Meditation is growing in popularity in recent years. However, it is a lot harder than it looks. Everyone seeks guidance and anyone with a smartphone seems to have some sort of meditation app on their phone. However, there is another tool that can help guide you through meditation and that is CBD.
Let’s have a look at how CBD and meditation can work hand in hand with one another.
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A divided issue
In the world of meditation, there is divided opinion on whether psychoactive compounds truly aid in exploring deeper into meditation. Some believe that psychoactive compounds found in the cannabis plant can help bring us to a meditative place easier.
However, others are against this and believe that the ‘high’ one experiences from cannabis, or another psychoactive drug, is not a truly meditative experience. CBD is helping unite this divide as it is non-psychoactive but has potential calming effects. Experts on both sides of the discussion believe CBD for meditation can improve the experience.
CBD oil can be used as an aid to make meditation easier. It could help newcomers find their feet in meditation more easily. Assisting them to eventually make a meditative adventure without any support.
A potentially great duo
CBD and meditation have all the characteristics to make a great duo, especially for meditation beginners. People take CBD and do meditation for similar reasons. CBD has grown in popularity over recent years because it is believed to bring a sense of calm. This sense of calm is what nearly all meditation gurus search for.
Let’s look closer at some of the reasons why CBD can help meditators connect their mind, body and soul.
Boosting our concentration
Even for the best of us, a full meditative concentration can be difficult to find and even more difficult to hold. Oftentimes mid-meditation, we find ourselves losing focus of the present moment. We are thinking of what would be nice for dinner. We notice and return to our mindful concentration again. But a little while later our thoughts creep back in and now we are thinking about a project at work.
Concentration is the most challenging part of any type of meditation, be it mindfulness, spiritual or transcendental. However, concentration on the present moment is the skill we are honing each time we meditate.
Like swimming, it takes practice to improve in meditation. And sticking to the swimming analogy, CBD acts as the inflatable armbands to help you concentrate longer and float in your meditative space without all the distracting thoughts.
Many people use CBD to help them focus. However, can CBD help you concentrate when meditating? One study has even shown that CBD can help wake people up. Although this is not direct evidence, anecdotally CBD is being used to help with concentration. CBD is even being used in some meditation classes to help improve concentration and help with meditation.
Improving our mood
When it comes to meditation, progress is often slow and varies depending on the day. One day, you have an amazing 15-minute deep meditation with no distractions. And then the next day you can barely meditate for a minute.
This is because our mood plays an enormous factor in meditation. CBD could help enhance our mood. Evidence suggests that CBD interacts with neurotransmitters in the brain which produce serotonin. Serotonin is the ‘happy hormone’ and it is key to balancing our mood and improving our sense of well-being.
If CBD improves mood, it can help us meditate. With a more stabilised mood, we can enter a meditation for longer.
Also, and possibly, more importantly, we are more likely to commit to meditation. Too often a stressful day at work makes us avoid the meditation we have planned. CBD and a better mood could help us greet an upcoming meditation session with open arms.
Reducing anxiety
One of the reasons many of us meditate is to reduce anxiety. Some of us ponder too long on the past and stress out about things we said or did earlier. Others worry about the future, of a looming deadline or an upcoming bill. Meditation, especially mindful meditation, helps us live in the present moment. The stresses of the past and the future disappear and we can truly enjoy and accept where we are now.
However, stress and anxiety can be huge barriers when meditating.
Research into CBD as a treatment for anxiety is growing in recent years. It is still early days but CBD is being accepted as a potential relief for managing stress and even some anxiety disorders.
If you find stress and anxiety hinder you from successfully meditating, it could be worthwhile considering CBD as a crutch. The potential calming effects of CBD could help you manage those anxious emotions for a little so that you can enjoy a deeper meditation.
In addition, the assistance of CBD can help set the ball rolling. Then, when you can successfully meditate, you have two weapons in your arsenal to combat any stresses you have.
How to use CBD and meditation together
There are numerous ways to take CBD to suit everyone’s individual needs. However, if you are a first-timer to CBD, we recommend CBD tinctures. You add some drops to your tongue and hold it there for a minute or so to allow the CBD to have maximum effect.
When using CBD with meditation, you should be wary of the length of time it takes for CBD to kick in. For example, if you take a CBD tincture or CBD edible, there is little point in starting your meditation directly after.
This is simply because the CBD is going to take 30 minutes or so to take effect. Be wary of some meditation classes that offer CBD before the class. You are better off being prepared and taking your CBD dose at least 30 minutes before you begin your meditation. This will allow time for the CBD to be at full effect so that it can help you delve into a deeper and longer meditation.
If you vape CBD then you can start immediately after you vape. This is because vaping CBD allows for CBD to enter the bloodstream immediately and have an instant effect
Takeaways
CBD and meditation were destined for each other. CBD can help you with meditation by improving your mood and easing the feeling of stress so that you can concentrate and have a worthwhile meditation experience.
We recommend you take CBD 30 minutes before a meditation so that it can truly enhance your meditative experience.
You may also like reading: Why Yoga with CBD is the Key to Mindfulness
