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NEW! The bright Side of Essential Oils.

I really feel the need to express my experience with doTerra essential oils, the company itself with the constant bad mouthing that is being done about the oils and multi level marketing companies.

Firstly I have to say I was skeptical myself to start with and I did my research thoroughly. I am a conscious consumer and have been for many years in many areas of my live.

From doing lots of research on the internet myself on various subjects such as nutrition, immunizations, natural healthcare, schooling, yoga, wifi -you get the picture- I found that you can find any amount of support or disapproval and “evidence” on any subject going either way – it depends what you look for. I have a pretty good common sense, a brain of my own that is still fairly reliable and rather good gut feeling .

I really do like the Yoga lunch box articles but their recent blurb about doTerra essential oils is just an example of someone having their knickers in a twist over something they don’t like and finding supporting “evidence” of their opinion, which is quite clearly not based on the actual experience of the oils or the company. Since the yoga lunch box article was first written it has been amended several times to correct untruths or withdraw judgement that were expressed in the first version of the article. This doesn’t really resonate with me nor does it increase my trust in their reporting.

  1. As far as I am concerned Susun S. Weed’s article that “Essential Oils are the white sugar of herbalism” is – lets just be polite and say “another opinion”. Aromatherapy and the healing properties of essential oils have been known for centuries (even in the Bible they refer to the use of essential oils!) and used alongside herbal remedies and other natural healing facilities for many hundreds of  years. What a load of rubbish. We are using many healing facilities in our family – good organic food, good supplements, herbal remedies & potions, homeopathy, bach flower remedies and essential oils. I also go to the acupuncturist, chiropractor, massage therapist, homeopath, craniosacral therapist on a regular basis. They all work alongside each other and they all have their place. As far as I am concerned Susun S. Weed has her knickers in a twist.
  2. Yes Essential Oils are potent and they need to be used mindfully. And I would never drop essential oil in my water and then drink it and I tell my clients exactly the same thing. I have tried it and didn’t like it and researched it and decided it didn’t feel right. I have taken a few doses of essential oils internally in a capsule for 2 days when I couldn’t knock my sinus infection on the head with my herbal remedies, homeopathics, nasal flushes and supplements. Sure enough they did the trick. Essential Oils need to be used with common sense and most people do just that. But that is the case with everything we do – I see though marketing and make my own choices. We are being told all day long what we should and should not being doing or consuming. There are many really good books on the usage of essential oils which work with aromatic and topical usage successfully and it is a cheap, accessible, easy and gentle healing facility that helps many families around the world. Without joining doTerra I would have not known about the multitude of healing properties of essential oils. They provide countless free resources, scientific research and educational material – of course all to be taken with a grain of salt and common sense to check in if what you learn feels right and makes sense. And most of it makes complete sense to me. And I have a pretty good bullshit detector.
  3. Producing Essential Oils is detrimental to the environment – REALLY – just our very existence is detrimental to the environment. We all have footprints way larger than the earth can carry. In saying that I think there are a LOT of things that are HUGELY more detrimental to the environment that growing plants to extract essential oils from. Especially if they are grown with consciousness and doTerra is huge on their ethics. Their oil bottles all have batch numbers. Each batch can be traced back to test results. There are NO pesticides used on their plants, they make sure the soils are nutrient dense, they teach farmers how to farm sustainably, they teach harvesters how to harvest sustainably – the list is too long to say all the things they do. Go to Sourcetoyou.com if you are really interested to learn how they work. I just need to go 5 mins into the Fruit Bowl of New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay to see fields being sprayed with roundup, orchards being sprayed to death with pesticides and fungicides, dead soils. I dare you to show me a doTerra plantation that has worse effects on the environment than the apple orchard or dairy farm around the corner or the chia seed grower, or the maca powder producer or the soy bean grower. Just a ridiculous argument really.
