Herbal Bath

July 16, 2012

If your schedule for stress reduction activities will not permit a voyage to a pampering destination, and your budget is one of the reasons you stress, take matters into your own hands. If you own a bathtub you can create a ritual to soothe and treat your mood. Water is the emotional element, and soaking in scented water changes the way you feel quickly. Instead of leaving home to find relaxation, make an herbal bath appointment with yourself.

I have enjoyed studying aromatherapy and using essential oils for years. I even have my own copper still to distill plants, although I have not done that recently. The efficacy of botanical medicine is central to my own self care regime.  Herbal bathing can be meditative, medicinal, or just pleasurable.  If you have the good fortune to harvest herbs from your own or native aromatic plants, all the better. A time observing the beauty and grace of the plant combined with a formal or informal request for healing from the plant creates the setting for ritual.  Roses make a beautiful addition to any bath combo.  This practice does not have to be elaborate, but setting time and attention aside for this can have more positive healing results that you might imagine.

For stimulation you may try mint, rosemary and lemon verbena in combination. A restful bath might have chamomile or melissa.  Your personal preference is all that really matters when you decide to use herbs in your bath. A few drops of essential oil can be dropped into a bath tub, but I like to use sachets of herbs ( fresh or dried) I mix for the occasion.  Using a piece of fabric such as tule in about a 12 inch circle or square, pile the herbs in the center.  Fold the edges together and tie with a ribbon or string. Place the sachet in the tub with all hot water for about 20 minutes to brew before you take your bath.  When you enter the tub adjust the temperature to your liking, keeping the sachet in the tub with you. Disconnect from all your outside responsibilities.  Take 20 minutes completely as a gift to your body.  Soak in fresh energetic scents from the sachet while letting go of everything outside the tub. Most importantly decide what qualities or stress producers you want to cleanse from your life.  Start with 20 minutes of freedom. Find other simple ways to incorporate physical pleasure and mental relaxation into your everyday life. It is worth the effort.