What sets Young Living Essential Oils Apart….

2 November 2015 November 2, 2015 padma-ali Leave a comment

Are Young Living Oils that exceptional? Is it worth paying $30.92 (retail price) or $23.50 (wholesale) for a bottle of Lavender Essential Oil from Young Living when I can get a $8/10 bottle from elsewhere.

I get asked this question many times especially when I teach classes. My answer is “YES”. I recently read this blog that explains it really well. I personally like Young Living oils and their products because they care about the quality and will not compromise on it. For instance, last winter, precious R.C. was out of stock for many months. Because EO’s are plant derived and we are at the mercy of mother nature, if a plant is not ready for harvesting, that blend or single oil will not be made. I cannot say that about any other company.

And this blog talks about the quality of essential oils that are available in the market.

When it comes to the health and wellbeing of my family, especially my little guy, I will NOT compromise on the quality. You don’t have to take my word for it, but try both Young Living and another brand and see the difference.

Cleaning Recipes

19 October 2015 October 19, 2015 padma-ali Leave a comment

I had lots of inquiries about the recipes from the last blog that I posted. So, here they are…

This first one is an “All Purpose Cleaning Spray” made with Thieves Household Cleaner. It is one of the simplest recipes for creating a sparkling clean space. Best of all – it is completely non- toxic. So, needless to say, I love it.

This next one is a “Soft Scrub”. Again, so simple to make and yet so clean and effective. I love how cost effective these simple cleaning products are. Please do try them….

Replacing Toxic Cleaners

14 October 2015 October 14, 2015 padma-ali Leave a comment

I did a ‘Make and Take’ Class this week. The theme was ‘Replacing Toxic Household Cleaners’ with natural cleaners. Over the years, we had slowly been replacing toxic cleaners like Windex etc with more natural cleaning products from other companies like Seventh Generation etc.

However, I started to notice that some of them don’t clean as well and they tend to be so expensive. It does add up and sometimes because it does not clean well, you use more. So, I started to make my own (before Essential Oils) and they were ok, I was not that thrilled about it. And then I discovered Young Living Oils and Oil products. It totally changed my relationship with cleaning and the bonus was that it was super cost effective.

My favorite is the Thieves Household Cleaner. It is made from the Thieves EO blend which is an all time hit. It has organic and biodegradable materials which is important and because it is concentrated, a little can go a long way. I understand the ingredients that are used and know that my family is safe being around it.

For instance, you only need 1:30(water) for General Cleaning and 1:15 for heavy degreasing. It is versatile so you can use it for cleaning carpets to doing the laundry. I actually like to make different cleaning products with it. That was the theme of the ‘Make and Take”. We made a ‘Soft Scrub Cleaner’, ‘General Cleaning Spray’ and a ‘Versatile All Purpose Spray’. If you would like any of these recipes, l am happy to share them with you.

I started being militant about these types of things because of my little guy. I know I cannot protect him from everything, but being a mom brings this fierce mama bear instinct that makes me at least want to look at the things that I can control. What products I use at home, what environmental toxins he is exposed to (at least at home), what he eats at home, how our lifestyle impacts him are at least in my control. This is why I started looking into it before he was born and it is always evolving. I started doing this for him and now it has turned into something bigger than him – sharing this with people around me. My hope is that it plants a seed of other possibilities and alternatives.

Blessings to all of you on the beautiful New England Fall day.

Self Care

6 October 2015 October 6, 2015 padma-ali Leave a comment

I am sure many of you have heard that we write or pursue things that are difficult for us. Yes, self care and nurturing myself is really hard for me. Like many people, especially women, I put others needs first before tending to mine. And guess what happens after some time…. You find a crabby version of me because without my bucket being full, I will eventually fall apart and = family and child being crabby as well. So, you can see that it is not the least helpful.

I am working on ways to nurture me. Here are some of the things that fill my bucket and I use Essential Oils to support me through that.

