Essential Oils For Yoga Teachers Heather Deaville Essential Oils For Yoga Teachers Heather Deaville

From Course to Calling: Emi's Journey With Essential Oils for Yoga Teachers

Graduate Spotlight: Emi

When Emi took the Essential Oils for Yoga Teachers course, she was looking for something specific: the confidence to blend and create her own way, rather than follow a sales script. A friend had introduced her to essential oils through a multi-level marketing route, and while the oils themselves resonated, the business model didn't. "I wanted the genuine confidence to create, mix, blend, and support women's health in a truly holistic way," she told me.

That search for genuine, grounded knowledge has since become the foundation of her entire teaching practice — and, as it turns out, the direction of her whole business.

Oils as a monthly ritual, not a fixed formula

Rather than settling on a handful of "signature" oils, Emi treats her oil choices the way she treats her sequencing: as something that shifts with the season and the theme of her practice. "I love linking my oil choices to Traditional Chinese Medicine and whatever theme I'm weaving into my somatic and yin yoga practice that month," she says.

In class, that shows up everywhere — deep inhalation during breathwork, guided self-massage on the wrists, neck and feet, and what she describes as the undisputed crowd favourite: the Savasana temple rub.

Her approach to blending is refreshingly honest. "I take a very hands-on approach: pure trial and error. I love researching the healing properties of each oil and experimenting. Honestly, some combinations have been absolute disasters, but others have turned out utterly amazing." It's a good reminder that expertise isn't about getting it right every time — it's about being curious enough to keep experimenting.

The biggest lightbulb moment from the course itself, she says, was learning about top, middle and base notes. "That was a total revelation."

A monthly sanctuary is born

The ripple effects of the course went well beyond Emi's regular classes. It inspired her to create Scent and Serenity, a monthly event dedicated to somatic exercises, yin yoga and meditation — "a total sanctuary for women to step off the hamster wheel and genuinely rest."

It's also reshaped her business entirely. Emi is currently rebranding from Blossoms Yoga to EmiLouEmbodied, with a new focus on supporting women through midlife, menopause and post-menopause — informed in part by her own experience of navigating menopause without HRT, and her long-standing use of essential oils as part of that.

One moment in particular has stayed with her: a student once told her, "All I can think about all month is the smell of that oil — I literally can't wait to come back!" Emi ended up blending her a small rollerball so she could find that same moment of peace at home, without having to wait for the next class.

Who this is for

Asked who she'd recommend the course to, Emi doesn't hesitate: "Honestly, any yoga teacher would benefit, but it's absolute magic if you teach slower, more restorative, or holistic classes." For her, the course gave her the practical grounding to "curate delicious experiences where women can truly surrender and rest" — which, given where her business is heading, feels like exactly the right words for it.

You can follow Emi's new chapter at EmiLouEmbodied on Instagram.If Emi's story resonates and you'd love to build this kind of practical, confident knowledge into your own teaching, you can find out more about the Essential Oils for Yoga Teachers course here.

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Essential Oils For Yoga Teachers, Aromatherapy in Yoga Classes Heather Deaville Essential Oils For Yoga Teachers, Aromatherapy in Yoga Classes Heather Deaville

Essential Oils and Yoga to Keep You Grounded Through the Heatwave

Legs up the wall - a cooling yoga practice during a heatwave

As we head towards heatwave number five of the summer here in the UK, if you're anything like me, the novelty has worn off, it did that around heatwave number two to be honest. By now there's a particular kind of tiredness that comes with this weather — broken sleep, a short fuse, a mind that feels scattered even when the body has barely moved. If you've rolled out your mat this week and thought "I cannot possibly do a full practice in this," you are not alone, and you don't have to be.

I've noticed this feeling in my own practice, but also in my classes, no one is inclined to do much movement in this heat.

Grounding usually gets talked about as something warm and heavy, especially in the winter months when our urge to hibernate kicks in, think earthy oils, slow deliberate movement, a sense of sinking down. In a heatwave, that's the last thing we need is warm and heavy. What we actually need is steadiness in the middle of intensity: something that cools the body and settles the mind without asking for more effort than we have to give. That's the kind of grounding this post is about.

Why heat makes it so hard to feel steady

Heat interferes with two things the body relies on to feel settled: sleep and stress regulation. To fall and stay asleep, core body temperature needs to drop, a recent study tracking over 12.5 million nights of wearable sleep data found that warmer nights measurably shorten sleep and delay how quickly people drop off, with the effect strongest for women in their 40s. On top of that, heat itself acts as a physical stressor, nudging up heart rate and stress hormones, which is part of why minor irritations can feel bigger than they are, a pattern researchers have studied for decades in the well-documented link between heat and short tempers. None of that is a failure of willpower, it's a fairly predictable response to sustained heat. So rather than fighting it with intensity, this is a moment for practices that cool first and steady second.

Cooling, grounding oils for this week

  • Peppermint — instantly cooling. One drop on a cotton pad and some lovely deep slow breathing.

  • Cornmint — a gentler, sweeter cousin of peppermint, kind on sensitive skin, so can be blended with a carrier oil and applied to the neck and chest. Lovely for an evening wind-down when you want cooling without the intensity.

  • Geranium — balancing rather than sedating, geranium helps even out the emotional up-and-down that heat tends to bring, without adding any heaviness.

  • Sandalwood — traditionally used in hot climates for its cooling, grounding quality; beautiful paired with a slower, floor-based practice.

  • Lime or grapefruit — bright and refreshing, good for lifting a flat, heat-drained mood. (A safety note on these below — worth reading before you reach for the bottle.)

