Best Essential Oils for Meditation

Essential oils and meditation go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Quietening your busy mind, dropping into the body, and focusing on your senses is a simple, supercharged way to add more mindful bliss to your days.

I started my journey with essential oils back in my teenage years and I have loved them ever since. As a witch, I enhanced my love and knowledge of these long-used oils. I’ve been meditating for over a decade now and I always use an oil blend to enhance my chill time.

Now they are a daily part of my life and I love making my own Lavender oil from the Lavender in my garden.

This post will walk you through some of the best oils for meditation and how you might try using them.

Just a quick reminder; essential oils are highly concentrated and must be diluted in a carrier oil or used with water in a steam atomiser.

Always opt for pure or preferably organic oils, and avoid synthetic imitations.

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional and do not offer this as medical advice. This is my own personal experience and I encourage you to seek advice from a medical professional before making changes to your health, especially if you are pregnant or have a health condition.

Essential oils can cause adverse reactions in some people. Do not put them directly onto your skin. Never ingest essential oils. Some essential oils are not safe for children. Some essential oils are dangerous to pets. Be sure to research if the oils you are using are harmful to your animals.

BEST ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MEDITATION

1. Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis

You might know Rosemary as a culinary herb, but the essential oil is a major player in an aromatherapist’s oil box. It has a warming, stimulating effect, that’s why you often find it in shampoo, but I am talking about meditation today. Rosemary has a calming, clearing effect on the mind. It’s been used for centuries as an aid to strengthen concentration and mental clarity.

It has an earthy aroma and blends well with floral oils such as Lavender and Neroli and woody oils such as Frankincense.

2 Lemon Verbena. (Aloysia Citrodora)

An uplifting, happy scent that has a toning and nurturing effect on your nervous system. The leaves and stalks are steam-distilled for the oil. Its subtle scent has a calming effect on a busy, overthinking mind. Perfect to add to your meditation blend if your energy level is low. It blends well with lemon and spearmint.

3 Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils and for excellent reason. Its calming effect aids sleep and encourages restful nights. As a long-term poor sleeper, I have used lavender oil by the gallon. It’s also beautiful to grow and dry yourself and taking a visit to a brilliantly purple lavender farm in summer is a must for me.

Lavender essential oil blends with many oils, especially citrus notes such as bergamot and mandarin.

5 Neroli (Citrus Aurantium).

Neroli Essential Oil is water distilled from the blossoms of the bitter or Seville orange tree.

It’s used frequently in perfumes, but this popular (and unfortunately expensive) oil is a powerful tonic to calm your mind and revive your spirits. The floral aroma is quite unique but once you smell Neroli you will never forget it.

Neroli blends well with vetiver mandarin and sandalwood oil.

6 Vetiver (Vetiveria Zizanoides)

Vetiver is a great essential oil for your meditation practice. The vetiver oil is steam-distilled from the chopped rootlets of the plant. This may be the reason it is thought to be grounding, especially when you are feeling under stress.

7 Sandalwood (Santalum Album).

Sandalwood oil is steam-distilled from the heartwood of the tree. It has a long history of use in Indian and Chinese medicine, religious rituals, and spiritual practice. It has a woody scent that is deeply grounding. Unfortunately, because of overconsumption, sandalwood is now endangered.

What can you do? Buy your essential oils from a reputable company who have traceable and transparent supply chains and try alternatives. Amyris oil is made from fermented sugarcane and has a very similar fragrance to sandalwood (I’ve never used it myself as yet).

Sandalwood blends well with floral oils such as ylang-ylang.

8 Patchouli (Pogostemon Cablin)

Patchouli is well noted for its nourishing skin properties, but this light floral scent has a balancing effect on the mind, too.

The oil is steam-distilled from the leaves of the patchouli bush. It is useful when you are feeling exhausted or overwhelmed. Add a little patchouli to your meditation blend when you crave some inner peace.

9 Clary Sage (Salvia Sclarea)

Clary Sage is a favorite oil of mine. Known for its uplifting effect on the mind and soothing to heightened emotions. It’s also a good one to add to your post-run massage oil for achy legs.

The oil is steam-distilled from the flowering tops and leaves. It blends well with citrus oils like lime and geranium.

10 Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

Every garden should have a little chamomile growing. A cup of fresh chamomile tea is like nature’s nectar. The oil is naturally soothing to overstretched nerves and helps to promote a good night’s sleep. Chamomile creates a sense of peace when a steam diffuser is placed in the bedroom before sleep.

