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As well as smelling very pleasant, essential oils have many valuable therapeutic qualities.  Here are just a few: Adaptogenic.  They aid the body to adapt to and resist the damaging effects of stress, and promote and/or aid in restoring normal physiological functioning. Antimicrobial.  They aid the body to combat infections, viruses, bacteria, and fungal infestation. […]

Applying essential oils for stress and stress related conditions A synopsis of the outcome of a small pilot study conducted at the University of Salford in 2010, exploring the use of essential oils (without massage) for stress and related conditions. Heather Dawn Godfrey PGCE, BSc., FIFA, MFHT   General Background This small-scale study involved six […]

Age is an inevitable process; our bodies are finite, life is transient. However, although there is some inevitable ‘slowing down’, ageing does not necessarily herald debilitation. Ageing is another of many ‘rights of passage’ encountered through life. Marguerite Maury (1895-1968) believed that in acknowledging age as a natural process, a friend and not an enemy, adapting […]

As affirmed in my recent blog, ‘A Moments Reflection’, one of the lovely unexpected consequences of setting out on my writing journey is that I encounter so many amazing and inspiring people.  It is so uplifting to realise just how many kindred spirits exist. In sharing a little bit about them here, I aim to […]

This workshop will explore the basic principles of combining essential oils to create an effective and pleasant blend. The Dynamics of Scent precedes a series of training workshops that will explore the qualities of essential oils in more depth, and how to appropriately apply them. Date: Wednesday 25th September 2019 Time: 1.30 pm to 4.45 […]

  Every so often I reach a juncture on my journey, a point of awe, appreciation, and gratitude, when I am stopped in my tracks for a moment.  I woke up this morning suddenly struck by how far I have travelled, and was compelled to pause and observe the landscape.  In many ways I have […]

  I am delighted to announce that my book, Essential Oils for Mindfulness and Meditation: Relax Replenish Rejuvenate, has sold almost 3,000 copies since it was published in November 2018 (Inner Traditions Bear & Co., Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont, USA: printed and distributed by Simon & Schuster USA & UK).   You can purchase copies […]

The journey from idea, pen to paper, to publication. “You become what you believe, not what you think or what you want”.  Oprah Winfrey The readers experience of a book is as significant as its academic and/or creative content.  Good publishers respect their readers as well as their authors, and produce books that people want to ‘own’, […]

Three Wise Middle Eastern Kings brought gifts to the new born infant to protect him and honour his birth. Gold symbolises purity of spirit and encourages realisation of one’s potential. Frankincense deepens and calms breathing, instilling a sense of tranquility and inner connection, an invaluable aid to meditation and prayer Myrrh strengthens the sense of spirituality […]

  Rose Otto (absolute) (Rosa x demascena Miller. Rosa x centifolia L)  Originally native to the Orient and Middle East, rose is grown and cultivated throughout the world, producing numerous species and cultivars. Rose essential oil is extracted from the fresh flower petals of the demascena and centifolia species and produces a pale yellow to […]

The aim of meditation is to hone and sustain conscious awareness of ‘being’ in the present moment.  I am always a whispered distance from the veil of my future and the shadows of my past, shades flickering in muted colours in my memory.  Yet focusing attention on what is happening, what I sensually experience, what I […]

The air richly infused with the fragrant scent of lavender, I walked into the greeting garden, beyond which stretched several neat linear rows of small purple bushes extended to the tree-lined distant edge of the adjoining field. On one side of the field, in beautiful contrast, a stunning array of sunflowers stood proudly as if […]