by Billee Sharp

Initially, meditation is a struggle for most people. The ability to empty the mind of every shopping list, chore, dispute and responsibility is much easier said than done! We live in a fast, stimulating world and slowing down is difficult but is extremely beneficial for our overall health.

Cannabis is renowned for inducing a relaxed state of mind and has been used as a mediation tool in the Vedic tradition for thousands of years. The brain has an abundance of cannabinoid receptors and research has shown the beneficial interactions of many cannabinoids in the brain: CBD has a profound impact on anxiety and mental stress, CBN has proved to be both neuroprotective and neuroregenerative while THC is famous for its stimulating and mood-altering capacity.

If meditation is eluding you and you’re having difficulties letting go of your preoccupied thoughts, cannabis can help achieve the mental transition from chatter to calmness. Cannabis can improve focus when combined with meditative techniques, helping meditation to become part of your daily health regime.

Meditation matters to our overall health giving us a chance to clear our heads, relax and breathe deeply. Negative thinking and obsessive overthinking are exhausting bad habits. In just the same way that we can get caught up in cycles of overeating, smoking, nail-biting or procrastination, it is also possible to develop patterns of thinking that are unhealthy. States of mind like this can cause heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression that have real debilitating effects on mental, and physical health.

The best way to banish those negative thought patterns is by recognising undesirable trains of thought as you realize you’re having them, and replacing those thoughts with mindfulness and peaceful stillness. Most of us struggle to mentally unwind in today’s hyper-stimulating world, so combining cannabis with meditation gives the mind support with focus and relaxing into the meditative head space.

If you are experimenting with cannabis to aid meditative practice then choose a cannabis strain or blend with the cannabinoid profile that is most suited to you. For myself, a CBD-rich cannabis is what I choose most often to prepare myself for meditation. Personally, CBD slows my anxious thoughts and creates a sensation of unhurried calm, which is the baseline for meditation. If I’m finding it particularly difficult to focus I’ll switch to a 1:1 CBD:THC product, either a tincture or a vape, the THC element compliments the calming effects of CBD with the ability to focus.

Here are three meditative approaches that paired with cannabis can yield great results for beginning a meditation practice.

Gazing Meditation

The purpose of “gazing” meditation is to sharpen your focus while promoting clarity and aiding concentration. The method is to rest your eyes on a fixed object, the focus on the object allows for the dissipation of wandering thoughts and thinking patterns, ultimately clearing a path for a calmer mind.

The object can be anything of your choosing, generally people choose something soothing to view—popular choices are the flame of a candle, a mandala, or a body of water.

Once you have chosen your object, sit across from it in a comfortable position, if you are able to sit cross-legged do so, otherwise sit comfortably with the object in clear sight, at eye-level in front of you. Allow your focus to settle on the details, the intricate patterns and colors of the mandala, or the flickering of the candle’s flame.

Do not strain your gaze—simply allow the image to wash over you as you rest your gaze upon it. Allow your attention to be focused entirely on the object. As you gaze gently, allow your breathing to soften, deepen, and gradually move towards viewing the object without contextualizing it in thought at all.

Gaze until your mind is still and all that stirs is the flame of your candle and the rise and fall of your chest.

With this meditation, as well as the others mentioned here, when the mind wanders away from the object of focus, simply acknowledge it and say to yourself, thank you, but right now, I am meditating, and bring your attention back to the chosen focus. Again and again, without judgment.

Deep Breath Meditation

Deep breathing is the cornerstone of meditation. By controlling our breath, we can control not only our thoughts but even the strongest and most volatile of emotions. It is the simplest way to gain control of a runaway mind.

Sit in a comfortable position of your choosing with your chest upright and back straight. Close your eyes and relax your shoulders. Allow the tension to melt out of your body.

Observe your breath in this relaxed state. Then, take a long, deep breath in through the nose, filling up your whole abdomen and chest with air.

Once you have inhaled fully, pause at the top for just a beat or two and then very slowly begin to exhale fully out. Pause here for another couple beats, these pauses should always be comfortable and never strained. Then, inhale again and repeat the pattern.

As you breathe, allow your thoughts to focus solely on your breath and gradually allow your mind to clear. Simply exist in this space breathing mindfully and relax as all else melts away.

Body Mindfulness Meditation

If you are a fidget and have trouble sitting still, this meditation technique may be the one for you. The idea here is to focus your attention on your body, scanning each body part to observe the areas that are holding tension and mindfully allow it to relax. With this inward focus, the mind is permitted to let go of aggravating thoughts.

Such a calm, meditative routine can be enhanced by an indica blend to open up a deep sense of mental alleviation and full-body relaxation.

Begin by lying on your back on a bed or yoga mat. Allow your arms to rest at your sides with your palms turned up and fingers naturally curled. Legs should be relaxed with feet allowed to fall outward. Permit yourself to sink into the ground beneath you and begin to feel the heaviness of your form as you fully unwind.

Use your mind to scan each part of your body in turn and banish any tension it may find. Start at your feet, toes and ankles, letting them relax fully. Move up your legs, thighs, hips, lower back, and stomach. Continue on to your arms, hands, fingers, shoulders, neck, jaw, and all the muscles in your face. Move your focus over your body slowly, taking your time, and when you discover tension, allow it to release , leaving fluidity and a relaxed sensation in its place.

As you relax your body, make sure your breathing is relaxed as well. Long deep breaths in, followed by long slow breaths out. When you have completed your scan, you will find your entire body is relaxed and free of tension. Continue to lie there and breathe, while turning your focus inward, allowing the relaxed state to extend to your mind as you seek those moments of clarity and stillness.

There are people who just can’t settle down to meditate and find staying still is uncomfortable both mentally and physically. Fortunately there are creative activities which stimulate our intrinsic endocannabinoid production which improves both our mental and physical health.

Recent research at the University of Nottingham recorded endocannabinoid levels in individuals after various activities; cycling, singing and dancing. In all three instances, endocannabinoid levels were significantly elevated: 19% rise after cycling, 21% rise and an improved mood came from dancing, while singing tops the trio with a 42% elevation of endocannabinoids.

Whatever means you use to relax your mind, you can be sure you are improving your health in a profound and holistic way.

Further reading: Singing, Dancing and Cycling