Body & Soul: Recipe for Relaxation
Create herb-scented massage oils and rub someone the right way.
December/January 2003
By Kathi Keville
Recipes:
RELATED CONTENT
Use this massage oil to ease the pain of sore muscles and joints or to warm your muscles before he...
This simple massage oil can be used before and after gardening to loosen and warm your body. ...
The cypress oil in this varicose veins massage oil blend is extremely effective....
Throughout recorded history, the ability of fragrance to induce responses and enhance moods has bee...
Herbal, mineral, and aromatherapy baths and saunas are an essential component of a cleansing progra...
Sidebar:
It’s so nice to be kneaded. In fact, what could feel better at the end of a tension-filled day than a massage, gently scented with your favorite aromatic herbs? Aches and pains fade, tensions ease, and for at least a few hours, the cares of the world seem to drift away. Massage is a way to help cope with stress, relax and focus on health and happiness.
A good massage oil greatly enhances the experience by easing the friction of skin against skin. Scented massage oils not only add an extra dimension of pleasure; the fragrance actually can guide you to a state of deep relaxation. If you’re an herb gardener, you may have a wealth of material ready and waiting to be steeped into a scented oil of your own creation. If you’re not, herb shops and health-food stores are stocked with likely possibilities.
I often have observed the power of fragrance at work in my herb garden. When I give a garden tour, everyone seems to respond similarly to the same herbs. Visitors smile and noticeably relax at the heady scent of lavender in full bloom; they seem to talk more softly around the chamomile, yet chatter away when we get to the peppermint bed.
I like to bring those herbal fragrances — and the responses they evoke — to the massage table. As a professional massage therapist, I know the value of fragrance in helping my clients relax or, if their energy or mood is low, to perk them up. Research has shown that herbal fragrances affect the mind and emotions; they can be not only relaxing but also lower heart and breathing rates. This use of fragrance forms the basis of aromatherapy.
When I first started with massage and herbal massage oils more than 28 years ago, I tried a simple experiment. I gathered a handful of lavender buds (always one of my favorite scents), placed them in a jar of almond oil and set the jar in a warm place. After a few days, the almond oil had absorbed the herb’s essential oils and its glorious aroma. When I used it as a massage oil, people relaxed so much they would sometimes fall asleep during a massage. Soon I was steeping many other fragrant herbs in almond oil in the shade of my garden wall. I now make many blends by combining different herbs and flowers, sometimes adding purchased essential oils of plants I don’t grow in my garden.
Page: 1 |
2 |
3 |
Next >>