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Essential oil safety for pets

I have had a few messages today querying about the safety of essentials oils for their pets, especially dogs and cats.

We have a dog of our own, so I have done a bit more research and attach some articles & links for you to check out below.

– Firstly if you diffuse essential oils at your home or use them topically (on skin) or aromatically (diffuser) make sure you use the purest oils you can find. Essential Oils are unregulated in most countries and lots of the cheap essential oils are just synthetic and toxic rip offs of pure therapeutic grade essential oils. I only use doTerra essential oils as they monitor the plants from harvesting, ethical sourcing, to bottling, third party testing for toxins, pesticides etc. Lots of the waxmelts and cheaper oils are not only toxic for your pet but also for you.

– Use essential oils for what they are – a healing modality – to support your and your families well being. You don’t have to have the diffuser running all day. Use them responsibly and mindfully. Short term usage (2-4 hours for specific purposes is enough) to calm or elevate moods, help the respiratory tract, get rid of yucky smells, germs etc.

– If you have a pet and you diffuse oils, make sure they can leave the room if they want to and have windows open. Our dog is free to wander and we only have a diffuser in the living room and my office.

– Dilution is essential – use water diffusers and only 2-3 drops in the diffuser if you have cats.

– Cats seem to be more sensitive as dogs, because they lack a liver enzyme to process essential oils properly. So if you have a cat you might only want to diffuse when they are out and about and apply the oils to your skin with a roller bottle / inhale from your hand / use steam baths or real baths or in the shower for inhalation.

– Our dog doesn’t seem to mind the diffuser, but we use doTerra oils, a water diffuser, I only use them short term and she is free to wander off if she wants to. I haven’t used essential oils on her topically.

More reading can be done here:

http://roberttisserand.com/2011/…/cats-essential-oil-safety/

http://essentialoilvet.com/safety/

http://www.usingeossafely.com/using-oils-with-pets/

http://www.dogoiler.com/rules-warnings/dogs/

You could also follow Janet Roak on Facebook or Instagram who is vet in the US who uses doTerra oils in her clinic. She has posted links on her facebook page about essential oil safety for cats recently and did a video live.

Hope this helps to ensure your pets are safe.

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Meditation Concentration Tips

Meditation is one of the best and easiest practices you can implement in to your life to bring more balance and clarity. It doesn’t cost any money, you don’t need special equipment and you can do it anywhere.

From “A woman’s book of Meditation” by Hari Kaur Khalsa

If your mind is tired, you may feel physically tired, and vice versa. When you feel tired, think thoughts that will uplift and inspire you. For example: “If I keep up with this, I will feel the benefits of meditation and be more focused in my life.” Then return your focus to the particular meditation technique you are practicing.

If your mind is overexcited, think thoughts that will calm you down, thoughts that trigger the expansive and vast qualities of the mind. For example: “I am meditating to create peace in my heart, peace on earth, peace in this universe.”

Try not to over-concentrate. If you notice your face in a frown or your body tensing up during meditation, you may be over-concentrating. Take a moment to relax your mind and body as you hold the posture steady. There is an art to balancing the concentration and relaxation involved in meditation. Seek this balance as you practice.

If concentration is difficult for you, try meditating for shorter periods of time. Start with as little as three minutes and build up from there. Success in meditation practice will come if you start where you are, have realistic expectations, and have patience with the process.

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I personally really like to hold a crystal in my hand for meditation and place a nice calming or uplifting essential oil on me. I like to sit on my yoga bolster and I practice meditation with closed eyes. I find with those nice rituals around my meditation I am already bringing myself into a calm state of self-care. I usually don’t give myself a fixed time frame to do meditation, using my intuition to see how much feels good every time I sit.