LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE SEASON: FALL

Olfaction Training and Aromatherapy to Accompany You Well During Fall
by Françoise RAPP, IPF Chair France

In the fall, I gathered all my sorrows and buried them in my garden. When April bloomed again and the earth and spring celebrated their nuptials, my garden was strewn with splendid and exceptional flowers. Khalil Gibran

​Fall is the season we go into soul connection, looking at what we have done so far to prepare for our winter retreat and the year ahead. It’s a difficult season for many as it marks the end of summer and its strong energy and the onset of winter. Losing the exciting summer light is difficult for many of us.
 
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is linked with the energy of the lung, symbolized by melancholy and the work of the breath. This season, it is important to focus on real breathing work in order to open and lighten your emotions, to let go and reconnect with yourself. In many traditions, breath is the energy of life. The work of breathing increases vitality and dynamism. While physical exercise is work on the body, meditation on the mind, respiratory work acts on the emotions. When we breathe automatically, we exchange ½ liter of air roughly with each breath, but when we breathe consciously, we exchange 5 liters of air. Combine with breathing work, natural essences chosen for their properties on the psyche, you will thus increase the well-being of the body and also of the mind.

In Traditional Indian Medicine, Pranayama is the 8th discipline of yoga and it focuses on the breathing work to balance the body and mind. For example, solar breathing or "surya bedhana", energises the body and mind, while lunar breathing, "chandra bedhana", on the contrary, promotes the inner calmness. Solar breathing is practiced by inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left nostril. For lunar breathing, it is the other way around.
​When we accompany each breath with a natural essence, I advise you to pour one to three drops on a paper tissue to breathe prior the exercice.

This fall, five essences will wonderfully help all the physical and energetic work to accompany you well during this season. They will help to relax the body, lighten the emotions, energize the vital energy, calm the mind and regain enthusiasm.
 
1. Bergamot essence awakens enthusiasm and joie de vivre while allowing you to let go of the mind. It goes very well with the essential oil of Roman chamomile and its honey-like note.
 
2. Roman Chamomile essential oil is solar. It brings the mind back to inner calm by allowing the mind to let go. It is the essence to fight against minor anxieties, anxiety and negative moods (in combination with the essence of bergamot).
 
3. Cardamom essential oil brings flavor back to life. It also helps alleviate the emotional burdens that you keep to yourself. Breathing in its essence helps to regain the desire for ... Mix it with bergamot and you will have a sparkling and joyful note that will make you want to sink your teeth into life.
 
4. Black spruce essential oil is the one that saves you from fatigue in the fall and also in winter. To breathe it is to dive into Canada's boreal forests. Its fragrance is woody, fresh and balsamic. It goes very well with other facets such as woods, balsamics, hesperides, ...
 
5. Scots pine essential oil stimulates the body by acting directly on the adrenal glands (it increases cortisol levels when used on the skin). It also brings a feeling of solidity and anchoring. Mix it with the essence of bergamot to make you feel light and light on the ground or that of black spruce to combat physical and mental fatigue.
 
If you've never breathed as directed, don't be afraid to take the first step. This is the one that matters!

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