Essential oils invoke a peaceful feeling in your heart, and you can use them for purification, stress relief, and spiritual healing.
Frankincense, clary sage, vetiver, lemon, and lavender oil are the best for peace, calm, and clarity. So, incorporating essential oils can be the highlight of your meditation routine.
We have put together a list of oils with different benefits and uplifting scents. These essential oils for meditation are derived from nature and are very high in potency.
Feel like one oil isn’t working out for you? No worries. You can mix other essential oils to make a diffuser blend and create a personal home fragrance in the process.
Keep reading to know more.
Which Essential Oil to Use for Meditation?
There are different essential oils that you can use to make your meditative experience profound and liberating. Frankincense, cedarwood, sage, vetiver, and lavender are the most common for meditation.
Look at the best essential oils for prayer and meditation, categorized by your needs.
Essential Oils for Grounding
Feeling grounded enhances emotional well-being and keeps our thoughts in order. We rounded up six oils that will help you pace yourself in the 21st-century world.
- Frankincense
The healing properties of Frankincense improve respiratory health and brain function. Frankincense essential oil is anxiolytic, which means it can reduce stress and anxiety disorders.
We love its sweet, earthy aroma. Diffusing this essential oil as you practice meditation will have calming effects on your body and soul.
- Sandalwood
This very grounding essential oil is good for keeping stress and insomnia at bay. Sandalwood is a representation of welcoming positive energy in ancient history.
It is widely used in “Dhyana,” a meditative and spiritual practice in Indian culture. Sandalwood essential oil has mood-enhancing effects that stop you from spiraling and help you explore a deeper meditative state.
- Atlas Cedarwood
When it comes to practicing meditation, cedarwood perfectly sets the mood. It vitalizes the nervous system and has grounding properties for decreasing anxiety.
Cedarwood oil may also treat joint pain and arthritis. So, if you are suffering from bodily pain, using Atlas Cedarwood essential oil can improve your meditation experience.
- Patchouli
Patchouli comes from a fragrant perennial herb with a good number of health benefits. When used as a meditation blend, Patchouli can relieve stress and enhance mental clarity.
According to research, inhaling patchouli oil can take the edge off of anxiety in healthy adults. If you like intoxicating essential oils for meditation, Patchouli will be a fantastic choice.
- Myrrh
Like Frankincense, Myrrh is another earthy scent derived from the Commiphora tree resin.
Known for its spiritual benefits, Myrrh has been used in meditation practice for over a thousand years. Between frankincense and Myrrh, the latter is stronger and more earthy. Myrrh essential oil offers relief from congestion and cold and can be mildly sedative.
Fun Fact: The mentions of Myrrh date back to 3700 years ago, in ancient Egypt, where it was used in perfumery and also for healing wounds and sores.
- Vetiver
Smoky, floral, but mostly earthy, vetiver essential oil offers a multitude of benefits. In a 2016 study, researchers found that inhaling this oil increases alertness and neurological function. Vetiver essential oil will help you feel grounded in a fast-paced life.
Fun Fact: Vetiver balances “Muladhara,” or the Root chakra in Hindu tantrism. It is believed that when the root chakra is blocked, a person feels fatigued, nervous, and fearful of their safety.
Essential Oils for Purifying
The following discussed oils are highly beneficial for removing negative energy and cleansing the soul. Additionally, their scents create an invigorating aura that helps one ease into meditation amidst the chaos the daily life.
Palo Santo
Palo Santo, or “Holy Wood” in Spanish, is a popular essential oil for purification in South America. It is a traditional remedy and meditation aid. Palo Santo oil is believed to ward off negative energies from home.
It smells like licorice, sweet and woody, with hints of citrus. Users said that Palo Santo essential oil invokes feelings of peace and nostalgia.
Juniper Berry
Juniper Berry essential oil has a spicy and camphoraceous fragrance. It is widely used in an aromatherapy blend for meditation.
The oil is extracted from the needles and berries of the coniferous plant juniper. When used as a diffuser blend, Juniper Berry oil can cleanse and perfume the air.
Peppermint
Anyone who likes minty, refreshing fragrances will adore the peppermint essential oil. Highly energizing, peppermint oil deodorizes stale air. It makes any indoor space smell crisp and new.
Diffuse this essential oil to freshen up your yoga and meditation area.
Fun Fact: Peppermint essential oil has antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties that repel household bacteria and yeast.
Lemon
Among different essential oils for air purification, lemon is our favorite. It has the citrusy scent of freshly-picked lemons, which can freshen up stuffy air.
The lemon essential oil was first used in Italy, where it was well-loved for its fragrance. Its zesty and uplifting scent will add a nice touch to your meditation routine.
Sage
Sage essential oil can relieve muscle pain, promote healthy digestion, and remove toxins from your body. It eases asthma, cough, bronchitis, angina, and circulation issues.
Therefore, sage easily takes precedence over many essential oils when it comes to health and wellness. Diffusing sage creates a calm and peaceful environment for practicing meditation and purifying the home.
Cypress
Cypress is a natural deodorant that can restore respiratory health and treat nasal congestion. Do you suffer from migraines? Then diffusing cypress essential oil will help you look forward to meditation like never before.
It’s a hidden gem in aromatherapy, providing not only a luxurious smell but also relief from stress, sleeplessness, and anxiety.
Essential Oils for Enlightenment
Spiritual enlightenment leads to self-realization, which helps you make better choices. Using these oils may bring a new-found sense of joy and wisdom, and they are all yours to try.
Helichrysum
Helichrysum is often used for topical application but has powerful healing properties that will surprise you. Its fresh and herbaceous scent is anti-inflammatory. The use of Helichrysum oil is rooted in Greek culture, where it is highly valued for its therapeutic benefits.
