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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.

 

 

1 thought on “NEW! The bright Side of Essential Oils.

  1. Great article Silke! I totally agree! xx

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