Meditation technique for reflection

[lainey]

I just bought an aromatherapy book as a precursor to the college course I'm starting and I tried out one of the meditation techniques involving essential oils in the book. I found it really helped me connect with my thoughts and emotions and linking those emotions with physical sensations in the body. It surprised me how well it worked and what I was able to journal about afterwards.
I'll copy it out here for anyone who would like to give it a try.

This exercise uses the power of imagination to take you on a journey inspired by an oil of your choice.
You will need to choose a period of at least half an hour when you will not be interrupted. Find a comfortable upright chair, or a cushion on which you can sit comfortably on the floor; the essential oil of your choice, preferably one that you might have used frequently for a reasonable period of time; and a handkerchief or paper tissue.

Put 1-2 drops of your chosen essential oil on to the handkerchief or tissue and place it within easy reach. Seat yourself comfortably.
If you are sitting in a chair you may want to put a cushion under your feet to help you relax..
Once you are in a comfortable position place your hands lightly, palms down, on your thighs. Concentrate on the rise and fall of your breath and become observant of your breath as it enters and leaves your body. If any thoughts of daily activities come into your head, acknowledge them and then allow them to pass away.

After a few minutes have passed, take the scented handkerchief and inhale from it deeply for one or two breaths. Try to observe which parts of the body you become aware or and what feelings are there - for example, it may be a warm sensation or a tingling one. Colours may come to mind, specific pictures, or perhaps a dream like story. Allow the inspiration of the scent to transport you in your imagination, and as far as possible allow yourself to really trust what you imagine and feel.

At this point I would perhaps try to employ a technique to really get in touch with your body and the physical sensations or emotions that may arise and the reasons behind them. Really let yourself be honest with yourself about them.
For example for the physical sensations I like to follow the sensation around the body with my hand so I can stay focused on the sensation and not get carried away with the emotion if it is overwhelming. You can take this time to really search for the reasons behind the things that come to the fore.

When the images begin to fade, gently bring your attention back to your own breathing, observing the rise and fall of your chest. Become aware again of the comfortable chair in the room and, when you are completely ready, slowly open your eyes. You may feel a little dreamy after completing the exercise, and a glass of water can help regain a solid, present feeling in your body.
The activity of writing down any thoughts and feelings about the experience will also help achieve this.

By making this journey into the imagination sever times with different essential oils it is possible to develop your confidence and intuitive knowledge. As a guide the whole process should last 15 minutes

Also a part at the front of the book explains this process in a little bit more detail:

When a scent is inhaled, the odour molecules float to the back of the nasal cavity, where they dissolve and unite with receptor or olfactory, cells. These trigger off electrical signals via the nerve pathways to the olfactory bulb in the brain. Only 8 molecules of scent are needed to trigger the smell mechanism.
Most of the essential oil molecules that have triggered the system are breathed out, although some will enter the bloodstream via the lungs and will then travel around the body for several hours before they are eliminated.

The areas of the brain to which messages concerning smell are sent are the cerebral cortex and the limbic system. The limbic system controls many vital activities such as sleep, sexual drive, hunger and thirst as well as smell.

This is also the area of the brain that relates to emotion and memory, which gives the clue to the link between smell, emotion and memory.
Odours are also connected to the hypothalamus, which controls the endocrine system and nervous system. Through this mechanism the brain comes into contact with the outside world. Specific neuro-chemicals within the nervous system are stimulated by the different scents.

The apparent fading of a scent occurs when all the receptor cells are full, but after ten minutes or so they are vacated and can be reoccupied, causing the scent to "come back". This explains why we fail to notice a scent if we have been exposed to it for a while, while it may smell strong to someone just coming into the room.

 

[Deleted member 11729]

Sounds like very nice 15 minute meditation practice. Thank you for sharing Lainey, will try it for sure. :)

 

[lilyalic]

Hi lainey, thank you for posting this. :)

I tried it before, but it seems hard for me to follow a sensation i.e. It feels stuck at my head/neck and doesn't seem to move so much.
When I realized this, I heard voices saying "you're stupid" etc - because it wasn't working the way I wanted it to basically, and started to feel my face frown. I stopped, and started having compassionate thoughts and feelings - which ended up with "I love you" - then I turned the "I love you" into the closest 'feeling' I can attribute that to. Then I started feeling warm and fuzzy in the chest area.

I then chose to put attention on all different parts of the body, starting from the feet (each part would tingle or so when focused on). I found that when I got to my chest, it was still warm and fuzzy, tingling across to my shoulders (I can still feel it a little now) which was really nice.

I'm going to try this when I'm feeling really emotional, or when something has happened - to see if I can track the sensation.

Thanks again. :D