A Beginner's Guide To Aura Cleansing (With Summer Botanicals)

If you've seen aura cleansing mentioned somewhere and thought, "that sounds interesting but I have no idea where to start," this post is for you.

I'm not going to tell you it'll change your life. What I will say is that it's a straightforward practice with a long history, the summer months are genuinely the best time to try it for the first time, and none of it has to be complicated.

What an aura actually is

The concept of the aura, the energy field said to surround the human body, shows up across ancient Indian, Chinese, Greek and Japanese traditions.

It's not one culture's invention. Most modern interpretations describe it as the emotional and mental space a person carries with them, shaped by their thoughts, moods and daily experiences. Think of it less as a mystical glow and more as the invisible impression you make on a room when you walk in. You've felt that from other people. The idea is that you have it too.

The aura is also said to act as something like a filter, interacting with the energy of your environment and the people around you. Over time, that filter picks up residue: stress, difficult conversations, being around people who drain you, spending too much time in noisy or crowded spaces.

Aura cleansing is simply the practice of clearing that residue out. You don't need to believe in anything mystical to find it useful. Plenty of people treat it as an intentional reset, the energetic equivalent of opening a window.

Why bother, and why summer specifically

If you've been feeling foggy, irritable, or like you can't quite shake a low mood, that's often when people turn to cleansing practices. It doesn't have to be a dramatic state. Some people do it weekly as maintenance, the way you'd clear your desk at the end of a busy week. Others do it seasonally or whenever something feels off.

Summer is a practical time to start because so many of the botanicals used in cleansing are at their peak right now. Herbs like lavender, chamomile, calendula and rose are all in season, easy to find fresh, and have been used in purification and ritual practices for hundreds of years.

The University of Bristol Botanic Garden notes that plants including chamomile, calendula, rosemary, sage, mint, elder and roses were traditionally harvested at the summer solstice, when they were believed to have reached their peak potency. Dried or fresh, they're far easier to source in July than in January.

A word on what it isn't

Here's what I think a lot of beginner guides get wrong: they make aura cleansing sound like it requires a specific set of tools, the right crystals, the right incense, a particular ritual format. It doesn't.

The intention behind what you're doing matters more than the props. You can use a handful of dried lavender from the garden or a bath with rose petals or ten minutes of focused breathing. Any of those count.

I'd also push back on the idea that you need to "feel" something dramatic for it to have worked. That's not really how it goes, especially at first. You might just feel a bit clearer afterwards. That's plenty.

The summer botanicals worth knowing

These are the plants that come up consistently in cleansing practices and that you can actually get hold of in the UK right now.

Lavender has a long association with purification and is used in solstice rituals across multiple traditions for protection and clearing. It's also just genuinely calming to be around. Dried lavender bundles are everywhere in summer, or you can pick it fresh if you grow it.

Rose is in peak bloom from June through August in the UK and has been used in aura and spiritual practices for its association with healing. Rose petals in a bath, or a few drops of rose essential oil in a spray bottle of water, are two of the simplest entry points into botanical cleansing.

Calendula is a summer staple and has been used in folk traditions for purification and protection. The dried flowers are widely available from UK herbalists and some health food shops.

Elderflower has a strong place in British folk tradition and was particularly associated with midsummer rituals in old English practice.

Chamomile rounds this out well. It's mild, easy to find, and has been used medicinally and ritually across European traditions for centuries.

You don't need all of them. Pick one or two that appeal, or whatever you can get hold of easily.

How to actually do it: four methods for beginners

These are the four most accessible approaches. You don't need to do all four. Start with whichever one feels most doable.

1. The botanical bath

Add a cup of sea salt or Epsom salt to a warm bath along with your chosen botanicals: rose petals, a few sprigs of fresh lavender, or dried chamomile flowers. Soak for at least 20 minutes. The salt is doing real work here; it's widely used in cleansing practices across cultures for drawing out stagnant energy.

Set an intention before you get in, something like "I'm releasing what I've been carrying today." It sounds a bit earnest said out loud, but it focuses the mind, and that's the point.

2. Smoke cleansing

This is often called smudging, though that term belongs to Indigenous North American ceremonies. If you're making your own bundles from garden herbs, use what's in season: lavender, rosemary and sage all work well.

Bundle the dried herbs with cotton twine, light the tip on a candle, blow it out, and use the smouldering smoke to move around your space or over your body. Keep a window open so the smoke has somewhere to go.

3. Botanical spray

Fill a small spray bottle with water and add 10 to 15 drops of a pure essential oil. Lavender and rose are the two most commonly used for cleansing.

Mist it around your body, working from head downwards. The key word in that sentence is "pure": synthetic fragrance oils don't carry the same plant compounds as true essential oils. Spend a pound or two more and get the real thing.

4. Breathwork and visualisation

No botanicals required. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and breathe in slowly through your nose. On the inhale, picture yourself drawing your own energy back in.

On the exhale, imagine breathing out anything that isn't yours, anything you've picked up from other people or situations. Do this for five to ten minutes. It's more effective than it sounds, particularly if you've had a draining day.

How often should you do it

There's no rule. Some people cleanse daily, others weekly, others only when something feels wrong. As a starting point, once a week is manageable and enough to notice whether it makes any difference to how you feel. Try it consistently for a month before you decide it's not for you.

If you're looking for somewhere to go deeper

If this has piqued your interest and you want something to read alongside your practice, The Little Book of Aura Healing by Laura Styler is a solid beginner's introduction.

It covers what auras are, how to read the colours, and practical techniques for cleansing and maintaining your energy field, all in plain language with helpful illustrations.

The Little Book of Aura Healing: Simple Practices for Cleansing and Reading the Colors of the Aura by Laura Styler

It's written for beginners, covers the practical techniques rather than just the theory, and it's the kind of small book you can actually read in an afternoon.

You can have a look at it here. And if books aren't your thing and you'd rather just crack on with a spray bottle of lavender water, that's absolutely fine too.

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. That means if you choose to purchase through the link above, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend books and products that I genuinely believe could be helpful.