If you’re looking to explore grounding, deepen your yoga practice, or simply feel more present during your workday, these 15 grounding essential oils are a supportive way to bring you into the present moment with a calm and clear mind.
What Does It Mean to Feel Grounded?
Grounding is a simple technique to return to the present moment. If you’re a trauma survivor, you may experience moments when you feel disconnected, anxious, or like you can’t be fully present.
This source from the National Library of Medicine explores how grounding, by touching the earth, provides these key benefits:
- Ease panic attacks
- Soothe anxiety
- Balance mood
- Reduce inflammation
- Supportive alongside therapy
- Increase energy levels
A quick way to ground is by placing your feet or hands on the ground (or on the earth outside) and notice your connection with the ground supporting you. While grounding shouldn’t be used as a standalone care plan for healing trauma, it’s a supportive addition that is accessible and simple to explore.
How Essential Oils Support Grounding
Essential oils are oils derived from plants in a concentrated form. They’re often used for aromatherapy, during massage, or in a diffuser during yoga classes. You can use oils to support grounding with aromatic oils.
While there is little evidence to suggest that specific oils have a direct correlation with more effective grounding, you may find your experience is more enjoyable with oils. You can also use the scent as your focus for your practice to deepen concentration and create more presence.
If you’d like to explore essential oils that are supportive for meditative practice, I invite you to explore these 5 Essential Oils for Meditation.
How to Pick The Best Essential Oil For Your Practice
I am a huge proponent of using your past experience as your greatest teacher. If you discover more grounding after using oils, then that’s perfectly fine. If you don’t, that’s still just as fine. I welcome you to experiment with your practice, letting go of how you think you should feel, and spend your focus on how you actually feel. This will allow you to discover truly the best oils for you – and if you choose to include them.
You may also choose to explore oils that are pure (instead of synthetic) so you receive oils from the plant, and not a manufactured perfume. Just know that the price is usually higher with genuine oils, but you’ll be receiving better quality.
15 Grounding Essential Oils
How I picked these oils:
I picked grounding oils that favor earthy, woodsy, spicy, and warm scents. These resemble the earth and support your focus into a rooted, grounded presence. On a spiritual level, some essential oils are associated with balancing your root (muladhara) chakra.
This is the chakra connected with safety, security, and you can support balance through grounding techniques and oils mentioned below. If you’d like to learn more about your chakras and how they’re impacted after trauma, I welcome you to explore my to guide to Unblocking Your Chakras After Sexual Trauma.
15 Grounding Essential Oils:
- Vetiver
- Scent: Earthy
- Source: From the roots of the grassy plant, vetiver
- Frankincense
- Scent: Woody and sweet
- Source: Boswellia trees
- Cedarwood
- Scent: Warm and woody, subtle citrus
- Source: Cedar Trees
- Sandalwood
- Scent: Woody, leathery
- Source: Santalum album tree from India or Australia
- Patchouli
- Scent: Cedar and sweetness
- Source: Pogostemon Cablin plant
- Myrrh
- Scent: Smoky, spicy
- Source: Commiphora myrrha (tree)
- Bergamot
- Scent: Citrusy, spicy
- Source: Citrus bergamia (tree)
- Clary Sage
- Scent: Musky, sweet
- Source: Clary sage plant (mint family)
- Cypress
- Scent: Woody, spicy
- Source: Cypress (evergreen tree)
- Ginger
- Scent: Warm, spicy
- Source: Ginger
- Palo Santo
- Scent: Sweet, woody
- Source: Bursera graveolens tree
- Rosewood
- Scent: Sweet, woody
- Source: Aniba rosaeodora tree
- Juniper Berry
- Scent: Crisp, woody
- Source: Evergreen shrub (part of cypress family)
- Ylang Ylang
- Scent: Musky, sweet
- Source: Clary sage plant (mint family)
- Black Spruce
- Scent: Woody, sweet
- Source: Black Spruce (pine tree family)
How To Use Essential Oils For Grounding
There are several ways you can use your oils in your practice for an experience that resonated most with you. Below are a few options to explore:
- Blend with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut and apply as a body massage oil. (Just be sure that you aren’t allergic to the oil.)
- Create a DIY Yoga Mat Spray to clean and leave a lingering scent on your mat.
- Gently waft or inhale from the bottle before practice and to make your oil last longer.
- Add a few drops to a diffuser with water to control an even release of oil
Create a More Grounding Yoga Practice
Essential oils are a supportive way to feel more calm and grounded in your yoga practice, and we can deepen grounding with practices that can create an even deeper sense of connection. If you’re looking for gentle, trauma-informed practices to support nervous system regulation and relaxation, I invite you to explore the Cozy Corner, my free private library of yoga classes to support grounding, release, and support. I welcome you to learn more below to see if this is a supportive resource for you.