  4. Now to the “Pyramid Scheme”. DoTerra is a Multilevel Marketing Company not a Pyramid scheme. Just like Avon, Tupperware and who knows what. Its just different distribution model. Conventional business is creating a product then selling it to wholesalers & exporters and they then selling it to shops – all of them making a profit (And guess what this structure looks like – a Pyramid….). The Multilevel Marketing company is creating a product too, but they use individuals like me to sell them, rather than shops and wholesalers and exporters. And yes I receive a commission of my sales  – which is fair enough because I am working on educating myself and helping others and this is just what any odd shop is doing too. (And guess what  the structure of a multilevel marketing company does not necessarily look like a Pyramid – its all over the place, depending on much work you put into your business you can actually earn more than the person above you!) People don’t even have to join doTerra with their own account (another piece of misinformation) they can buy the oils at retail price from the website or my studio! There is no pressure to purchase or sell the product.
  5. Then there is the argument that some people make lots of money and others are “loosing” out. As a matter of fact most doTerra account holders are just users of the oils and have no interest whatsoever in the business opportunity. They just purchase the oils at wholesale price through their account and thats it. Only a small percentage of doTerra account holders is working with the business opportunity (I think it is about 80 % users / 20% business builders), meaning to hold classes to introduce the oils to new consumers, on-selling oils or educating people about the oils. However that does not mean the 80% of oil users are missing out or loosing money, they simply choose not to be involved in the business opportunity. So that is why only a small percentage actually receive money, because only a small percentage of account holders chooses to do the business side of doTerra. Nobody is pressured into selling the product, at least not in the team I am in. I have signed up initially as a consumer only and when students started querying how they could purchase the oils I naturally looked into the business opportunity like so many other yoga teachers and alternative health professionals. Its a complementary product in our industry.
  6. The price. I personally feel that looking at the whole picture with all the support and education I receive free of charge to actually be able to use the essential oils efficiently I am happy to pay the price I pay. I feel like their third party testing is sound, reliable and consistent and I trust I have a product that I can rely on and be sure of to be stellar quality. I can view testresults for every bottle of oil. All of which is not the case the most oils you can buy off the shelf in a shop. I absolutely identify with the incredible work doTerra do in third world countries to support communities to create a sustainable lifestyle and transform their hopelessness and poverty.
  7. I like using essential oils in my yoga practice. I have liked it for many years, even before I knew about doTerra. I have liked having them in my bath and in my oil burner. I offer them to my students and most of them seem to really enjoy the experience – why would I deny them this experience? It is beautiful to come up to the studio and be welcomed by a relaxing and calming scent. It is beautiful to be able to roll on a nice essential oil when you just rushed in from work and lie on your mat to arrive. I have personally experienced another teacher using them in sessions and it was again really supportive and beautiful addition and companion to the practice. I receive comments all the time from students how they like oils. Why would I not offer my students this experience? Just because someone has their knickers in a twist and doesn’t like me earning a bit of money on the side through commissions by selling a few oils now and then. Fact is Essential oils complement the yoga practice and yoga environment and many, many students around the world enjoy the benefits. C’mon???
  8. And then hacking into yoga “celebrity” Elena Brower tops it all off. Yes she is a “Blue Diamond” in actual fact as per this month “Presidential Diamond” (tie your knickers on a complete twist if you like) in the doTerra structure and she earns a very good income of this business and as far as I am concerned she deserves every penny of it. I wish more people like Elena would be able to create financial wealth in their lives, because then the world would be able to experience real change, rather than greedy business man who buy one mansion after the other, big boats and planes and treat the next person like shit. She leads with her heart and lives with integrity unlike many business man and woman who run conventional businesses. Elena has gifted ALL of her team free coaching programs, which had nothing to do with essential oils. She has thousands of people in her team, she has worked her butt off for many years to have international recognition as a yoga teacher and has done so much good work – it would be a separate blog post. She is giving generously to charities, she teaches people to improve themselves every day, she cares about her team and makes time  for us whenever we need her. She does all the hard work herself first, being a better mum, partner, recovering from her addiction etc etc. and can in turn help thousands of others overcome their limiting lifestyles. This business model is supporting mainly woman to work from home and earn a little on the side and be able to stay home with their kids, rather than go to 9-5 job where they are exploited and unappreciated. I