Candles

Candles are a perfect way to add that special touch to any occasion, and any room in your home.

The ancient Egyptians first used the power of scent to heal over 3,500 years ago. They would burn fragrant woods and herbs, believing the smoke rising into the air would carry with it their hopes and prayers to be answered by the ancient gods.

Today, the use of aroma to heal is deeply entrenched in the art of aromatherapy. It is now one of the most popular forms of holistic medicine. Used not only to help soothe and relax, there are now documented benefits of aromatherapy in helping control chronic disease and illness.

Candles used in aromatherapy come in special combinations of fragrances designed to achieve specific goals. Eucalyptus is used to energize, while lavender is used to calm. Taking in these scents alters the psychological state, allowing the body to follow suit.

The Soothing Effects of Aromatherapy Candles

The Mind
The scents that come from these candles which are the essential oils incite parts of the brain that affects emotions including the hypothalamus. The people around benefit by inhaling the aroma which then affects the mind and body in special ways. It does so by entering their bloodstream through their lungs. The aroma goes straight to the limbic system which produces chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin reduces anxiety while endorphins work to decrease pain and stimulate sexual response. A result is a balanced emotional state and a positive outlook which has a dramatic therapeutic effect on physiological problems especially disorders that are related to stress.

The Body
The body meanwhile absorbs the essential oil through the skin. These oils travel around cells, enter the sebaceous glands and interact with the natural emollients of the skin. This results in thorough cleansing, detoxifying and balancing of the body.

The Spirit
Aromatherapy has great positive effects on one’s spiritual journey. Scented candles and their aroma are used to assist in meditation and prayers.

The unique properties of essential oils found in some scented candles are efficient in enhancing and affecting energy levels positively. In order to achieve the mental, physical and spiritual benefits of scented candles, it’s a must to engage in a form of relaxation with the use of aromatherapy candles. You may think that you don’t have the time or the money to indulge in such experience. But the truth is when it comes to your state of well-being, there’s no such thing as a waste of time or money. And besides there are wholesale soy candles that are not that expensive. You can also engage in soy candle making which in itself is also a form of a relaxing hobby.

Spend a couple of minutes of your day alone in a room, inhaling rich therapeutic aroma of candles and essential oils. The key here is to keep your mind off things that are related to work and stress. Try your best to imagine that you are in a tranquil place with nothing to worry about. This will do a lot in calming your mind and refreshing your body and soul.

Enjoy Sweet Dreams

If you have difficulty falling asleep, try lighting a few of these scented candles before bedtime:

· Chamomile - Long used in teas to promote sleep, chamomile has a sweet, fruity aroma. In addition to helping you achieve a peaceful slumber, chamomile is said to have properties that promote psychic awareness and hone intuition.

· Lavender - An aroma that promotes inner calm and peace, lavender has a fresh, floral scent. It will free you from emotional stress, promote inner stability, and can even be used to relieve headaches.

· Patchouli - This rich aroma has long been connected with love and passion. Not only can it ignite your inner fire, it is known to have properties that help you achieve rest.

· Sandalwood - Bring on those sweet dreams with the sweet, woodsy smell of sandalwood. Perhaps its clairvoyant properties will help you see into the future, while it’s calming properties help you dream the night away.

· Ylang-Ylang - This scent known to enhance love and relationships will surround you with an intoxicating mixture of sweet, floral, and fruity aromas.

Lighten Your Mood

Many scents have been known to ease depression and relive anxiety. Try one of these if you find yourself with the blues.

· Sage- Powerful for removing negative feelings, this earthy yet fruity herb will clear your mind and cleanse impure thoughts from your system.

· Frankincense - This spicy, woody fragrance frees your mind from impure thoughts, releases you from destructive habits and obsessions, and has protective qualities.

Tighten Your Focus

Perhaps your thoughts are wandering or you cannot remain focused on a task or assignment. Burn one of these candles at your desk to help improve your concentration.

· Bergamot - This citrusy yet floral aroma provides mental clarity, as well as protective qualities.

· Peppermint - Another aroma known to increase intuition and psychic awareness, this famous scent is strong and minty.

· Basil - A sweet, slightly medicinal-smelling herb that promotes overall well-being

· Lemon - This citrus scent not only will clear your mind, but will call upon protective spirits to aid you.

Reduce Stress

If you just need to relax and unwind, light one of these scented candles while enjoying a hot bath or some quiet music.

· Jasmine -Exotic and floral, this scent promotes psychic cleansing, assists with creativity, and has powerful qualities for attracting love.

· Geranium - Providing qualities that promote success and well-being, this floral yet slightly fruity scent will relax your mind and spirit.

