Alignment. It is something you may think about in and out of your asana practice. On the mat it helps safely engage your muscles which lend kindness to your joints among other benefits. Active alignment creates body memory which carries your yoga “off the mat” and into your physical life. My yoga instructor often corrects me; pointing out minor shifts I can make which make a big difference in the depth of my practice. These minor shifts often make my practice more easeful yet immensely engaged.
There is also alignment of energy, the psyche, to consider. Although yoga—union, yoke—is a way to work with energy there are several other modalities the world has to offer. Some may look to work with etheric energy through the chakras—myriad whirling energy centers connecting that which is within and without us. Engaging energy through plants, specifically aromatic plants and their essential oils is a subtle but powerful way to work with the body and soul. The aromatics pull you into the present through their olfactory nature and promote movement, subtle shifting, to encourage active alignment.
Balancing is a word often used in aromatherapy. Life is dynamic and asks you to shift along with it, to engage with and not against. Sometimes our egos and things that feel beyond our control make it hard to be dynamic. This is when you may call on different plants to assist you. From drinking an herbal tisane to soothe the stomach or nerves to working with essential oils distilled from roots to support growth, safety and connect to matter or oils distilled from heartwoods to provide structure, the plants are here to provide support and guidance. Ah, but we must respect them.
Something I feel strongly about is that there is no “right” essential oil or “right” plant or method. Having a “right” or rigid sensibility often leads to stagnation and a concretization of energy and spirit—which may manifest in the physical body. What may work today with one person may not be right for them in 3 months or the next day for someone else. So although we want alignment, we want to also embrace the dynamic nature of life. We are forever shifting along with everything else; you may turn to many different essential oils and plants at different times to help keep your energy in balance, in alignment. Once you understand the parameters (i.e., safety, sustainability, personalities of plants) and limits of a modality you are free to fully engage with it as needed.
Join me on 
Saturday, March 17th from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm at the New York Institute of Aromatic Studies for “Connecting Energies: Aromatherapy and Chakras”: a workshop designed to explore aromatherapy, aromatic plants and the chakras through the senses. By going outward you receive space to go inward.
When we’re feeling blocked, scattered or disconnected we can access centering techniques that are free and available: asana, the breath, pure energy, nature and its plant allies. These all connect us back to ourselves and the earth. Namaste.