have worked in conventional business for nearly 25 years. I have been lucky and had a couple of good jobs but the rest I was nothing more than a doormat – very rarely did I receive support, free education, bonuses or experienced anyone giving a shit about how I felt in my job. I was always able to earn enough to support myself, but never had much extra. For the first time I have joined a business where I feel more supported and uplifted when I EVER have before. In actual fact I am blown away by the support and free education I receive and by the amazing network of mostly woman around the world who hold each other up sharing experiences and cheering each other on. I have witnessed countless stories of how these essential oils and the education we receive have moved people out of unhealthy habits, recovering from illnesses of all sorts. I am talking from experience here not by copying a blog post I found somewhere. If I learn I can use a drop of Peppermint oil or the Past Tense blend for my oncoming migraine and avoid being out of order for the whole day or popping a toxic tablet – well that can only be a good thing right and better for the planet too and for my body! And drinking 36 cups of Peppermint tea is not an option for most people with a headache and I doubt if would have the same effect as one drop of Peppermint essential oil.
  9. And do I need to be a certified professional for everything I do in my life? Quite frankly No. I am using homeopathic remedies all the time at home and I am not a qualified homeopath. I still go to see the homeopath when I need to, but I am perfectly capable to use homeopathic remedies. Do I need to be a qualified Nutritionist or Chef to cook for my family? No I don’t. Do I need to be a qualified nurse to look after my children when they are ill? No I don’t. And I don’t need to be a qualified Aromatherapist to use essential oils safely in my home and studio. I tell my students that I am not a qualified Aromatherapist and just sharing what I know and they seem to be happy with the fact and still seek my advise. I have studied many subjects over the years in my own time for my own benefit and the benefit of my family. I have an extensive range of books on many subjects that interest me, like nutrition, yoga, homeopathy, aromatherapy, mindfulness, journalling etc. etc. And so do many other mums, dads,  and individuals. This is only a small selection of resources I and many other essential oil users have in their homes to seek advise from:
  10. Why call selling essential oils a dubious business? As yoga teachers taking money from our students we run a business and we need to earn an income to support our families. A dubious business is selling P, a dubious business is something that is harming people.  Selling essential oils in my studio is not more or less dubious than selling a yoga mat, yoga pants, books, sesame oil  or anything else for that matter. Again speaking from own experience I have seen very few people who have been harmed by the use of essential oils – in actual fact quiet the opposite. I hear stories every day of people using them successfully in their health and home care replacing toxic medicines and household items. I have made countless personal experiences where I have been able to help my family and students with mixing personalised blends for their problems successfully. I can understand that Aromatherapists are disgruntled, because essential oils have become so accessible with the free education that the multilevel marketing companies provide to the every day person, that they probably loose business. But all businesses change, that is not a reason to bad mouth a good trend that is benefiting many households. Like my husband is a photographer – his business has changed immensely over the years with everybody having access to cameras and phones so easily. Yoga teaching is changing with online classes being available everywhere free of charge.
  11. Like I said before there are some things I don’t agree with – like the drops in the water and swallowing the oils daily and I would personally not use an essential oil for a certain yoga pose, unless maybe its a long shavasana – but that is just pulling the mickey out of a way bigger picture. I have been with doTerra for over 12 months now and I am proud and really happy to be part of Elena’s team and do all the learning I do. I haven’t seen anything dubious that disturbs me and that is the case for many reputable yoga teachers, most of which are really conscious consumers too. We are not all silly dumb heads who blindly walk into a Pyramid scheme that rips off people and  destroys the planet. Quite the opposite – we are helping people learn a new skill to apply in their home & healthcare, providing education and being able to supplement our often low income as yoga teachers. I have my own little studio on rural New Zealand and have been struggling to make ends meet with numbers being really varying and costs associated with running your own space, be insured, pay taxes, educate yourself and contribute to the family income and have something for self care and a retirement fund left…. My regular residual doTerra income has enabled me not to stress about finances so much. I have steadily build this income up over the last year and it really supports me and family, plus we get all the benefits from using the oils and love studying about them.

