8.19: Breathe In Breathe Out
- Page ID
- 14109
Learn:
- What aromatherapy is
- How aromatherapy help relax and revitalize your body and mind from stress.
Giveaway: Essential oils on paper, cup of lemon water and tea bag to help relax, relieve stress, digest and decongest.
Tools:
- Signage and handouts (e.g. facts from different plants or oils)
- Cups/ Water/ Lemons/ Tea bags
- Variety of oils or leaves such as chamomile, peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, ginger and lavender.
- Labels and small pieces of paper/notecards
- Coffee beans (help eliminate smells to noses)
- Relaxing music & speakers (optional)
- Feedback survey, pencils, and collection box
Set-Up:
- Display signage/ Poster to highlight the goal of your demo.
- Place dried leaves, oils, and cut-up lemons on plates for students to smell.
- Place labels/ small pieces of paper/ Notecards near the essential oils and tea bags.
- Squeeze cut-up lemon in a cup of water to drink.
Activity:
- Facilitator share the talking points.
- Have participants place a drop of essential oil on a small piece of paper to smell and take with them.
- Allow students to choose one tea bag to take home with them and a cup of lemon water.
- Ask participants to complete feedback survey.
Talking Points:
- Introduction: would you like to get a cup of water or smell different of plants that will help you relax?
- What is Aromatherapy? Aromatherapy is use of essential oils from plants for healing, and it has been used as an alternative medicine for many years.
- How/ When to use aromatherapy: There are different ways to use aromatherapy, in bubble baths, in diffusers, and candles that helps you relax. Aromatherapy is used when feeling stressed/ overwhelmed.
Suggested Information for Café O Yea:
Benefits of Aromatherapy:
- There are many types of essential oils that have different functions:
- Chamomile: relaxing plant
- Used to soothe anxiety, help with nausea, relax and relieve muscle pain
- Peppermint: energizing plant
- Used to combat headaches, cold symptoms and nausea.
- Lavender: de-stressing plant
- Used to promote sleep and relaxation
- Eucalyptus: decongesting tree
- Used to relieve cold symptoms, reduce inflammation and used as an anti-bacterial
- Ginger: energizing root
- Used to help with nausea and arthritis
- Jasmine: relaxing plant
- Used to calm mood/emotions and lower blood pressure
- Chamomile: relaxing plant
Key Terms (from lessons): Stress, Anger, Cope

Do It Yourself Aromatherapy recipes
- Playdough-https://www.buzzfeed.com/tigersouvannakoumane/this-therapeutic-dough-will-keep-you-sane-all-day)
- Candles-https://www.buzzfeed.com/delaneyratzky/learn-how-to-make-diy-aromatherapy-candles?utm_term=.jkJ2eYeMR#.cboA1q1jX
Images of aromatherapy essentials (chamomile, peppermint, lavender, etc)
Video from Dr. Oz on Essential Oils
- youtu.be/2juDBdsdh0A
Resources:
- Tang, S.K. & Tse, M. (2014). Aromatherapy: Does it help to Relieve Pain, Depression, Anxiety & Stress.
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4119713/ National Institute of Health.
- National Institute of Health. "Peppermint Oil." Retrieved from: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/peppermintoil
- National Institute of Health. "Lavender." Retrieved from:
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender/ataglance.htm National Institute of Health. "Eucalyptus." Retrieved from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...tural/700.html
- National Institute of Health. "Ginger." Retrieved from: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/ginger