Chamomile is steam-distilled from the flowers of this sunny plant. There are other variations of chamomile. They all have similar properties with slightly differing scents.

Blends well with rose and mandarin oil.

11 Ylang Ylang (Cananga Odorata)

Another popular oil, ylang-ylang is a fun scent that blends with multiple oils. This floral oil aids relaxation uplifts your mood, and is even said to be an aphrodisiac in some cultures. Does it make sense if you are feeling less stressed? In one small study, ylang-ylang essential oil was reported to have a positive effect on blood pressure.

I love using this oil. It blends with so many oils, especially citrus, woody, and floral. A favorite blend of mine is ylang-ylang oil, chamomile, and mandarin.

12 Jasmine (Jasminium Officinale)

My hands-down favorite essential oil. Life is better when it’s fragranced with jasmine. Jasmine can be whatever you need, deeply relaxing or highly uplifting. If you are dealing with pesky negative thoughts or stress (we all have those days) Jasmine is the ideal essential oil to add to your blend.

I love to complement my jasmine habit with a few floral plants around the garden. They smell stronger at night and make any summer garden feel a little more blissful.

As the flowers are so delicate, they cannot be steam-distilled. Solvent extraction is the method used for jasmine.

Blend jasmine with bergamot, sweet orange, and black pepper.

Aroma Tip: Be on the lookout for artificial jasmine. Look for Jasmine Absolute. If it’s too cheap, it’s not jasmine.

13 Mimosa (acacia dealbata)

Sorry, no cocktails here. Mimosa oil is worth a mention, though. Naturally calming and soothing on your body and mind, Mimosa is another great meditation oil.

Solvent extracted, so look for mimosa absolute.

Blends with clary sage and lavender.

14 Bergamot (Citrus Bergamia)

Bergamot is a popular aromatherapy oil said to have a balancing effect on the mind. Its fruity and uplifting aroma helps to pick you up on a dull day. If you love Earl Grey tea, like me, you will already know the aroma of bergamot.

Blends well with neroli and frankincense.

Aroma tip: Bergamot can make skin more photosensitive, especially oils that contain bergaptene.

15 Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra)

Famed for its potent use in skincare, this pungent oil has been used for thousands of years in religious and ceremonial traditions around the world.

The distinct aroma soothes and invigorates exhausted minds. Frankincense oil is a base note. You can build your other oils from the strength of it. Blends beautifully with citrus (especially lemon), ylang-ylang, and jasmine. That’s actually my go-to blend, right there.

Frankincense is the one oil to keep in mind for your meditation and mindfulness practice.

HOW DO YOU USE THEM IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION?

Once you’ve decided which oils you want to try, there are several ways to bring them to your meditation.

Tissue or cotton pad.

The simplest way to use essential oils during meditation is by placing a couple of drops of the oil onto a tissue or cotton pad.

Keep this close to where you are meditating and you will get a gentle scent from the oils. Be very careful not to get undiluted oils onto your skin and onto any household surfaces.

Essential Oil Diffuser.

Diffusers disperse tiny molecules of essential oil into the air in a fine mist. This is a safer and cleaner way than using an oil burner. To use an electric diffuser, you add a small amount of water (follow the product’s directions) and then add just 1-2 drops of essential oils into the water.

Reed Diffuser.

Reed diffusers are thin sticks of rattan wood. They are a simple way to diffuse small amounts of essential oil into the air.

Add a small amount of your favorite oil blend to the diffuser jar and place the reeds inside the jar.

Essential Oil Jewelry.

Essential oil or aromatherapy jewelry is jewelry that is specially made to hold small amounts of essential oils. They are most commonly beads, terracotta, or porous rocks which will absorb a small amount of oil.

If the item that holds the oil touches your skin it will need to be diluted properly and be aware that this can also stain clothing.

A note on blending essential oils.

There are common combinations of single oils (like the ones I have listed) but creating the best essential oil blends is a matter of personal taste or smell! It’s ready for a store where you can smell the differing fragrances and find what smells right for you. What smells right to me might turn your nose into a wrinkle. Otherwise, you can leave it to the experts and buy a pre-made blend of oils.

Meditation is not complex; meditation sessions can be as simple as a 5-minute break in your garden or a full 60 minutes of peace. With time and consistency, regular meditation can have a big impact on your mindset and daily life.

Using essential oils is a great addition to your meditation routine. Harnessing the properties of these fragrant oils, can deepen the relaxation and get more from your time out.

Take 5 deep breaths.

Have a beautifully fragranced day ♥