Monthly Essentials: doTERRA's Ginger

As June brings us both Father's Day and the Summer Solstice, a powerfully Solar and purpose driven essential oil is needed.  One to help us cultivate our inner warrior, while staying humble and rooted to what we know is right, just and true. 

And for all that and more, doTERRA's Ginger is the perfect oil to carry us into this new season of light, heat and power.

Ginger is the Oil of Empowerment.  It gifts us with purpose and the will to become fully present in our life; an active participant in every experience, both the ones that build us up and the ones that break us down.

Because just as the sun never rests - rising each day to carve it's path across the sky, shining with equal measure on days where we see the light, and on ones clouded by the struggles of circumstance - so to does our life move forward diligently.  We are given the choice to become a victim of our circumstance, and be held back by the twins of self-pity and blame, or to cultivate a "warrior mentality" of personal integrity and individual choice. 

We can become the active creators of our lives, the Heros in our own stories.  And Ginger essential oil can help us walk that path of light and strength by clearing the way from the inside out.

Physically, Ginger is a default oil to help promote digestive health and to provide respiratory relief.  Energetically, that links this spicy oil to the third Chakra - Manipura, our solar plexus, how we define ourselves and our power - and the 5th chakra - Vissudha, the throat chakra, how we communicate and express ourselves to the world.  In this way, Ginger can become a tool for clearing the path towards discovering and becoming who we are truly meant to be.

So take this ancient root out of the kitchen, and begin to experiment.  Diffuse it, or apply it directly over the solar plexus to encourage strength from deep within.  Inhale direct from the bottle or your hands, or apply it to the lower abdomen to stabilize and ground you. 
Diffuse with Frankincense to add wisdom to your fire, so that it burns with higher purpose and drive, or with Geranium to let love lead the way. 
Paired with Rosemary, the Oil of Transition, Ginger can help us navigate the sometimes difficult upheaval of our life's evolution with purpose and responsibility.  And together with Lime, which brings a true zest for life, Ginger jumps us in with two feet and greets life with arms open wide.  

And the medicinal benefits are not to be glossed over, as they've been driving Ginger's journey around the world for over 5000 years.  Originally from Southeast Asia, the value of this spice was so widely known that by the 1st century, it was already being traded throughout the Middle East and into Rome. 
A tonic root for all ailments, a few drops of Ginger in warm to hot water can soothe an upset stomach and clear a congested throat.  A single sharp inhale can almost immediately reduce nausea and motion sickness, and a little rubbed into the soles of the feet or the abdomen will aid digestion.  Plus, it tastes delicious and has been flavoring our milks, cakes and candies since Medieval times.
 
In asana, Ginger becomes a wonderful oil to apply over the solar plexus before integrated core work, and the more earth-bound arm balances of the Bakasana, (crow) and Tittibhasana (firefly) families.  Ginger is a root after all, so it helps us play with that balance of Earth and Fire.  Also a great compliment to a deliberate and focused Warrior series practice.  Because remember...   

"Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting.  It's about the ability, courage and commitment to end the war within oneself and not quit until it is done."
~ Richard Machowicz