My brain likes to be busy.
Try as I might, I find it rarely stops. It is always dissecting, journeying, figuring out patterns, connecting dots, putting the puzzle pieces together, etc. It takes a lot for me to settle my mind, to keep my air element from getting out of balance.
My constitution is mostly earth and air (my birth chart is majorly Virgo and Libra, and I have Vata/Kapha Ayurveda doshas). And for as long as I can remember, I have always had a visceral negative reaction when the wind blows in my ears – so much so that when there’s even a slight cool breeze, I want my beanie (or earmuffs, which aren’t as cool here in LA as they were in Boston). When my ears get cold, it makes me anxious, impatient, and seriously irritated. From an Ayurvedic standpoint, this makes sense – Vata is air, wind, and it’s believed to most easily enter the body through the ears. As a Vata dominant person, this air energy can prompt a Vata imbalance.
Ear oiling is especially helpful during autumn and winter when it is windier and chillier.
Traditional Ayurvedic medicine holds that opposites work to balance each other. Think of when your skin is dry, or your wood cutting board is dry. What do we do? We moisturize ourselves, we oil the cutting board. Oil is a near instant remedy for excess Vata. So what do we do? Oil our ears, friends. More detail below, but it really is as simple as this:
- Put some oil on your fingertips
- Rub the oil onto your ears
- Voila!
Check out this handy graphic for a slightly more detailed breakdown.
Since I started ear oiling, I’ve used olive oil, sesame oil (traditionally recommended in Ayurveda) and jojoba oil. I have both jojoba and olive oil in my bathroom so it’s easily within reach. I use jojoba to oil cleanse my face and olive oil to take off my eye makeup. Sesame oil I keep in the kitchen. Olive and sesame oils are warming. I believe jojoba is a neutral oil, but I may be wrong. If you prefer a cooling oil, try coconut.
When I oil my ears, I find that I feel:
- more grounded
- Pleasant
- more relaxed in my neck/throat/jaw
- less easily pulled off my center
- warmer!
I’ve been using this practice for a few years now, and with huge success. Whenever it’s windy, especially a cooler breeze, I oil up my ears before going out and it’s truly amazing. I don’t need to wear my hair down and a hat all the time now to protect my ears. They can now be exposed to the breeze, and it’s ok with me.
Tips
- I find I don’t need much oil
- Put a small bottle of oil by your keys to help you remember
- I use this practice not just when it’s windy out, but also when I’m feeling anxious or ungrounded
I even use it on my kiddos when they are feeling unsettled. Maybe oiling our ears is a solution we can all benefit from.
I hope this simple tip helps!