Meditation: It is such an important grounding tool for me. I find such solace in sitting in empty space. These days, even if I don’t have time to sit, I find moments in my day to do that.
Frankincense EO has been used for centuries to support mediation practices. Frank, as we affectionately call it is by far my favorite essential oils. It is so calming and yet rejuvenating. Before sitting for meditation, apply a couple of drops to your temples, brain stem and wrists.And even if you don’t have a meditation practice, I will invite you to find a few minutes in your day to sit and just focus on breathing and use Frank as a way to support you. Being with your thoughts and feelings even if difficult can serve in the long run.
Mindfulness Practice : Becoming aware of my thoughts and feelings is an integral part of my day. I guess that is where my therapy training and experience for over two decades comes in handy. When I give words to what and why I am feeling the way I am, it somehow eases everything that is happening.The oil that I use to support me through is Surrender. As I become aware of what is happening, I consciously surrender that to the divine, to the universe or the elements or whatever resonates in that moment.
Surrender EO is a soothing blend of seven EO’s designed to release stress and become emotionally balanced. It also facilitates surrendering of things which we can’t control (which is everything right?) I jokingly call myself a ‘recovering control freak’. I like controlling everything and often fall flat on my face as there are so many things outside my control. Surrender often helps me remember that especially when I am struggling with life.

Again, you don’t need to be an expert in any of these practices. My invitation to you is to just pay attention when you are triggered by something and send some loving kindness to the parts of you that are triggered and gently inquire ‘what is happening right now?’ Use Surrender to help get clarity and release it.
Reading and Journaling: The most favorite spot in my house is my bedroom. It is always so inviting, safe and comfortable, eases any tension that I have. It is my sacred space. At the end of the day, my favorite task is to spend a few minutes reading ( I still like reading real books, it is lovely feeling paper in my hand) and / or journaling. It helps unwind from the day. It also helps me see what was going on in the day, any changes I need to make in my life, it is basically a time for self reflection.

We often diffuse calming oils like Lavender, Stress Away etc to unwind from the day. It is also a time for my husband and I to reflect on our day and to connect. These days, our lives are so full with so many things that it has been hard for us to connect. So, I am grateful even if we can get a few minutes to connect and reflect.
Long winded way of saying, make sure you have time to reflect on your day.
Gratitude: When I am feeling unhappy or feel bad about things, I lean on Gratitude. Having gratitude almost instantaneously snaps me out of ‘misery’. It is a beautiful way to be thankful and grateful for what life has given. When we focus on gratitude, we open ourselves to receiving more of life’s gifts and things flow better when our heart and mind are open.
And of course, Gary Young has formulated an oil for that. I am so grateful that he has done that. It is sweet blend of eight different oils formulated to foster gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation.

There is so much more that I can say about Self Care, but I will leave you with these last words for now….My hope for any of your reading this is that you will look at any difficult circumstance or people in your life as messengers who are here to help you look at yourself so you can be the best human that you can possible be.

Please share in the comments below how you do practice self care so that others can learn from that.

Love and Blessings to all of you.

Immune System Boosters

28 September 2015 April 26, 2016 padma-ali Leave a comment

So, Fall is here and Winter is fast approaching. In our household, that means time to make sure that our check list of Immune Boosters are checked off when the time comes to use them. So, here are some of the things that I keep handy at all times.

Elderberry Syrup : It is known for its immune boosting properties. I like to make my own using this recipe but if you don’t have time or are not inclined to make it, you can buy it from Gaia Herbs.
Fire Cider: I first heard of this from my midwife friend Kara Schamel. She offered it to me once and I loved it. So, I started making my own following this recipe. Though, I do modify it a little as I can’t tolerate jalapenos. Instead, I add lots of peppercorns. I made the current batch that I am using in the beginning of Spring this year. Now, I have it all wonderfully infused.
Vit D: Most people are deficient in Vit D. For my family, I make sure that we get our dose of Vit D everyday especially in the winter months. I like Natural Health Vit D Drops. And I also like Biotics Research. (I don’t make any profit by linking it to Amazon, these are just brands that I have used and liked)
Essential Oils: There are a number of EO that help with boosting the immune system but there are a few that are my go to. I make an Immune Boosting Roll on using Thieves EO, Purification EO and Lemon EO. I just add 10 drops of each with 20 drops of sweet almond oil in a glass roll on bottle. It is totally portable

5. Chiropractic Work: People usually think of Chiropractic work only for muscular skeletal related issues. The low impact of Axial Stability Method is a wonderful way to support the body’s natural ability to heal. I often visit my chiropractor when I am starting to come down with something and it nips it in the bud.

6. Vit C: Good quality Vit C can be highly beneficial in the winter months to boost immunity. I like the company Pure Synergy. Again, I don’t paid for sharing these products, I just want to have some leads for anyone reading this blog.

7. Rest and Water: Rest and drinking water can help anyone recover. Never underestimate the power of rest. I often do some visualization of complete health and wellbeing and send gratitude to my body for functioning so efficiently. I feel that when someone falls sick, it is the body and mind’s way of saying slow down.

So, equip your home with these supportive items and be at peace during the winter months.

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