How Essential Oils Can Enhance Your Prayer Life

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Using essential oils for physical and emotional reasons is popular, but have you used them to enhance your spiritual life, particularly prayer and meditation?

While I knew in theory that aromatherapy is a holistic practice (mind, body, and soul), my own use of essential oils for spirituality was a complete accident. What I found was a beautiful way to combine a God-given piece of nature (essential oils) with my prayer life.

One day I was driving across town and my mind was all jumbled and flustered (mom life, anyone?). I started to pray scattered words (you know, “help me” and “get me through this”). At a stop light, I glanced at my purse and saw my Calm roller ball.

Can’t hurt. I thought and slathered it onto my arms and neck.

What happened next shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did.

I started thinking in clearer sentences. I started praying in a calmer manner, filled with gratitude. As my whole body relaxed, my mind and mood changed too.

What’s in my Calm roller? A mix of Lavender, Valor, Stress Away, Patchouli, and Vetiver. Friends in our Floral & Spruce community get the recipe! =)

Relax the Body to Relax the Soul

Get your mind tuned in for prayer by preparing your body. Calm and focus will naturally align you and deepen your experience. You may choose to:

Diffuse Frankincense
Hold a bottle of Lavender and inhale deeply
Put a drop of Roman Chamomile on your wrists, rubbing them together in clockwise circles, then inhaling
Roll on Stress Away on your wrists or behind your ears

Close your eyes, inhale fully, then exhale completely. Use deep breathing to quiet your heart and regulate your body. You’ll find that as your body relaxes, so does your heart!

Increase Positivity & Gratitude

While there is certainly a place in one’s spiritual life for raw, broken emotions, there is also a depth and beauty that comes from praise, adoration, and gratitude (Psalm 68:35; Psalm 69:30).

Many of us aren’t naturally filled with positive thoughts and thankfulness, so a little clarity in this area helps!

Diffuse Orange, Tangerine or Citrus Fresh
Hold a bottle of Bergamot in your hands and inhale slowly
Put a drop of Gratitude on your wrists and inhale

This time, as you inhale the oily aroma, say a short praise or adoration such as “You are always good” or “You are mighty”. As you exhale, say a phrase of gratitude and thanksgiving like “I’m in awe of Your blessings” or “I’m thankful You’re my Provider”.

It’s fascinating, but once you start phrasing positive words in that way, you’ll find they continue to flow and your mind will keep returning to them.

Be specific about the things you are thankful for. As a teenager, a friend got me hooked on making “GTL” or “Good Things Lists”. Sometimes I would write down 5 things a day I was grateful for, or some days I’d write as many as I could think of.

Be Open to Creativity and Dreaming for the Future

We often approach prayer as a desperate cry for help, for miracles and answers to needs. Again, this is a part of human life, and thus our spiritual lives, but we also need to cultivate our relationship with God in other dimensions.

That’s why the popular “A.C.T.S.” method of prayer (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), which was modeled in part after the Lord’s Prayer, puts asking for our needs and wants at the very end.

So what does this have to do with essential oils? Well, I have often found that while divine provision absolutely does occur, many of our day-to-day problems can be solved by creative thinking and action.

During prayer times, when I am asking for solutions, I’m often asking that God would grant me the wisdom, clarity, and ideas to improve or solve a problem, and yes–there are essential oils that can help stimulate creativity and resourcefulness!

Diffuse Lime or Grapefruit
Hold a bottle of Hope, Believe or Inspiration and inhale
Put a drop of Envision on your wrists and inhale

Envision is one of my personal favorites. With ingredients like Black Spruce, Geranium, Orange, Lavender, Sage, and Rose, it’s a powerhouse of uplifting and inspiring oils that stimulate my mind in brainstorming sessions, and during prayer times.

Final Thoughts on Using Essential Oils for Prayer

When you relax your body, your mind relaxes too! Inhaling calming and grounding essential oils center the soul, preparing your mind to be thankful, positive and creative! Explore, experiment and find the combinations of oils that inspire, encourage and help your soul find rest as you pray and meditate.