Anyway that’s my 5 cents worth of wisdom, based on personal experience of the company, team, the usage of the oils in my home, in my healthcare and in my yoga sessions. Not by copying someones opinionated blog post and comments.

 

 

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doTerra yoga collection – Anchor, Align, Arise

DOTERRA YOGA COLLECTION – ESSENTIAL OILS ARE HERE

I am so excited that the doTerra essential oil yoga collection is here. ANCHOR – ALIGN – ARISE.

Anchor is the steadying blend, supports connection with self, community, innate wisdom & emotional stability. (Lavender, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Frankincense, Black Pepper, Patchouli)

Align is the centering blend, helps to trust in yourself and stay open to all possibilities. (Bergamot, Coriander, Marjoram, Peppermint, Jasmin Absolute, Rose)

Arise is the enlightening blend, inspires moments of rising up and reaching your highest. (Grapefruit, Lemon, Osmanthus, Siberian Fir)

The price is $83.33 USD retail and $62.50 USD wholesale if you open your own account. You can purchase them from the US warehouse through this link: https://www.mydoterra.com/silkewhittaker/#/.

If you want to purchase them at retail price you click on “shop” If you want to purchase them at wholesale price you can open your own wellness advocate account by clicking on “join & save ” which is $35 joining fee and you receive 25% off retail price on all products. This joining fee is waived if you purchase a starter kit. If you join as a preferred member you receive 20% off retail price on all products and it is a one off joining fee of $10.

Elena Brower, my essential oil mentor and favorite yoga teacher has helped to develop these oils. She has been mentoring me in the past 7 months to use the oils in the best way possible in monthly catch up video meetings and in her private support facebook group, where over a 1,000 essential oil users share their experiences with the oils, as well as teaching me how I can establish and grow my own doterra business.

Elena is the real deal, I have rarely met someone so genuine, kind, gentle, generous and willing to help & share her wisdom despite her full schedule.

If you want to learn more about the oils, how to purchase them, to learn about the business opportunity, how to become part of Elena’s team or have any questions please pm or e-mail me [email protected].

And here is a beautiful video about the Essential Oils with Elena.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej1EH1g8KGM&feature=youtu.be

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Inspiration from the book “Daring greatly” by Brene Brown

I am really chaotic reading books at the moment – I think I have about 20 on the go going back and forth in between them. Last night I picked up Daring Greatly by Brene Brown again. This woman is a genius. I highly recommend to read her books. Here are a few extracts that I marked on Vulnerability, they are from different pages, so not very flowy to read.

Vulnerability isn’t good or bad: It’s not what we call a dark emotion, nor is it always a light, positive experience. Vulnerability is the core of all emotions and feelings. To feel is to be vulnerable. To believe vulnerability is weakness is to believe that feeling is weakness. To foreclose on our emotional life out of fear that the costs will be too high is to walk away from the very thing that gives purpose and meaning to living.

I define Vulnerability as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. With that definition in mind, let’s think about love. Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can’t ensure, who may stay in our lives or may leave without a moment’s notice, who may be loyal to the day they die or betray us tomorrow – that’s vulnerability. Love is uncertain. It’s incredibly risky And loving someone leaves us emotionally exposed. Yes, it’s scary and yes we’re open to being hurt, but can you imagine your life without loving or being loved?

To put our art, our writing, our photography, our ideas out into the world with no assurance of acceptance or appreciation – that’s also vulnerability. To let ourselves sink into the joyful moments of our lives even though we know that they are fleeting, even though the world tells us not to be too happy lest we invite disaster – that’s an intense form of vulnerability.

Vulnerability sound like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.

Vulnerability is like being naked when everyone else is fully clothed.

We love seeing raw truth and openness in other people, but we’re afraid to let them see it in us. We’re afraid that our truth isn’t enough – that what we have to offer isn’t enough without the bells and whistles, without editing, and impressing. -I want to experience your vulnerability, but I don’t want to be vulnerable.-

From calling a friend who’s experienced a terrible tragedy to starting your own business, from feeling terrified to experiencing liberation, vulnerability is life’s great dare. It’s life asking: “Are you all in? Can you value your own vulnerability as much as you value it in others?” Answering yes to these questions is not weakness: It’s courage beyond measure. It’s daring greatly. And often the result of daring greatly isn’t a victory march as much as it is a quiet sense of freedom mixed with a little battle fatigue.

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ON BELONGING

One of the things I am exploring at the moment as part of a mentor-ship program I do with my teacher and mentor Elena Brower is what belonging means to me.

I have been pondering this for quite a few days and also started reading Brene Brown’s new book “Braving the wilderness” which explores belonging in a very deep sense. I highly recommend this book – My highlighter is all over it!

What came to mind for me is that I really belong to myself and to my family – my husband, kids & dog. This is the place that is home to me, where I feel safe, relaxed and where I can be myself – I am so super grateful for my husband who supports me in all I do and puts up with all my weird and wonderful ideas, views, plans …..

I belong to me and my family, I belong to me comfortably, I belong in this beautiful country, in our beautiful house, I belong in my little yoga room, I belong to my books, to my garden, to my friends, to the ocean, to the forests. I belong to many places and things but certainly I don’t belong to any box in particular and I completely and utterly refuse to be squished into any more boxes either by my own doing or by others doing intentionally or unintentionally.

Today when I walked the dog I had this vision of me trying to squish into all the pre-made boxes over the years and the discomfort when realising again and again that I didn’t fit ANYWHERE – no box would suit me.

So now I am just spilling out nicely all over the place wherever my inner light calls me to go, my heart tells me to look. I am making my own mold and it fits perfectly and it changes constantly and it belongs to me and I belong to it.

