Gary's "Great Day Every Day" Protocol

On the last post I promised we would come back and talk about two things: Gary Young’s “Never Have a Bad Day Again” protocol, and using the Feelings Kit in conjunction with yoga. Once I started writing I realized that each of these topics is so rich that it wouldn’t do either of them justice to share a post. So we’ll do the protocol now, and the Feelings kit in a couple of weeks (in between, we’ll feature our friend Trudy with the new Essential Oils Desk Reference).

When I went back through my notes to gather the specifics of the protocol as Gary taught it, I discovered it’s actually called, “Have a Great Day Every Day”, which sounds so much better since it doesn’t have “bad day” as part of the title.

One of the things I appreciate about the Young Living community is how people share. Not just their products, but their stories. When someone discovers a combination of oils that helps them in some specific way and they tell someone, and that someone sends an email to someone, who forwards it to someone, we expand the circle of people who can be helped like ripples in a pond.

What follows is one of the oldest protocols in Young Living lore. It was introduced in a class taught by Gary Young (founder and president) all the way back in 1994. Some people who were there have said that he challenged those present to do this protocol every day and watch their lives change for the better.

Mood Elevating Protocol:

Valor – on the bottoms of the feet, or a single drop on one wrist and hold the other wrist to it for a few moments to balance the entire system.

Harmony – a single drop, over the solar plexus area (above the belly button).

Joy – a single drop over the heart.

White Angelica – a single drop in one hand, rub hands together, and brush over the head, face, chest, shoulders, down the body, right over the clothes, as though applying an angelic shield.

That’s it! It takes about two minutes if you’re in a hurry. If you have time to luxuriate, you can take up to 15 minutes or so, just connecting to the different parts of your body and really taking in the scent of the oils.

I have to admit, I have done this protocol regularly in the past, and somehow got myself distracted and started forgetting. This morning I reintroduced it with a 5-minute version, and I’d like to share what I accomplished for myself in that brief time:

As soon as the Valor was on my wrists my ribcage spontaneously expanded and I had one of those great, deep breaths that go all the way down. I felt my whole body settle int a calm, steady, “we can do this” stance. I felt my spine align without effort on my part.

As I applied the Harmony (I’m not sure if it’s just me or if I remember hearing it at some point, but I like to apply in clock-wise circles, usually three of them), I became aware of a soft smile emerging on my face and a softening in the eyes. My brain flickered across the word “cooperation”, and my heart felt glad- when I see people working together, I think it is the most beautiful thing about humankind. I then felt a sense of happy anticipation in the heart region. My body’s had this application a lot, and I think it knows that comes next...

Joy! Right over the heart, in my customary little circles. I felt the expansion in the heart region that I usually associate with some of the most delicious of meditation experiences, when all the beautiful feelings in a human heart surge forth and flood your awareness. Yum! At this point I’m ready to commit to doing it every day again.

With the White Angelica applied in whispery strokes all around me, I feel like there’s a sort of container for all the scrumptious feelings brought forth from the previous oils. Sometimes when we’re especially happy or elated, we are more vulnerable to other people’s contrary energies. The White Angelica feels like a kind of buffer that helps me hold my wonderful feelings close to me without leaking things out when things go ‘bump’ in the world around me.

I feel ready to take on the world- with steadiness, compassion, and humor. At 8 am with a full, full day ahead, I feel like my own hero. Five minutes well spent, I’d say!

Some people use this protocol as their “good luck blanket” when they head out to face the world in their workday. Others tell me they use it as a valuable addition to their meditation, yoga, or prayer practice. I’ve even heard of people doing this with kids before a project (one babysitter uses it when the kids are getting rowdy and rambunctious. The protocol gives them something fun to do that engages their senses, and the shift it creates in them means she gets to present the parents with content, cooperative, and gentle children at the end of the day).

And, it is a brilliant way to start a class of pretty much any kind (think what it’s like to teach people who feel like I just described)!

I’ve been in seminars where we used it to bring everyone into alignment with their purpose for being there. It was amazing to watch as the oils were passed around- you could watch the changes in people like a wave crossing the room. It took less than 10 minutes for 100+ people to get oiled up, and even the hotel staff noticed the difference (they were coming to see why the air conditioning wasn’t working, and were pretty surprised to find us all unflustered, even jovial- and smelling great)!

Typically what happens when you share an oil protocol in a class setting is that you have volunteers to move through the rows of people dispensing a drop or two of each oil to each person, as the teacher explains what to do with your oil once you’ve got it (rub it on your belly, inhale it from your palms, etc). The teacher usually provides the oils if they’ll be used in class (which makes them tax-deductible in most cases). If students want to use oils on their own, it is good if the teacher knows how to help them set up their account.

It’s important to remember that, while there are many existing protocols that are part of the Young Living community, there are many still yet to be discovered. Use your oils in the spirit of playful discovery, and share what you find!