Skincare Tip: Helichrysum essential oil promotes cell regeneration, fights against free radicals, and prevents scarring. Add two drops of Helichrysum to your face wash for the best results!
Rosemary
If you want to create the perfect diffuser blend, you may consider Rosemary. Its forest-like fragrance opens the door to spiritual enlightenment while helping you with –
- Throat congestion
- Bronchial asthma
- Fighting infections
- Pain relief
Rosemary is also effective in reducing anxiety. Diffusing this oil will enhance your cognition and put negative emotions under lock and key.
Spikenard
With a musty and woody fragrance, spikenard essential oil is one of the hidden gems in aromatherapy for meditation. It radiates a healing effect, which may enhance focus and bring clarity to your mind.
We describe spikenard as anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, and deodorizing.
Other Essential Oils for Enlightenment –
- Cypress
- Frankincense
- Palo Santo
Essential Oils for Gratitude
Using an essential oil can open your heart to positive emotions such as appreciation and thankfulness. The following three will help you see life in a new light.
Neroli
This relaxing fragrance helps you stay present in the moment, ground yourself, and feel gratitude. Neroli is a more powerful healer compared to other essential oils. Its clean and citrusy scent is reminiscent of lemon.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit essential oil is believed to create a sense of stability and calm. It is one of the best essential oils for promoting relaxation.
Diffusing a grapefruit blend may ease stress and help you feel positive. It has mood-enhancing properties that promote long-term relaxation and focus.
Orange
This uplifting essential oil smells not only nice but also is beneficial for improving the mood. Orange is the go-to blend for those who want to feel thankful and welcome positive energy into their lives.
Take a deep breath and use this essential oil for meditation and yoga practice. You’ll thank us later.
Essential Oils for Spirituality
Historically, essential oils have been a big part of spiritual practice. They have mood-enhancing benefits that help you leave negative feelings at the door and immerse yourself in meditation.
Use essential oils to make a room spray, or diffuse them with the help of a nice candle or electric diffuser for spiritual healing and awakening.
Essential oils for meditation, chakras, and spiritual healing —
- Cinnamon
- Cypress
- Eucalyptus
- Fir Needle
- Bay Laurel
- Scotch Pine
- Spruce
- Myrtle
- Clary Sage
- Lemon
Pro Tip: Making a diffuser blend with clary sage, vetiver, and lemon can mitigate divided attention and bring clarity to the meditative experience.
Essential Oils for Coping With Grief
Are you experiencing sadness, loss, or bereavement? In that case, vetiver, Bergamot, and chamomile oil can be used to invoke a sense of peace and tranquility.
Bergamot
Bergamot essential oil is rich in linalool, a naturally occurring alcohol that can promote relaxation and treat anxiety and depression. Another substance found in Bergamot is carvacrol.
It is a fragrant compound and an effective antimicrobial agent.
Interesting Fact: Bergamot can enhance your sleep quality by lowering blood pressure and heart rate.
Vetiver
Vetiver oil is good for healing emotional trauma through meditation. It is historically used in aromatherapy for its rich fragrance.
Research has shown that vetiver oil can enhance brain function and create a sense of peace and calm. It has mild sedative effects on the body, allowing you to have a better sleep.
Chamomile
This essential oil comes with a subtle scent. If you are dealing with loss, using chamomile essential oil will help relieve anxiety, nausea, and even swelling and depression. The Roman chamomile essential oil provides relief from –
- Body ache
- Back pain
- Menstrual cramp
- Joint pain
- Arthritis
Diffusing chamomile oil during meditation promotes mental clarity and restful sleep and is said to cast away negative energy.
Soothing Essential Oil Blends to Help You Meditate
Adding two or more oils is always a good thing to try during your meditation practice. Plus, an essential oil blend puts together a fragrance that feels truly bespoke and personal.
There are limitless possibilities when it comes to mixing essential oils for meditation. Here are 7 effective diffuser blends for sleep, peace, strength, reassurance, clarity, purification, and relief.
- Better Sleep: Lavender oil and vetiver oil
- Stress Relief: Bergamot and cypress oil
- Clear Mind: Peppermint and Rosemary oil
- Purification: Juniper and sandalwood essential oil
- Strength: Helichrysum and neroli essential oil
- Reassurance: Frankincense and clary sageoil
- Peace and Gratitude: Lemon and Rosemary oil
How to Use Essential Oils the Right Way?
Here we will show you the best way to use different essential oils for yoga and meditation practice. First, you will need an aromatic diffuser.
You can choose from –
- Candle diffusers
- Clay pot diffusers
- Electric aromatherapy diffusers
- Atomizing diffusers or nebulizers
We personally prefer electrically heated diffusers for meditative practices. They break down the thickest and most stubborn oils.
You can use candle diffusers with other oils to have a traditional feel. While you use the diffuser, you should
- Use 3 to 5 drops of essential oil with a 100 ml diffuser
- And use 5 to 10 drops of essential oil with a nebulizer
Diffusers have a tiny water tank that needs to be refilled. This way, you don’t have to manually dilute the oils in a small bowl. Plus, there’s no need to add a carrier oil to the diffuser if it’s electric.
Pro Tip: Use jojoba oil or fractionated coconut oil with your favorite essential oil for meditation. You can make a roll-on and rub the blend to your pulse points. For example, your temple, throat, wrist, and behind the ears.
Rounding Up
Essential oils have potential benefits for aromatherapy, general wellness, and meditative practice from ancient times. So, when it comes to meditation, these oils can help you drive out negative energy, encouraging rest and better health.
Have you already found essential oils for meditation that you like? Whichever you choose, we guarantee it will help you feel calm and grounded.