How to release neck and back stress, extremely useful for office workers, students & computer geeks! From Sianu’ of The Ayurvedic Massage Center in Morjim Goa India.

This is the first installment of our free online aromatherapy class at GiveBestMassageEver.

To start, let’s talk about what is aromatherapy and what are essential oils.

Aromatherapy is really a very misleading term. It leads one to believe that aromatherapy only works through the olfactory senses, in the brain, making us feel good, making us feel relaxed, or even energized. But science has proven that aromatherapy is much more than this. Aromatherapy is becoming a comprehensive holistic science of mind and body, which makes it a perfect compliment to massage therapy.

Aromatherapy definition: The inhalation and bodily application of essential oils from aromatic plants to relax, balance, rejuvenate, restore and enhance you mentally, emotionally, physically and physiologically.

So what are essential oils?

Essential oils are the very concentrated extracts of plants. They are the precious liquids that give plants their wonderful aroma. They reside in sacs and ducts in all parts of plants. They can come from any one, or a combination of the plant’s parts.

For example, jasmine, neroli and ylang ylang essential oils are extracted from flowers. Rosemary, lavender, rose and peppermint essential oils are distilled from the flowers and leaves. Geranium, patchouli and petitgrain are distilled from leaves and stems. Sandalwood and cedarwood from wood. Bergamot, orange and lemon from the rind of the fruit. Juniper from berries. Myrrh from resin. Vetivert from roots.

The special thing about essential oils is that all of them, to a greater or lesser extent, exhibit the following characteristics:

Antiseptic (prevents or combats infection locally)
Bactericide (kills bacteria)
Bacteriostatic (inhibits growth of bacteria)
Cytophylactic (promotes cell regeneration when applied to the skin)

But essential oils aren’t really magic potions. Although is fun to think that they are. Without knowing the science behind them, they truly do seem to work like magic. But their chemical makeup is what gives them their special transformative properties.

Below, read some of the major categories of chemicals found in essential oils:

Acids – kill bacteria
Alcohols – destroy bacterial and viral infections and are skin toners
Aldehydes – reduce inflammation and destroy bacterial infections
Coumarins – thin the blood and are calming and uplifting emotionally
Esters – soothe muscle spasms and irritated skin and kill fungal infections
Ester oxides – release lung congestion and mentally stimulating
Hydrocarbons – reduce bacterial infections, inflammation and intestinal gas
Ketones – promote wound healing and thin out bronchial and lung congestion
Phenols – stimulate blood flow, warm the skin and are powerful antibacterials

Now that we know what essential oils are capable of doing to help us with our health, in our next lesson we will learn some of the best essential oils to own and why. You will learn how to make your own essential oil first aid kit and how to determine a great quality oil.

Stay tuned. The next lesson will come by the end of this week.

As the staff aromatherapist here at GiveBestMassageEver, I thought I
would take today to talk about how you can incorporate aromatherapy essential oils into your life.

A lot of people have heard of essential oils and know that they’re supposed to make you feel good, relieve stress, and smell good, but don’t know much else, like how to use them or how to blend them. What are the best oils and how do I know I am getting a quality oil that will actually work for me.

So this month at least once or twice a week I will publish a little lesson of sorts, on the “art” of aromatherapy so you can see just how easy it is to benefit from these seemingly magical essences.

You’ll learn how to use essential oils in your bath, make your own aromatherapy massage oils, make your own aromatherapy bath salts, the best types of burners and diffusers to use, what oils are good for what, how much to blend and use in whatever you are making.

Using essential oils is like sampling the life of luxury. In the moment you are using them, you feel rich and pampered. When taking an aromatherapy bath or enjoying an aromatherapy massage, you come out feeling brand new, clean and smelling of roses, wood and some interesting and aromatic spices from all over the world.

Sampling and using essential oils is an adventure, sort of like going on a safari or a tropical vacation only you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars.

So stay tuned to this spot. The first aromatherapy lesson will come by the end of this week!

In this aromatherapy video tutorial you will learn 3 essential oils that are good for stress relief and how to use them.

This is type of back massage to relax a person and relieve stress.

Athena is a Cranio Sacral Therapist, a Licensed Massage Therapist and Lymphatic Drainage Therapist.

Watch her demonstrate in this video a perfect back massage to give to your mate or loved one.