Anointing Oil Breath Ritual
Listen to this Anointing Breath Ritual to support and inspire your receiving and honoring these beautiful sacred scents.
We create a sacred practice of prayer and renewal when we participate in a daily
anointing ritual. Through these alchemical scents, we are initiated into centuries
of tradition and ceremony that align and attune our body/being with the plant’s
ancestral wisdom. You may practice the anointing breath before yoga nidra,
before bed, or when sitting at your altar.
- Center yourself.
- Set an intention to receive the vital life force energy of the plant’s medicine.
- Shake the bottle then open and pour a few drops into your palm.
- Gently massage your palms together warming and releasing the aroma.
- Bring your palms to your nose and take four deep full breaths.
- Move your head side to side to breathe through both nostrils.
- Feel the sacred scent envelop you - moving through your brain, inside you, and all around you. Feel it spreading out into your energy field and luminous body.
- Offer your gratitude for the life-giving ways and wisdom of these alchemical medicine gifts.
During this simple practice, the aromatic molecules will move through the
olfactory system (our nose) and enter directly into the brain. As the molecules
move through the nostrils they effect both sides of the brain and move into the
limbic system which governs memory, instincts, emotions, moods, motivation
and various autonomic functions. The aromas affect us instantaneously and the
innate wisdom of our bodies knows what to do with the scent; to relax, to
energize or to balance. This alchemical liquid wisdom from our plant relatives is
delivered through our breath, moves into the brain, and then into the nervous
system.
This practice combines the dermal and olfactory system’s absorption of the
aromatic molecules when we breathe in the scent. The molecules are so tiny
that when we rub our palms together they pass through the outer layer of the
skin (the epidermis) penetrating the deeper layers and go directly into the
bloodstream. The heat that is produced when we rub our palms together
increases the blood flow to the surface and we absorb the oil through our skin.