Please read Essential Oil Safety for Yoga Teachers | Safe Use in Classes & Workshops — Deaville Yoga if you're new to working with essential oils.

A safety note specific to heatwave weather

This one's worth flagging clearly: citrus oils, like lime, lemon, bergamot, grapefruit are phototoxic. They increase your skin's sensitivity to UV light and can cause burning or pigmentation if applied to skin that then goes into direct sun. Given that most of us are spending more time outdoors and in stronger sun right now, it's worth using blended citrus oils on skin that won't see direct sunlight, or sticking to a diffuser instead. As always, dilute properly and patch test anything new, and if you're pregnant or have a medical condition, check in with a qualified aromatherapist first.

A cooling practice to go with it

Two of the simplest and most direct tools for cooling the body come from pranayama:

  • Sitali or Sitkari breath (the "cooling breath") — inhale through a curled tongue or through clenched teeth, exhale through the nose. It's one of the few yoga tools that has an almost immediate, physical cooling effect, and you can do it anywhere — on the mat, in the car, queuing for a flight.

  • A short, low-effort sequence: supported forward fold, a gentle seated twist, and legs-up-the-wall to finish. None of this asks much of the body, and legs-up-the-wall in particular is wonderful for heat-swollen ankles and a genuinely restless mind.

Practice earlier in the morning or later in the evening if you can, and let movement stay slow and mostly floor-based while the heat is at its peak. This is a week for less, not more.

A simple ritual for today

If you only take one thing from this post, let it be this: a drop or two of your favourite oil from the list above on a cotton pad or in your diffuser, three rounds of Sitali breath, and five minutes with your legs up the wall. It takes less time than making a cup of tea, and it's enough.

If this kind of practical, seasonal knowledge is something you'd love to build into your own teaching, this is exactly the territory we go deep on in the Essential Oils for Yoga Teachers course, from safety considerations like phototoxicity to building simple rituals your students can actually use. Check it out: Essential Oils for Yoga Teachers | Online CPD Training UK — Deaville Yoga

Stay cool out there, and see you on the mat.

Sources

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Chakra Yoga Heather Deaville Chakra Yoga Heather Deaville

Chakra Yoga Series: Part 6, Third Eye Chakra

Yoga teacher making her way to Puppy Pose

As we reach week 6 of our Chakra Yoga journey, I can feel the energy settling into a quieter, more meditative space. Having moved through more outward-facing energetic themes, our attention now turns inward to the Third Eye Chakra, Ajna. This practice invites us to trust our intuition and listen deeply to our inner wisdom.

Focus on our focus

In this week’s classes, we worked with both our internal and external gaze. This simple shift helped to quiet the mind and deepen our ability to listen to ourselves.

In yoga, this focused gaze is known as our Drishti. We gently anchor our awareness to a single point, allowing the eyes to be steady yet soft. This steadiness supports us in balance postures and encourages a calmer, more settled mind in stillness.

The inner eye

The Third Eye Chakra is considered the seat of intuition. Located just above and between the eyebrows (and slightly deeper within the centre of the head), it is often described as a form of inner knowing and connecting to a higher, more spiritual realm.

Like the Heart Chakra, its guidance is clearest when we pause long enough to truly listen. This week we explored that space by slowing the breath and visualising calm, expansive imagery, spaces that felt vast, open and still.

One image that resonated strongly was standing at the edge of the ocean, watching sunlight dance across the water. In teaching, I also chose to speak less at times, allowing more silence for students to fully inhabit their practice.

The physical practice

Our asana practice supported this inward focus through postures that encouraged steadiness, space and awareness:

  • Extended Puppy Pose

  • Warrior III

  • Revolved Side Angle Pose

  • Downward Facing Dog

Each shape offered an opportunity to return to the breath and gently refine attention.

Mudra and mantra

This week I really enjoyed sharing Shankh Mudra (Shell Mudra) with students. In this mudra, the fingers interlace to form a shape reminiscent of a conch shell, symbolising the connection between outer expression and inner truth.

It is said to support inner listening and deepen connection to intuitive knowing. The right thumb is gently held, representing the “pearl of wisdom” protected within.

We closed with the affirmation:

“I trust my instincts and follow their guidance.”

Essential oils for the Third Eye

We began our practice this week with Clary Sage essential oil. This oil supports reconnection with intuition, helping to clear the mind and leaving us feeling revitalised and re-inspired.

We closed the practice with Amyris essential oil, a gently uplifting oil that helps calm and clear the mind while supporting a quiet sense of wellbeing and inner ease.

Join me for a class, workshop or CPD training

My joy is in sharing my two great passions—yoga and aromatherapy—and I would love to have you join me on this journey.

I teach yoga classes in Sussex, run yoga workshops, and Yoga retreats across Sussex and Kent.

I am also blessed to have a wonderful community of yoga teachers who have completed my Essential Oils for Yoga Teachers CPD training. They are passionate about learning how to safely and meaningfully incorporate essential oils into their classes and workshops.

Next week

Next week we’ll journey up the Sushumna Nadi to the Crown Chakra, Sahasrara, building on our exploration of inner knowing while gently expanding into our connection with the world around us and the divine.

Sources and inspiration

The themes explored in this class were informed by my own knowledge of traditional yoga philosophy and aromatherapy, as well as inspiration from:

  • Chakra Yoga by Anodea Judith (Llewellyn Publications)

  • Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit by Gabriel Mojay (Healing Arts Press)

  • Mudras for Body, Mind & Spirit by Gertrud Hirschi (Findhorn Press)

These sources often inform the framework I use when designing themed yoga classes that integrate movement, breath, subtle energy and essential oils.

The Chakra Yoga series

You can explore the full series so far below:

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