· Apple - The aroma of this sometimes-tart, sometimes-sweet fruit brings relaxation and peace of mind, as well as aids wisdom

If one of these is not quite your cup of tea, here are some of the protective or spiritually enhancing qualities of some of your other favorite scents:

· Cinnamon - Increases your spiritual awareness, focus, and concentration.

· Citronella - Attracts friends and neighbors, while repelling unwanted insects.

· Clove - Protects from evil spirits while enhancing memory

· Musk - Long associated with passion, this strong scent also boosts self-confidence and strength.

· Rose - The deep, floral smell of roses brings tranquility, inner peace, and harmony.

These fragrances have long been found in spas, combined with soft music to provide the client with a feeling of total peace and relaxation. You can achieve the same experience in your own home by following suit and filling it with scent.

Combine these fragrances together to achieve the mental and physical balance you are looking for, or to gain the spiritual awareness you desire, and allow the healing benefits of aromatherapy to work for you.

Use scented candles, fragrant oils, or wax burners and transform your home into a soothing, healing place of refuge. Allow yourself to indulge in the total relaxation of mind and spirit, and then feel the healing essence fill your body as you reach a heightened level of tranquility and well-being.

After all, if it worked for the ancient Egyptians, it may be able to work for you too.

Massage Therapy Benefits

There are many benefits to getting massage therapy and even though getting a single massage at a time is beneficial, getting continuous massage is better for the long term benefits that are obtained. Being one of the oldest and simplest forms of therapy, a massage can be given by anybody that is trained in it and people are known to have their favorite masseurs to whom they trust their minds, bodies and souls to get the much needed relaxation and even healing of wounds done by them.

The instances of massage go back a long time in history and massage therapy has the advantage

of being simple to perform as it involves a system in which the masseur strokes, presses and kneads different parts of the body in order to provide relief from pain, stress, injuries as well as relax and soothe, stimulate and tone the body. Through massage therapy, much more than just creating pleasant sensations is achieved because it will work on the softer tissues like muscles, tendons, and ligaments and thereby develop a much better tone of muscles.

If you want to be more serious on massage you can go to massage school. There are massage therapy schools in almost every major city so, chances are, there’s a massage therapy school near you. Check the local yellow pages or try an internet search using your favorite search engine. The tuition to attend a massage therapy school may set you back some financially but it’s worth it when you consider that you can make great money as a professional masseuse. Not only that, but you will be able to bring relaxation and happiness to many, many customers relatives or females around the world.

Even though it may be thought that massage therapy only acts on the muscles that lie just beneath the skin this is not so because the effects can also be felt by muscles embedded deeper in the human body and it may also provide relief to the organs themselves. There is additional benefit to be obtained from massage therapy because the blood circulation improves and assistance is given to the lymphatic system by helping to eliminate the waste produced by the body.

There are a number of benefits to massage therapy and these include relaxation, soothing feeling, healing of wounds and injuries, feeling much more reassured, easing of tension, stiffness and pain, makes breathing better, helps to circulate the blood better, as well as giving an enhanced feeling of well-being. Massage therapy should not stop at just single massage sessions because, when spread over a number of sessions, its cumulative beneficial effects will have a longer lasting and be more effective on the human body.

Through regular massages, the skin tone gets improved while the human body mechanism is strengthened, thereby helping to eliminate stress, tension and unnecessary injuries. Other benefits also include strengthening the structure of the body. Massage therapy has a significant and positive effect on stimulating and calming the nervous system and so reduce fatigue and making the receiver feel more rejuvenated. The positive results of massage therapy can be evidenced from the fact that it helps to make the individual’s mental, physical and spiritual well-being get restored to a higher level.

What Is Massage Therapy?

Massage is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy and is a system of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body. Massage does much more than create a pleasant sensation on the skin, it also works on the soft tissues (the muscles, tendons, and ligaments) to improve muscle tone. Although it largely affects those muscles just under the skin, its benefits may also reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves. Massage also stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system (which runs parallel to the circulatory system), improving the elimination of waste throughout the body.

Some Benefits Of Massage:
1. Relaxing.
2. Soothing.
3. Healing.
4. Reassuring.
5. Eases tension, stiffness, and pain.
6. Improves breathing.
7. Improves circulation.
8. Enhances well-being.

The Effects Of Massage:
Although a single massage will be enjoyable, the effects of massage are cumulative and a course of massage treatments will bring the most benefits. Regular massage can have the effect of strengthening and toning the entire body mechanism, and so help to prevent unnecessary strains and injuries that might otherwise occur due to excess tension and any resulting structural weaknesses. Massage can stimulate or calm the nervous system-depending upon what is required by the individual-and thus help reduce fatigue, leaving the receiver with a feeling of replenished energy. At its best, massage has the potential to restore the individual physically, mentally and spiritually.