine essential oil
Hinoki Essential Oil with Our Hinoki Wood Diffuser
Vörda offers several sizes, shapes, and varieties of wood diffusers to fill your home with style and scent. We recommend The Vās Wood Diffuser in Japanese Hinoki Cypress for your meditation practice. The Vās Wood Diffuser is simple and elegant, inspired by "vās," the Latin word for a vessel often used for carrying flowers.
Our wood diffusers are sustainably made and cordless, waterless, and plastic-free. With our handcrafted wood diffusers, you can enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy while conserving water and energy. The wood absorbs essential oils slowly but naturally disperses aromas in small areas to create a serene ambiance.
Hinoki Essential Oil in Your Yoga Practice
Using hinoki essential oil in your yoga practice can help to increase awareness, calm your body, and focus your mind.
Yoga can be a powerful mind-body practice to build resilience, ease tension, and promote well-being. Aromatherapy during yoga can deepen your yoga practice by encouraging focus and connection. In yoga, we practice Dharna, which uses a single point of focus, such as your breath, an intention, or a fixed point, to remain focused and balanced. Essential oils, such as hinoki, can activate the limbic system, increasing your focus and offering heightened awareness.
When intentionally using your essential oils in your practice, you can support your breathing, which is one of the main focuses of a yoga practice. In yoga, your breath is used to control prana or vital energy, which helps to control the mind. Hinoki has antispasmodic properties that help increase circulation, improve the respiratory system, and allow you to breathe deep.
Hinoki essential oil can promote feelings of calm, further your intentions, and deepen the connection between your mind and body for a more focused yoga practice.
How to Use Hinoki Essential Oil During Yoga
Topically
Before you begin your yoga practice, apply one drop of hinoki essential oil, diluted with a tablespoon of carrier oil, such as jojoba oil, to your wrists, bottom of your feet, chest, and neck. As you apply your oils, take a few deep breaths and set your intention for your practice.
Aromatically
Zen Yoga Diffuser Blend
2 drops hinoki essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Hinoki Essential Oil to Create a Relaxing Evening Rituals
Relax, unwind, and enjoy your best night's sleep with hinoki essential oil.
The calming properties of hinoki essential oil make it ideal for your evening rituals to wind down at the end of the day and promote deep, restful sleep. The sedative properties help to prepare your mind and body for sleep and help to stop racing thoughts from the day prior.
If you struggle with sleep or want to enhance your evening rituals, hinoki essential oil is a great way to promote rest and relaxation and let your worries melt away.
How to Use Hinoki Essential Oil in Your Evening Rituals
Topically
- Add a few drops of hinoki essential oil to your favorite lotion, nighttime moisture, or massage oil, and apply generously to ease tension in the body.
- Combine hinoki essential oil with a handful of Epsom salts for your evening bath. This relaxing ritual offers full body relaxation and helps prepare your body for sleep.
- Mix a drop or two of hinoki essential oil with your favorite carrier oil, such as jojoba oil, and apply to your wrists, the back of your neck, your chest, and the bottoms of your feet before bed.
Aromatically
Diffusing hinoki essential oil during your evening ritual is a great way to experience the oil's calming effects and create an environment for restful sleep. An hour or two before bed, add a few drops of hinoki essential oil to your diffuser and allow it to fill your space with its calming, woody aroma. As you sleep, hinoki essential oil will fill the room and promote deep, restful relaxation.
