Yoga and essential oils go hand in hand for your health and wellness. More and more, yoga studios are replacing the use of incense in the classroom with essential oils. But not everyone is aware of how essential oils can enhance their yoga and other exercise practices.

While the weather is good this summer, why not have your next essential oil class be an outdoor yoga class? Invite a certified yoga instructor to come and kick off the class with a 15-minute yoga routine before you get things going. This will center, relax, and energize your attendees.

The goal of this class is to help your attendees learn about essential oils and how they can be a part of their healthy living routines.

Come prepared with a variety of high-quality essential oils. Add a few drops to 8 oz. glass or plastic spray bottles full of water. Start class by allowing each attendee to choose which oils to mist on his or her yoga mat. Space out your students enough that they will not be affected by each other’s oils. Have the students sit and breathe deeply on their mats before the yoga workout begins. Briefly explain how essential oils promote mental and emotional health, support physical and spiritual well-being, and soothe sore and achy muscles.

Allow the yoga instructor to guide the class through a brief yoga routine tailored for beginners with alternate moves for the more experienced students. After they are finished and are given a minute or two for quiet meditation, pass around something for them to drink such as essential oil–infused water or one of these refreshing drinks made with essential oils.

Continue the class with a  discussion on the benefits of using essential oils in yoga and other exercise practices. You may want to mention how essential oils can be diffused in a workout space, added to water, sprinkled on sweat towels, or used in a spray bottle to mist exercise equipment.

You can use the “Single Oils” section found in the Reference Guide for Essential Oils to discuss the various oils and their benefits. Become familiar with the information in this section so that you can answer questions. Suggest how different oils may benefit your exercise in different ways.

• Calming: lavender, geranium, chamomile, vetiver
• Uplifting: cassia, clary sage, lemon, lime, white fir
• Grounding: ginger, patchouli, cedarwood
• Strengthening and Centering: sandalwood, cedarwood, myrrh, frankincense
• Promote Clear Breathing: peppermint, basil, eucalyptus, rosemary, myrrh, frankincense, cardamom
• Energizing: lemon, peppermint, eucalyptus, basil, cinnamon
• Purifying and Cleansing: grapefruit, lemon, lemongrass, orange
• Soothing (for sore muscles): basil, lavender, rosemary, wintergreen, cypress, coriander
• Spirituality: bergamot, orange, lemon

Leave time for discussion and the exchange of ideas. Perhaps bring a light, fresh snack such as cinnamon fruit dip or essential oil veggie dip. Allow time to mingle, and send your students home with a handout with some reminders of how essential oils can enhance their wellness efforts and which oils are the most helpful in exercise.