How to Be More Grounded (Using Aromatherapy)

Being grounded can mean different things to different people. Essentially, being

grounded means being in the present moment—making it through dinner with a friend without taking out your phone, being able to focus enough to fully put your mind into a work task, or simply keeping your thoughts centered on what’s going on around you.

Being grounded can also mean having a clear vision of ourselves and keeping our reactive, ego-centric behaviors in check.

There are lots of practices that can help you be a more grounded person. Our friend (and famed herbalist) Brigitte Mars says that when her daughters feel like they need to be more grounded, she tells them to eat root vegetables.

You might have your own method, whether it’s doing yoga, eating well and staying balanced, or surrounding yourself with close friends that keep you in check.

We like using the aromatherapy of essential oils.

Last week we released 4 new essential oil blends. Each blend is designed to smell amazing, support your emotions using a unique aromatherapy experience. We wanted to make sure you understood the ingredients in these blends and what each essential oil does.

We’ve already covered which oils we love for staying calm, being vibrant, oropening our hearts.

Now for a big one—being grounded.

Essential Oils That Can Help You Be More Grounded

Vetiver Essential Oil Works on Your Heart

Vetiver is in the grass family (Poaceae), but unlike most grasses, which spread their roots in a mat-like fashion, its root grow downward toward the earth. It is the root from which vetiver essential oil is extracted.

Vetiver works on your heart, and is said to help with recovering from past shock or trauma.

It also affects your mind, helping to calm the central nervous system and give you a mellow, relaxed feeling.

A study done by Terry Friedman assessed children’s behaviors, in particular their ability to focus, and how they were affected by certain essential oils. Vetiver showed a 100% improvement in behavior, performing significantly better than lavender and cedarwood. It’s definitely not just for children, though!

Get yourself firmly rooted with vetiver. It has a sweet, heavy and earthy aroma that many people love. This is a great oil to mix with a carrier oil like grapeseed, coconut, or almond and use for massages.

C​opaiba balsam to Ease Pain and Get You Moving

A balsam is a mixture of essential oil and resin. Copaiba balsam comes from a plant in the genus Copaifera, a name meaning ‘copal-bearer,’ describing their resin-producing nature.

Many species in this genus are native to the South American rainforests and are threatened with extinction. As with any essential oil you purchase, it’s important to look into the sourcing to make sure this plant is being harvested sustainably.

Copaiba balsam is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, making it useful to you if bodily pain is occupying your mind. It’s also slightly stimulating, helpful for pulling you out of stagnant hours and getting you going again.

The creamy, woody scent of this balsam provides a delightful base to accompanying oils like sandalwood, cedarwood, and ginger root.

Patchouli for Relaxation

You’d probably recognize patchouli if you smelled it. It’s loved by many naturally-inclined folk. It’s often used in incense and experienced a surge of popularity during the 1760’s and 70’s hippie movement.

Because the patchouli plant (Pogostemon cablin) is fairly easy to grow and produces a good amount of essential oil, this is one of the cheaper ones. One thing to note is that patchouli is rare in that it gets better with age, so a properly aged essential oil product will often be more expensive.

So how does patchouli ground us?

The scent of patchouli is both physically and mentally relaxing, helping to ease tension, anxiety, and even insomnia. It works on our crown chakra, which connects us to our spiritual center. Using patchouli oil can help uplift your mind and clarify your thoughts, keeping you in touch with the things that matter to you.

Patchouli mixes well with everything from bergamot to cedarwood to lemongrass. Blend it up and use it everywhere from in your shampoo to in your diffuser to as your perfume.

Ginger Root for Relationship Support

Another root to help you get grounded.

As an essential oil, ginger’s pain-relieving properties really shine. It’s a great addition to a massage oil, also because it works on your sacral chakra.

Your sacral chakra deals with your sexuality, your emotions, and how you interact with the world. Someone with a balanced sacral chakra is warm and open, with strong intuition.

Ginger essential oil is said to address lack and help with self confidence.

This is the oil you want to use if you feel ungrounded in your interpersonal relationships. Maybe you don’t have a clear sense of yourself or how you relate to others in a group setting. Maybe you’re feeling unsure of your relationships in general.

Add ginger to your essential oil routine to get back some of your emotional mojo. One cool way to use it would be mixing it with a carrier oil and applying it to your pressure points while meditating.

Buddha Wood Essential Oil for Acceptance

Used to spiritually purify the air, buddha wood has a scent that’s sweet, woody, earthy, and smoky. Its essential oil is soothing and sedative, with anti-anxiety properties. Using itl helps you clear your mind, making it ideal to use in your meditation practice.

Buddha wood essential oil can help you adopt a feeling of acceptance, helping you to move forward in life with a realistic perspective that is very grounding. Buddha wood is often used as a base note, and we recommend balancing it with sweeter oils like peru balsam.

We know that something like becoming more grounded can seem like an ethereal or even unattainable thing, but there are practices you can develop to help. This certainly isn’t limited to using essential oils, but they are one tool that you can employ to help you be a more grounded person.

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