Have you ever noticed how January arrives wrapped in a cultural expectation to push, force and drive – aka a load of ‘shoulds’? Each year, we are called into making New Year’s resolutions that often simply create pressure to perform, improve or transform overnight – leaving us feeling stressed and anxious, and feeling like a failure, rather than doing us any good.
The truth is that this ‘hustle’ actually deeply conflicts with our own inner rhythms and the cycles of nature – which is likely why we end up feeling out of balance. What’s happening, with each resolution, is that we’re taking on a mindset that is asking us to override our natural energy cycle with will power. We’re essentially doing the opposite of what nature wires us to do.
Our bodies remind us that January is actually a season of ‘wintering’. It’s a season designed for rest, reflection and gentle restoration. It’s slow, inward and nourishing – not a time for sprint. If you’re feeling frazzled this January, it could be a sign that you’re being called more deeply into embracing your inner and outer cycles, to restore some harmony. Essential oils can help us connect to our seasons – and ditch the ‘shoulds’.
The different inner and outer rhythms – and how they mirror each other
There are many different rhythms to be aware of – both inner and outer cycles. There are rhythms found in the body – our circadian rhythm, or our menstrual cycle – and there are cycles found in nature – such as the seasons.
And the interesting thing is that each of these cycles speaks the same language, in many ways. There are four similar phases in each of these rhythms – for example:
- Winter = Night = Menstruation (Inner Winter) – this is a time of complete stillness and rest.
- Spring = Morning = Follicular (Inner Spring) – this is the time of waking up, gently.
- Summer = Midday = Ovulation (Inner Summer) – this is the time of being out in the world and active.
- Autumn = Evening = Luteal (Inner Autumn) – this is a time of change, where we begin to wind down.
This is really helpful to know, because it means that there are ‘collective’ seasonal oils that can really support each of these ‘inner seasons’. Each rhythm has its own energetic season – and so we will illuminate a set of oils that work to support circadian, menstrual and seasonal rhythms.
Essential oils and rituals for each energetic season
Winter / Night / Menstruation (Inner Winter) oils
Let’s begin with January – and what ‘winter’ phase really calls us into – and by winter, in this case, I also mean night time and the menstruation phase of our cycle (for women who bleed).
Inner Winter invites us into the following:
- Rest
- Retreat
- Slowness
- Inward listening
- Replenishment
- Clarity through stillness
And the essential oils that support this best include:
- Frankincense – an oil that helps us slow the mind, calling us into stillness
- Myrrh – a meditative, restorative oil
- Vetivert – a grounding oil that steadies our nervous system and creates a sense of rest
- Cedarwood – a stabilising oil that soothes overwhelm.
We can see from the description of winter that it clashes with the idea of New Year’s resolutions and goals – and if we crowd this space with that, we actually lose the opportunity for productivity in inner summer.
Here’s a ritual to reclaim winter’s rhythm in your body (whenever it feels like inner winter to you in your body):
Winter Bathing – mix 3 drops Cedarwood, 2 drops Vetivert, and 1 drop Myrrh into 15ml Bath Oil and add it to the warm running water of a bath. Close the windows and doors, unplug your phone and sink into the wintery warm energy of stillness – and allow yourself to embody this energy.
Remind yourself: I’ve got permission to rest; it’s winter inside my body.
Spring / Morning / Follicular (Inner Spring) oils
Inner Spring has a different feeling – we can feel the shifts in our bodies as we rise in the morning – it’s like the dawn of the new. It invites us into:
- Awakening
- Renewal
- First movement
- Beginning things
And the essential oils that support this best include:
- Lemon – a bright, cheery oil to wake us up
- Peppermint – an invigorating, stimulating oil to awaken
- Rosemary – an oil that supports focus, this is perfect to help when our energy is rising
- Geranium – a balancing oil, this supports the shift from stillness to action
Here’s a ritual to reclaim spring’s rhythm in your body (whenever it feels like inner spring to you in your body):
Spring Inhalation – add 2 drops Lemon and 1 drop Rosemary onto a cotton pad and roll it into an aromatherapy inhaler. Go for a gentle morning walk in nature, to connect to the rhythms of the Earth, and inhale the scent as you awaken.
Remind yourself: It’s a gentle start to the day; we’re in inner spring.
Summer / Midday / Ovulation (Inner Summer) oils
Inner Summer feels like the peak of our energy – it’s the warm sunshine season, when we feel at the most active time of day, or we have the most energy. This season invites us into:
- Action
- Expression
- Outward movement
- Vitality
And the essential oils that support this best include:
- Jasmine – this sensual oil promotes confidence and self-expression
- Ylang Ylang – sweet and exotic, this oil supports emotional expansion
- Sweet Orange – a joyful, bright, sunshine-like oil, this lifts the mood and encourages playfulness and vitality
- Bergamot – uplifting and confidence-boosting, this oil helps us engage with the outer world
Here’s a ritual to reclaim summer’s rhythm in your body (whenever it feels like inner summer to you in your body):
Summer Massage – mix 2 drops Sweet Orange, 2 drops Bergamot and 1 drop Ylang Ylang into 15ml of Sweet Almond carrier oil and blend well. Apply to your body in a ritualistic way – in the direction towards your heart – and then move your body or dance for a moment to really embody the energy of expression.
Remind yourself: My body’s expression is welcome.
Autumn / Evening / Luteal (Inner Autumn) oils
Inner Autumn is the season we feel change most – it’s the evening time when we are preparing to wind down and let go – and can have us feeling emotional. This season invites us into:
- Discernment
- Grounding
- Boundary setting
- Preparing for release
And the essential oils that support this best include:
- Patchouli – an oil that grounds the nervous system and helps us land back in the body during overwhelm
- Clary Sage – an oil for truth-telling that comes with boundary-setting and emotional honesty when we are feeling tired
- Cedarwood – calming and emotionally regulating, it helps us navigate the transition to rest
- Cardamon – warm, spicy and uplifting, this oil brings clarity when we are pulled in many directions
Here’s a ritual to reclaim autumn’s rhythm in your body (whenever it feels like inner autumn to you in your body):
Autumn Pulse Point Rollette – mix 1 drop Clary Sage and 1 drop Cedarwood into 10ml of Grapeseed oil in a rollette bottle. Roll on your pulse points – wrists, neck, temples in the evening, to help you wind down.
Remind yourself: I can let go and release the day – what am I ready to put down?
Remember: this isn’t just about matching the seasons – it’s about the seasons within as well as the seasons without. We don’t actually need to be in the outer season of summer to need a winter ritual – this is all about how we feel in our bodies. So, take your time, tune in and let your body guide you into using the oils you need in each moment.
We are cyclical beings – and in each moment we can meet ourselves where we are. The most important thing to recognise is that we are not designed to spring for the whole year; winter is a sacred season for recalibration. Let this be your permission to rest this January, rather than push, perform and reinvent yourself… Rhythm is a return to your truth and the wise cycles within.
Happy blending in 2026!
Nicole Barton
Consultant Aromatherapist
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