The Scent of Spring

There is a certain smell in the air that tells me that spring is truly on its way. I am waiting patiently for that smell expecially after the snowfalls of last week.
I have decided that I am not going to complain about what I can't control, the weather being a great example. Last week, I had spend about 2 hours or so with the snow blower and then a couple of days later, I needed to go at it again, and then yet again. Something like housework, it looks great once it is done but then, low and behold, it needs doing again.
When I got up on Saturday morning and saw the new snowfall blanketing the trees with a bleached whiteness, my first instinct was to groan No-o-o-o-o! Then I took a moment and allowed myself to be carried into how beautiful it all looked. That changed the tone for me for the day. Of course it didn't hurt that Brian was home and would be handling the snow blower instead of me!
But, back to smell. I love it when the spring smells start to grab hold of my nostrils. Subtly at first, then gradually that luscious scent of damp earth, new growth mixed with the warmer sun on my skin set me spiraling upwards filled with euphoric thoughts of what is to come!
Smell, scent, that aroma of springtime brings memories of taking off galoshes to take a turn at double dutch, or skipping to the alphabet, hop scotch on the school grounds at recess and a time of youth!
Scent takes us back to places of warmth and love, sometimes bringing physical as well as emotional memories. Aromatherapy can play a part in this journey as well as healing the physical, mental and emotional parts as well.
I was first drawn to aromatherapy because of the scent of the oils. Lavender reminded me of my grandmother and to me it was a soothing memory. Rosemary brings me a great feeling of peace. Geranium brings the warmth of summer to my body and Patchouli grounds me to the earth and that feeling of being at one with the universe!
Essential Oils bring so much power to our lives in the form of healing the physical hurts as much as it does the emotional. Blue Cypress helps with muscle and joint pain, Eucalyptus helps with the respiratory system, Lavender heals burns very quickly as well as cuts.
As with all things natural though, just because it is natural, it can be harmful if not used properly. If one is going to use the beneficial oils, then one should study up on them. It is not enough to know the benefits, you also need to know the harmful effects, how to mix them properly, and that they are not safe to take internally because of their concentration.
If you are interested in learning more about Essential Oils, I do teach an introductory class when I have enough interested people. You can email me for more information through the website.

Events at the Nest

We are well into 2010 and things have been hopping here at The Robins' Nest Retreat! We have had a couple of Scrap Booking groups in for weekend get aways and it has been a positive experience for us all! It was truly amazing to see these ladies truck in copious amounts of scrap booking essentials and weave beautiful pages to document their events. Kudos to them and the time that they invest to keep their memories for future generation.
We are now offering an affordable Scrap Booking Special for any groups that are interested in a get away close to the GTA. Details can be viewed at www.robinsnestretrea.com/s_45.asp

We are also hosting a relaxing weekend of Yoga with Caroline Owen of Wavelengths Yoga in Norwood. This is taking place on February 26-28. Caroline will lead the group through a weekend of meditative yoga that will engage you in body, mind and spirit.

What are you interested in? What would you like to do if you had a weekend away? I will be teaching some classes in Dowsing, Aromatherapy, and Reiki in the future and will be writing about them in future blogs.
You can reach me at info@robinsnestretreat.com