Today Nina my daughter asked me if we could do something together, so we decided drawing was the thing and I made my vision of belonging visible – dinner was terribly late and prepared in a panic. Part of the mentor-ship is to explore our creativity and its been so nice to have an excuse to sit down and do something creative. I have always had the thought that my art wasn’t good enough to show anyone, but bugger that. My art belongs to me, its not a masterpiece but its made my be.

Here is a part I would like to share from “Braving the wilderness” by Brene Brown for you to ponder your own notion of belonging:

True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are, it requires you to be who are.

Sending love and gratitude to my family, my friends, all my students and people who follow me and see me and accept & respect me for who I am – I appreciate each and everyone of you. xxx

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LEARNING TO BE O.K. WITH NOT BEING O.K.

Another saying in my mentor ship program that has edged itself into my mind is this:

“Its hard to hate / dislike people close up”

I still judge and have dislikes, some of them very strong towards other individuals. However when I do judge or say unkind things I get this uncomfortable feeling in my stomach and my heart – alerting me that I am off track. My awareness – the biggest gift I received through my persistent yoga practice.

I have really looked close up why I dislike some people and in the end the actions / behaviors that they display that repel me come down to their own hurt inside which they are trying to mask over with whatever they are doing or to my own limiting belief systems because their behaviors sometimes trigger something in me that needs working on. It is complex, but I will try to move in closer to the people and things that I seem to be triggered by and look a bit deeper, practice compassion & forgiveness towards myself and them and be less judgmental.

Something has happened last week, where I was offering to do something for somebody that came from my heart, but was received with misunderstanding and judgement. I then reacted to the judgement, because it triggered me in some of my deepest limiting beliefs – not being worthy, not being good enough, I don’t belong. I felt like I had to explain and defend myself, when it would have really been enough to say o.k. / whatever – I know that I am a good person with good intentions. There were 2 people talking about me, not to me and the offer turned to custard, leaving all 3 parties feeling uncomfortable. However on reflection I realised that I still talk about people too, not being brave enough to address everything that obviously moves me or that needs clarifying with the person directly and ideally by talking to each other in person. Its so much easier to talk about people then to them.

A few weeks ago I chatted to some yoga students before session and I said something unkind about someone. I immediately felt bad about it and knew it was wrong, unnecessary and unkind. Some times my mouth is quicker than my brain. I have since beaten myself up about it and feeling guilty for not being more collected. However all of this happens to most of us at times and the more we are aware of what feels right and what feels wrong, then we can actually change we do and how we go about things.

So my goal is to move in closer and really work on my own behaviors that don’t serve me or anybody else and to practice forgiveness towards myself when I muck up and try to do better next time.

#practicekindness #compassion #moveincloser #thelearningneverends#talkingtoeachothernotabouteachother

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YOGA FOR MENOPAUSE

YOGA HELPS WITH MENOPAUSE

You can check out these 2 articles how yoga can help with menopause. Many of the recommended poses we do regularly in the Hatha yoga sessions.

https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/the-graceful-change

https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/yoga-by-benefit/menopause

Also the doTerra womans blend “Clary Calm” can help with symptoms of menopause. It is $41 retail or $30.75 if you open your own wholesale account. You can purchase it from here:https://www.mydoterra.com/silkewhittaker/#/

#yoga #menopause #clarycalm #doterra #heartspaceyoga#heartspaceessentials

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INSPIRATION FOR THE DAY

I receive two inspirational e-mails every day that I almost always read. This one is from the Brahma Kumaris in London. A friend of mine lived there and introduced me to their teachings. I love, love, love their mindsmacks in my inbox:

“Most of us think too much, especially about events and people, local and global, famous and not so famous. When we are always thinking about what is happening on the surface of life, the visible, then it is as if we are living a superficial life. Deep down inside there is a voice, a longing, a calling to depth. It’s our heart, reminding us to visit, explore and express the depths of our ourselves. Going deep and being deep requires time spent in solitude, some periods of introversion and a conversation with ourselves. How on earth will we ever see what is in our heart unless we dive deep inside, switch on the light and look. Those who do will tell you it changes everything. What do they see? Simple, only beauty and truth. They are always there, waiting for us to return. Waiting to welcome us and to introduce ourselves to ourself.”

How to dive deep – yoga, meditation, mindfulness, awareness, kindness – join us at heartspace yoga. We are diving deep every week.

#brahmakumaris #wisdom #heartspaceyoga #divingdeep #comingbackhome