Rosemary, focus, and the return of routine
September brought a welcome change of pace for many of us; routines pick up, and we turn from loose, easy summer to disciplined, focused autumn once again. I'd like to talk about rosemary this week, because its long-standing association with improving memory and focus feels especially relevant to the return to order that September represents.
An old, reliable reputation
The associations of rosemary with memory and recall date back to Ancient Greece at the very least, with students and scholars wearing rosemary garlands while studying to improve their memories and focus. Modern science and rosemary's active ingredient, 1,8-cineole (or eucalyptol), have since backed up that ancient practice. As in this article, Plasma 1,8-cineole correlates with cognitive performance following exposure to rosemary essential oil aroma.
I think few other herbs have as long and consistent a record of being connected to a specific concept as rosemary's connection to memory, concentration, and presence. Ideas that we might be expected to have wildly differing takes on, even within the same tradition.
Why this is especially relevant in September
I think a focus-improving tool has specific relevance to the type of slow return to routine that September is all about. A focus ritual to mark out time spent working on important tasks to build a better work ethic for the year ahead, or help you remember exactly why that mountain of work is there in the first place.
A practical application
Crushing a sprig of fresh rosemary in your hand before sitting down to do important work or using essential oil in a diffuser whenever you're working on something that requires real concentration (and only when doing so) can help reinforce that vital link between the task and your commitment to it.
Consistency with a tool like this is more important than any one specific approach, so feel free to experiment until you find something that works for you.
Think of this as a small tool to help reinforce your commitment to what you're doing; rosemary has proven results in a way that few other herbs in history could claim.
Speak soon,
Lorena