Lavender – Oil of relaxation and communication

Lavender is a true friend and companion throughout the summer, helping us to relieve stress and tension and keep us cool and calm even in the heat.

As June opens and the days reach their full brightness, lavender reminds us how to soften, how to ease, and how to release what we hold too tightly.

There is a special fullness in June. Light is at its longest. The garden is abundant. Everything seems open, accessible, doable.

For many of us, something inside quietly hardens to keep up – the shoulders, the mouth, the soft spot behind the eyes, the breath that never ends.

This is the season when we may need permission to soften… not stop, but stop holding back… June is a month of joy. Letting go, even for a few moments, of the residue of a day, a season, or a long chapter of transmission – and returning to ourselves a little clearer, more stable, and able to receive what comes next.

Lavender is an emollient

Lavender is an oil that reminds us how to start over. Last month, in this column, we met geranium – the oil of love and trust with the qualities of a sweet mother. This month, in our aromatic journey of the soul, we meet Lavender – the emollient.

Most of us already know lavender. We meet him in a bath at the end of a long day, in a pillowcase or in a soft spread that helps to relax the house.

We instinctively believe in his ability to deliver us. However, her work begins in a deeper place than rest.

Its name is derived from the Latin “lavare” – to wash. Lavender is an ancient remedy for cleansing, release and recovery. It helps clear out what is no longer needed and makes room for something fresh. It reminds the nervous system that it’s safe to soften – that we can start over as long as we need to.

What I love about Lavender is her extraordinary adaptability. It is one of the great balancing oils – cooling where there is heat, warming where there is cold, where there is restlessness, and softening where there is tension and restraint.

He does not calm us down and does not take us away from ourselves. It brings us back to ourselves – calmer, clearer, and able to feel what we carry. There is something here that reflects the nature of the inner soul of the plant. Lavender grows in heat and cold, drought and rain.

When we work with her, that quiet stability becomes part of what she helps to awaken in us—the ability to stay grounded in the changing rhythms of life.

Using AcuPoints with Lavender – The exact way it works

This way of working with pure essential oils goes beyond diffusing the oils or adding them to a bath. It brings together two ancient wisdom traditions: the spiritual nature of plants and the meridian system, which have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries.

When we understand how scent travels through the body and emotions – what I call “fragrance biodynamics” – and we combine this with locating and connecting precise points in the body, something profound can happen.

Lavender has two qualities that work beautifully together. Her sweet floral note gathers and harmonizes, calming the body and mind, while her green herb quality gently moves what’s stuck. Together they create a pattern of peaceful circulation – not muted or numb, but soft and moving at the same time.

This is what I share in Aromatic Journey of the Soul – working gently and precisely with refined essential oils at specific points, allowing the resonance and intelligence of the plant to connect directly with the body and nervous system.

Everyday tension reliever

One of the most accessible and powerful points for lavender is on the back of the hand, on the soft tissue where the thumb and forefinger meet. In Chinese medicine, this point is known as Hegu – Valley of Joining, sometimes called the Great Eliminator. This point gently moves the stuck object without force or effort. This is especially helpful when tension has built up through the small frictions of the day – rushing, straining, slurred words, slow breathing, or overstimulation.

A drop of diluted lavender, held lightly here, with two slow breaths, can help soften the entire body from the hands inward. It’s a point you can come back to anywhere – at your desk, in the car, before a difficult conversation, or at any time – even in the wee hours when you can’t sleep.

Over time, working with lavender as part of a simple four-point protocol can remove deep-seated stress and tension, releasing it through the body rather than through the mind. This supports the easier way to be.

You can try it now!

On the back of one hand, find the soft tissue where the thumb and index finger meet. Place the thumb of your other hand very gently there – the lightest touch is enough.

Take two or three slow breaths and allow this thought:

“I can soften now. It is safe to be sure.“

Wait a minute. Stay longer if you want.

For a longer version of the guide with lavender and this simple point, you can watch this video:

Keep experimenting

For those who want to explore lavender in more depth and have the full experience, I invite you to join me online or in Lewes for a full evening of lavender fragrance.

Live Online Lavender Aromatic Experience

• Thursday June 18 · 19:30-9:00 · Online

As part of the Aromatic Soul Journey, this live online evening explores lavender through a four-point aroma protocol designed to ease the body and mind.

Participants will receive:

Experience the fragrance in person with Lavender

• Thursday 9th July – 7.30pm-9.30am Lewes, East Sussex

I’m also starting to offer small private evenings in Lewes – a chance to experience this work in a relaxed and supportive environment, with butter in hand.

These nights include:

Intro In-person to the Aromatic Soul Journey

• Meet the ten oils we’ve been working on for 10 months
• Saturday 11th July – 3.30-5.30pm Lewes, East Sussex

These nights include:

Cooling the summer heat

There is a natural thread that runs from lavender to this time of year. In its more complete protocol, lavender is worked alongside the companion point of the foot, which has long been used in Chinese medicine to support healthy circulation and keep inflammation in balance.

In Ayurveda, this is the season of Pitta – a time of fire and tension, when heat can easily build up in the body, as it makes for long, bright days.

Cooling down and calming this excess heat is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Along with essential oil support, much of this starts in the kitchen.

Seasonal Ayurvedic Cooking Workshop

• Saturday, June 27 · 15.30-17.30 – Online

This seasonal online workshop explores simple Ayurvedic approaches to cooling and balancing the body through food and nutrition.

Together we will cook a Pitta balancing menu while I guide you through the basic principles of the Ayurvedic diet. You can ask questions in real time and learn how to incorporate cooling and soothing elements into your current eating habits. Vegetarian and all-you-can-eat menu options are available.

More information: https://pittalivecookeryworkshop.netlify.app/

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If you would like to learn more about Ayurveda before trying it again, you are cordially invited to a free online meeting and Q&A.

Free Online Collection, Q&A + Reflection

Next: Wednesday June 10th · 8-9pm

This is your chance to hear more about:

• Ayurvedic cooking and seasonal living
• Pleasant trip
• Aroma point work
• The wider community and ongoing programs
• You can ask questions, get a feel for the work environment and find out if it’s right for you.
• Free to join · All welcome
• Book here: https://junefreegathering.netlify.app

I hope you got something out of this article and I look forward to welcoming you if you want to explore and experience more for yourself.

Best wishes, Corinna Kitchen
Senior Licensed Biodynamic Psychotherapist – Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant – Director of the Institute of Biodynamic Medicine

For more details and to order, please visit ayurvedawellbeing.corinnakitchen.com