All you want to know about Aromatherapy & Reiki
What happens in a Reiki healing session?
A typical hands on Reiki session can last anywhere between 30 minutes to over an hour (A distance Reiki session can be shorter). You simply lie down comfortably, fully clothed, on the Reiki table, close your eyes, & allow yourself to loosen up & relax. The Reiki practitioner conducts the entire session simply by gently ‘laying’ their hands in different specific positions on the front & back of your body, including all your chakra locations, starting from the ‘Sahasrara‘ or the crown chakra on the top of your head. Some times, the practitioner may even choose to keep their hands in the air, a few inches above your body, in each position, giving Reiki even without touching you! A Reiki session, whether in person or a distance one is usually a deeply relaxing one, but different people can have different specific personal experiences. Many experience a feeling of lightness; even floating, or drift into a sleep to wake up only when the session is over, feeling refreshed & re energized. Some may feel any range of sensations like coolness, heat, tingling, pain, vibrations etc. over particular areas. Some may feel nothing. One does not analyze this at all. Irrespective of what you feel or don’t, Reiki is gently flowing into you, opening, clearing, restoring, harmonizing, & often keeps working even after the session.
What happens in a Distance Reiki healing session?
The most magical thing about Reiki is that it is this omnipresent, universal life energy force. This is what allows Reiki to be beamed to a receiver across the room or across the globe. Such a session is called Distance Reiki Healing. It can be received from the comfort of your own home at a time mutually set up with the practitioner. It can be received no matter where one is, & what one is doing, as long as your receiving intention has been clearly set by you. However, it is definitely preferable that one receives it when one would be unhurried & undisturbed; & can be in a comfortable, relaxed posture, such as bedtime. It is often offered to anyone who is sick or in the hospital, in this manner. Reiki can also be easily used along with any conventional treatment/medication you might be on. It can offer deep support for anything- pain relief post a tooth extraction to managing pre operative anxiety, or post operative healing. The no. of sessions needed depend on the physical, emotional issues one if seeking a session for. For general relaxation & de stressing purposes, just a single session from time to time can feel great for a long while. One thing to remember is that Reiki has infinite intelligence of its own, flows with wisdom wherever it is needed, & most importantly, ALWAYS works for nothing else but the highest good of the receiver, whatever that might be according to each individual’s higher self. Reiki can also be given to animals, intentions, things, & past & future events.
What are essential oils?
Plants that are ‘Aromatic’ produce complex, dynamic, volatile chemical substances inside their special cells or glands, for serving many purposes- attracting pollinators, warding off predators, disease resistance etc. These pure plant essences, when extracted through various methods like steam distillation, cold pressing, solvent extraction etc., are called essential oils or aromatic oils.
What is NOT an essential oil?
Anything that is not an original part of this pure plant essence, is not ‘essential oil’. An essential oil is composed of many different naturally occurring components (sometimes over 200!) in varying proportions. The chemistry of an essential oil is what determines its entire nature, including the range of its therapeutic properties, & safety considerations. Anything artificially added to, or subtracted from it, would alter this chemistry. Intentional adulteration, OR accidental, or unavoidable contamination of any essential oil by substances such as fragrances, pesticides, plastics, any unsafe solvents (during solvent extraction), or even by other essential oils, residues or carrier oils etc. irrevocably compromises its status as ‘essential oil’. Unfortunately, due to the precious nature of essential oils, these phenomenon are quite common. It goes without saying, that any advantages connected to an essential oil can only be expected if it is pure; in the absence of which the risk of harm & hazards also grow.
Who is a professional Certified or a Clinical Aromatherapist?
He or she is someone who has formally been extensively educated in the subject of Aromatherapy from an accredited school. Education includes multiple aspects including plant taxonomy, profile & chemistry, safety & contraindications, research, detailed human Anatomy & Physiology, hands on customized blending for people etc. A professional Aromatherapist is considered qualified in Aromatherapy’s practical application; alone, or integrated with other health/wellness modalities. A credible Aromatherapy qualification is one that is accredited/recognized by one or more of the prime non profit, global aromatherapy organizations such as NAHA (The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy); AIA (The Alliance of International Aromatherapists); IFPA (International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists). These are primary global bodies for dissemination of essential oil knowledge, setting standards for Aromatherapy education, research, industry best practices etc. They also have established ethical & professional codes of conduct, & requirements of continual educational upgrading from all their qualifying professional members. My Aromatherapy education is accredited by The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy(NAHA); The Alliance of International Aromatherapists(AIA); International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists(IFPA); International Institute for Complementary Therapists; American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP).
What are therapeutic grade essential oils?
The labels “therapeutic grade”, “aromatherapy grade”, “food grade” etc. might arguably be used by companies with the intent of conveying that their essential oils are unadulterated, but this is something that can only be objectively ascertained by certain specific scientific lab tests. In professional aromatherapy, these terms hold no meaning other than for retail marketing purposes. This is because:
1) To begin with, (as has been elaborated above in Qs. 1 & 2) an essential oil, is technically not deemed an ‘essential oil’ if it is anything other than the plant essence in its original composition, post distillation. This clearly means that if an “essential oil” is genuine, authentic, & unaltered, as it would naturally be expected to be by any average user, it would automatically be pure & hold all therapeutic properties attributed to it. In this understanding, additional labelling is not indicative of anything special, no matter what the intention.
2) These labelling terms are not regulated by any central authority & therefore hold no official credence. This also means, that anyone can use these terms just by will, on their essential oil labels. With regard to this, the official NAHA website clearly states – “No grading system for essential oils exists in the USA. We therefore cannot accept ads which state: “therapeutic grade, medical grade,” etc. It is acceptable to use the word “quality” instead of grade (e.g., “therapeutic quality”).”1.
1. https://naha.org/marketplace/
Who can benefit from essential oils?
Technically, everyone. Repeated scientific research has validated the amazing powerhouse holistic support potential of essential oils. However, despite this fact, & the steadily rising excitement they are generating, it must be remembered that their power arises from their extreme natural potency & concentration; & this, also makes them potentially toxic & unsafe especially if used carelessly & irresponsibly without proper knowledge & awareness. This is even more crucial for essential oil usage for children, pregnant & lactating women, the elderly & immune compromised, & those on multiple medications. Ingestion can be especially toxic & dangerous, is cautioned against for general use, & is not recommended at all as an aromatherapy industry best practice, UNLESS under the care of a qualified clinical ingestion expert aromatherapist. Despite this fact, it is significant to notice that the recorded ratio of essential oil related fatalities & accidents have been insignificant compared to those caused by conventional medical procedures, pharmaceutical drug abuse, overdose etc.
What are Hydrosols?
Hydrosols are the aromatic waters, & the non volatile components of the plant that are produced during distillation of some essential oils. Unlike their essential oil counterparts, they are exceedingly gentle, & are usually baby, pet, & extremely sensitive skin friendly:) They thus, have their own very special value in Aromatherapy! They have a range of therapeutic properties & can be invaluable for a lot of support such as for skin care, irritation, infections, bug repellence etc.