Pairing essential oils and fragrance to your yoga practice

Finding the perfect essential oils and fragrance for your yoga practice can be fun and inspiring. Creating a space you feel truly peaceful and rejuvenated it can also be important to your routine whether you're looking for an uplifting and revitalising practice or something a little gentler and more relaxing. That’s why we've curated a few ideas for the ultimate yoga space and how to set the mood with the perfect pairing.

Vinyasa Yoga paired with Pink Grapefruit & Lemongrass.

A vinyasa flow can be quite the workout, typically more of a cardio practice. Flowing from pose to pose through breath. So make sure you're ready. Post-practice you should be feeling stretched and invigorated. Normally, a Vinyasa sequence is a combination of stretches and flows designed to keep the body warm while you build on body strength. As this is quite an energising practice, you'll want something to go with it.

Pink Grapefruit: A ripe and juicy essential oil that can promote feelings of focus and contribute to balancing your mood, so you can go into your zone feeling calm and collected and ready for anything.  

Lemongrass: A Tropical grassy plant that has a super fresh and fragrant smell. It has been known to relieve headaches and migraines, which makes it a great go-to when you want to reset and feel a little more lively and well. It also works as a great stress reliever too so you can make the most of your time out.

Our go-to’s for a Vinyasa practice.

• Hydro Flask - Alpine
• Yogamatters Yoga Travel Kit
• Positive Energy Room Mist or Retreat Scented Candle
  
  

Restorative Yoga paired with Neroli and Vetiver.

A restorative yoga sequence is exactly that, restoring the body and its parasympathetic nervous system. Giving your body a chance to rest and heal, restoring a little balance. Generally, throughout a more restorative practice, there would be deeper breathing and holding poses and postures a little longer. Naturally this will help promote the body’s response to relaxation. Sounds like bliss, right?

Neroli: A great stress reliever. If you’ve been feeling stressed or anxious recently, perhaps with looming deadlines or you’re feeling a little burnt out, an uplifting blend of neroli will help to revive and reset.

Vetiver: A great way to boost alertness and mental fatigue. It’s easy for us to feel mentally tired and drained when our bodies are too. And of course, vice versa. Vetiver can really help with this and is also said to help regulate your breathing meaning this is the perfect companion to take you through your yoga practice.

Our go-to's for a Restorative practice.

• Yogamatters Organic Cotton Eye Pillow
• Thought Cinthie Balloon Sleeve Organic Jumper
• Eternal Optimist Room Mist or Wakame Seaweed Scented Candle

Yin yoga paired with Lavender and Patchouli.

A practice of rest or becoming still. Yin invites you to stretch and hold your posture for longer. Allowing you to breathe into the pose and go a little further. Being guided by your breath through yin practice is key. The aim is to increase circulation around your joints and the deep connective tissue, allowing you to improve your flexibility and unblock any areas where nutrients and energy can flow. Yin yoga can be so relaxing and therapeutic it’s perfect for adding cosy blankets and bolsters so you can feel fully relaxed and rested.

Lavender: The promoter of sleep, lavender is a soothing and comforting scent which will help you relax into pure bliss with your yin yoga practice. Also known to help with anxiety, so you can truly unwind.

Patchouli: Providing you with feelings of relaxation, a slightly more earthy scent that will help you feel cocooned and calm throughout your practice. It’s also been said to help ground and balance emotions.

Our go-to's for a Yin practice.

• Yogamatters Natural Cotton Blanket
• Yogamatters Hemp Mini Buckwheat Bolster
• Heavily Meditated Room Spray or Dream Catcher Scented Candle
  
  

Hatha yoga paired with Citrus and Eucalyptus.

A more traditional practice combining all elements of body, breath and mind. As much as it can be a challenging practice, there is also a chance to focus on relaxation and mindfulness. There can sometimes be a little confusion between Hatha and Vinyasa. The difference is, in Hatha there is more time to relax and stretch through the poses, focusing a lot more on stretching and flexibility within your body. Key things you’ll develop when practicing Hatha is core strength and controlled breathing throughout your poses. Still very much a revitalising form of yoga, it is great paired with uplifting fragrances and essential oils.

Citrus: Anything citrus acts as the perfect mood-booster, known to work on your brain’s chemical balance and hormones, resulting in an improved mood, helping you feel revitalised and refreshed.

Eucalyptus: A purifying and cleansing fragrance that is popular for anti-congestion yet also has soothing qualities, promoting feelings of peace and clarity.

Our go-to's for a Hatha practice.

• Yogamatters D-ring Yoga Belt
• Yogamatters Cork Brick
• Retreat Scented Candle or Happy Space Room Mist

 Top tip: We use our room mists to spritz the room, mats, bolsters and blankets for an extra mood-boost.