How to Prepare Essential Oils

How to Prepare Essential Oils



Essential oils smell wonderful and can be used for so many different things. The most popular things that people use essential oils in are bath and
beauty
products. Depending on what type of essential oils you are purchasing it can be very expensive. However, if you have the time, and not to mention patience, then you can prepare your own essential oils. In this article you will learn how to prepare your own essential oils.







Things You'll Need:





Any fresh herb of your choice




Vegetable oil




Plain vinegar




Quart container









1


Crush 3 tbsp. of any fresh herb of your choice. Pour a pint of vegetable oil into a quart container.





2


Add the crushed herbs and 1 tbsp. of plain vinegar to the vegetable oil. Put the lid on the quart container and then place it in the sun. If you are doing this during the winter then choose the warmest spot possible.





3


Allow the ingredients to steep for 1 week, then strain them and add extra dried herbs. Be sure to use the same type of herb as you used before.





4


Repeat this process for 2 more weeks. After the last 2 weeks are up strain the ingredients and then bottle your essential oil. Be sure to store it in a dark place.








Tips & Warnings










Do not take essential oils internally.



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How to Prepare a Home Remedy for a Sore Throat

How to Prepare a Home Remedy for a Sore Throat



There are many home remedies for a sore throat depending on what part of the world you come from. While some people may not believe that home remedies work, there are many others who swear by these symptom-relieving techniques. Here are three home remedies for soothing a sore throat.









1


Mix a teaspoon of cayenne or African bird pepper with a few ounces of warm water. Gargle with the mixture for a few minutes before bed and at the first sign of pain. The pepper will be hot to the taste buds but is antimicrobial. With the last few amounts that you gargle with, swallow the mixture. Cayenne and African bird pepper is a great cough remedy as well. To remove the burning sensation on the tongue, eat a spoonful of yogurt or peanut butter to remove the hotness of the pepper.





2


Prepare an herbal tea from licorice root, fenugreek and horehound. Bring water to a full boil and then pour it into a cup. Place the herbs into a steeping ball and cover. Allow the tea to steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Add a teaspoon of honey and drink it while it is still warm. Take this tea as often as needed to relieve throat soreness and pain.





3


Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to a tablespoon of pure raw honey. Mix well and then eat it. You may spread it on a piece of soft bread if you like. The cinnamon is a natural antibiotic and the honey will sooth the throat and serves to coat it. Take every few hours as needed.


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How to Prepare a Client for a Massage

How to Prepare a Client for a Massage



When a client makes an appointment for a first massage they have many questions and might feel apprehensive. A well-prepared introduction to massage will go a long way in helping them feel comfortable with your touching their head and their body. To prepare a client for a massage have your "Intake Forms," massage oils and cream and massage room ready before they arrive.







Things You'll Need:





Intake form









1


Shake hands with the client first. This first physical contact puts the subtler energy levels of their body at ease.





2


Ask them to fill out a simple "Intake Form." This form requests name, address, whether they take any medications, whether they have experienced massage before or the
date
of their last massage. They must also list any physical pains or problems they might feel at this time.





3


Discuss the information on the form. Conversation at this point also helps the client feel more at ease.





4


Show the client the massage room and discuss the level of music and light they might enjoy.





5


Explain how you use draping over the body and that you do not touch or see their private parts.





6


Tell them whether to lie face up or face down and to cover their body with the sheet. Ask them to disrobe to their own comfort level.





7


Leave the room for three to four minutes so they can look around, undress and get comfortable on the massage table.








Tips & Warnings










Make your first physical contact with their feet upon re-entering the room. This eases any apprehension they might still feel.








Ask if they have any questions. Listen carefully to what they say.



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How to Practice Self Reflexology

How to Practice Self Reflexology



Reflexology is a healing art which involves applying pressure on the feet, hands, and ears in order to ameliorate pain and stress. The practice of reflexology
dates
back nearly 5,000 years to ancient Egypt. Today, reflexology is heralded for a multitude of health benefits including, but not limited to, reduced stress, improved circulation and enhanced energy. You can practice self reflexology at home using a few simple techniques.









1


Place your left foot over your right knee. Interlace your fingers between your toes then rotate at the ankle in clockwise motion. Reverse the direction and rotate in counter-clockwise motion. Repeat this exercise with the right foot.





2


Keep your fingers interlaced between your toes and stretch your Achilles tendon by stretching the foot forwards and backwards.





3


Put the ball of your foot between your hands like a sandwich. Move your foot backwards and forwards. Repeat this exercise with your other foot.





4


Use your thumb to apply pressure to the inner edge of the ball of your foot. Use your other hand to hold the toes of the foot and provide support as you apply pressure. Repeat this activity with the other foot.





5


Set one hand on top of your foot and the other underneath your foot. Knead your foot between your two hands as if you were rolling dough.





6


Create a fist with your right hand and press the fist against the bottom of your left foot. Line your knuckles up with the base of your toes. Place your left hand on the other side of your foot so that the foot is sandwiched between your right and left hands. Push your hands together, squeezing your foot between your hands. Reverse with the right foot.





7


Rest both hands at the sides of your foot and then slide your hands up and down. The friction will warm your foot and relieve stress. Then, hack the foot by hitting the bottom of the foot with the side of your hand. Repeat with the other foot. Close your session by running the knuckle of one finger vertically along the base of each foot.








Tips & Warnings










Clean your hands and feet thoroughly before commencing with a self reflexology session. You may apply essential oils to your hands and feet to enhance the benefits of the session.








Rest in a chair or on the floor in a comfortable position. Rub your hands back and forth against one another vigorously. You'll feel heat emanate from your hands.








Stretch toes and fingers by pulling on each and then twisting them back and forth.








Don't assume that this represents a comprehensive reflexology session. Additional techniques are used for specific ailments.



http://www.ehow.com/how_2106948_practice-self-reflexology.html

How to Practice Polarity Therapy

How to Practice Polarity Therapy



Polarity therapy is a holistic approach that covers diet, exercise, touch and mental-emotional processes. While there are many practitioners of polarity therapy, you must practice the concepts of balancing and healing the body's energy in your own home to get the full benefits of the therapy.









1


Cleanse the body through regular detoxification and purification diets to keep the body free of impurities that may block the flow of energy. Eliminate refined sugars, fats and grains from your meals. Eat fresh organic fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water and healing herbal teas.





2


Exercise regularly to balance energy, a key part of polarity therapy. Regular exercise helps to keep your body fit and strong, eliminates toxins that can block energy and increases the overall flow of energy within your body. Mind-body exercise, such as yoga or tai chi, is particularly beneficial as it helps you to incorporate the energetic principles of polarity therapy and increases the awareness and control you have over your own body's energy flow.





3


Balance your body's internal energy with regular bodywork. Massage, acupuncture or Pilates are examples of polarity therapy practices that involve gentle, healing touch. Gentle touch helps to rebalance the body's essential energies and eliminate blockages in the energy field which manifest in the body's tissues and muscles.





4


Practice self-awareness techniques that stimulate the mental-emotional process. Meditation, breathing exercises or even the act of writing poetry can help you to identify and release sources of tension and increase your awareness of your body's energy patterns. In polarity therapy, a practitioner is only a catalyst. While their expertise can help guide you in your self-healing, you will be your best practitioner if you learn to listen to your inner-self and increase your self-awareness.


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How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation

How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation



Learning to deal with everyday stressers can be challenging. If you work out on a regular basis, eat healthy, and get enough rest that will go a long way to good health. However it is also just as important to mange stress and this is an often neglected part of people's routines. There are many different forms and approaches to meditation and it is good to experiment to find the one that works best for you. The instructions below are for a mindfulness meditation exercise.







Things You'll Need:





A quiet room




A straight backed chair, meditation bench, or cushions to help you sit comfortably and with good posture









1


Prepare.
Find a comfortable seated position you can remain in for fifteen to twenty minutes where you will not be disturbed. You can sit in a chair with the back straight and feet flat on the floor. You can also sit on the floor with the legs crossed if comfortable. When sitting on the floor it is better for your back and posture if you sit on a bench or cushion so that your hips are slightly higher then your knees. This will automatically put you into a comfortable position where you will not have to work at holding your back straight.





2


While you want to be relaxed keep in mind that when meditating you are attempting to learn a skill to help you deal with stressful situations and you do not want to fall asleep. Practicing meditation will help you to learn to stay calm in situations which is more helpful since you can not always just fall asleep wherever you are.





3


Turn off
phones
and find as calm of an atmosphere as possible to practice in. It is also important to pick a time of day that will work. Some people like to start their day with meditation while others use it to unwind in the middle or at the end of their day.





4


Begin your practice.
The goal of mindfulness meditation is not to distract your mind away from stressful thoughts but rather to just observe the thoughts without reacting to them. So for the duration of your practice you are working at being a dispassionate witness to your thoughts.





5


During your mindfulness practice whenever thoughts come into your consciousness whether they are internal thoughts or reactions to outside events happening, you are to simply acknowledge the thought but not react or attach emotions to it. For example if during your meditation a noise (such as a car horn) distracts you, you name the noise (car horn) but then let it go. You attempt to not react to the noise by thinking about how it stopped you from meditating or getting agitated or curious about it. You simply name it and go back to observing your thoughts. This type of practice helps you develop a skill to not react to everyday stresses but rather let them pass as events.





6


Complete your meditation practice.
When ready gently and slowly bring yourself out of the meditation. Allow yourself a few moments to just sit and feel the effects of your practice. It is important to not try to rate or compare how you did and refrain from labeling it as a good or bad practice, Just allow it to be what it is.





7


Mindfulness meditation is based on the Buddhist philosophy that much of our suffering comes from the need to grasp onto things and to change what is. So regardless of what occurred during your meditation, the important part is that you took time from your day to take care of your health and to manage your stress.








Tips & Warnings










Remember that learning to meditate is like learning any other skill. It takes time and practice. Mindfulness meditation can be very challenging at first but the more you practice the easier it becomes to do.








Make sure you use a seated position that is relatively comfortable and allows for good posture. Avoid position that cause or increase back or knee pain.



http://www.ehow.com/how_2109668_practice-mindfulness-meditation.html

How to Practice Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

How to Practice Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy



Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or MBCT is a therapy designed to help people combat depression on an ongoing basis and is based on a mindfulness stress reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. This process involves learning ways to deal with destructive thoughts by acknowledging them and not allowing the thoughts to spiral into depression. Follow these steps to learn how you can practice mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.







Things You'll Need:





Classes on MBCT




Books on MBCT




CDs on MBCT









1


Begin by researching more details on the mindfulness cognitive therapy process. Do this by attending the eight weekly classes provided by its creator, using the CDs created to practice the methods at home or buying books on the topic.





2


Understand the signs and symptoms of depression and know that if you have suffered from it in the past you have a greater chance of getting into that cycle again. Negative thoughts, fatigue, moodiness are all signs of depression when they occur over a period of time.





3


Prevent the return or onset of depression by using a combination of meditation, yoga and looking at things in a different way. Remain in the present instead of dwelling on things that happened in the past or worrying about what may or may not happen in the future. Pay attention to your body and feelings at that moment.





4


Recognize when your mood may be going down so that you can break that line of thought before it escalates. Identify the thought you're having, understand how you feel about it and why without making a judgment about yourself and move on.





5


Accept negative feelings as they come to you without pushing them away. Respond appropriately by thinking about whether this is something you can do anything about, and if so take action. When you cannot do anything to help the situation respond by not dwelling instead of reacting without thinking.








Tips & Warnings










Use mindfulness in addition to the treatment or therapy you're currently receiving for depression, not instead of those things as it is meant to prevent a relapse.








Be aware that while nothing can prevent bad things from happening, you're in control of how you handle those situations.








Don't try to ignore negative thoughts because they will eventually build up to a point that puts you into a depression.



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