CBD and Meditation: Will Cannabidiol Help You Find Your Zen?
Meditation is the ancient art of letting your mind relax to find peace with the world around you. While Japanese and Indian meditation practices have become the most common in the West, practically every culture has its own form of meditation, and the basic principles behind this practice have remained the same for millennia.
CBD is a relatively new phenomenon, but already, meditation experts and novices alike are embracing the unique power this cannabinoid brings to the meditative experience. In this guide, learn why so many people are using CBD for meditation, and decide for yourself if CBD is something you want to use while meditating.
CBD, meditation, and the endocannabinoid system
Unlike THC, which primarily stimulates your CB1 and CB2 receptors, CBD mainly exerts its effects via your TRPV1 and 5-HT1A receptors. The CB1 and CB2 receptors are the primary biochemical components of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), and stimulating these receptors causes this complex biological system to operate on overdrive.
By stimulating your TRPV1 and 5-HT1A receptors, on the other hand, CBD appears to gently activate your endocannabinoid system without making you feel intoxicated or high. Recent scientific research indicates the ECS is a vital regulatory system, and it appears one of the main functions of the endocannabinoid system is to help your body become balanced and relaxed.
In this way, CBD and meditation may play similar roles. By gently stimulating and boosting the endocannabinoid system, CBD appears to help the cannabinoids your body produces (endocannabinoids) in their task of keeping you balanced and healthy. Similarly, meditation brings your body and mind into balance to achieve improved physical and mental well-being.
CBD for anxiety: the meditation connection
Many factors can prevent effective meditation. The human body is programmed, for instance, to eat, drink, sleep, and perform all sorts of other tasks that make it hard to meditate. These bodily distractions can be so intense they cause anxiety, which makes it hard to sit, reflect, and find the center of peace inside yourself.
Aspiring meditators who suffer from anxiety might be pleased to know that the potential anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects of CBD have been studied in considerable detail. Cannabidiol has been researched for its effects on general forms of anxiety, and the effects of CBD on social anxiety have also been investigated.
Perhaps most importantly, CBD has also been studied for its benefits for anxiety in the context of sleep. Like meditating, going to sleep often entails clearing your mind, overcoming the stresses of the day, and finding a calm center within yourself.
Benefits of CBD for meditation
Over the years, people have used a variety of drugs while meditating. In the 1960s, hippie culture popularized both meditation and LSD, and in some cases, these methods of inner exploration were enjoyed simultaneously. More recently, some meditators have advocated the use of THC during navel-gazing sessions.
Meditation and intoxicating drugs don’t always mix well, though. LSD is nothing to be trifled with, and this hallucinogen can cause mental health issues when used habitually. THC, on the other hand, can cause dependency issues, and it might become hard to draw the line between the effects of THC and the legitimate results of your meditative practice.
CBD is nothing like THC, LSD, or any other addictive or mind-altering drug. This cannabinoid is non-intoxicating, so it won’t get you high, and it also doesn’t appear to have any addictive properties.
Should meditation be easier?
Is it desirable to make getting into a meditative state easier? Some forms of meditation are all about experiencing soothing, blissful states. With this sort of spiritual exercise, it doesn’t especially matter how you get into the meditative state or how difficult it is to start meditating. The experiences and realizations that occur while you’re meditating are the most important.
Other meditative schools, however, place greater importance on the process of meditating itself. While the fascinating, uplifting experiences you enjoy during deep states of meditation are all well and good, practitioners or more ascetic forms of meditation teach that training yourself to recapture the meditate state even in adverse circumstances is most important.
If you’re training yourself to be able to meditate regardless of the state of your body and mind, taking CBD for meditation might not be the right option. If you’re new to meditation, however, you might find that CBD is exactly the right kind of non-intoxicating substance to help you find your inner zen.
Smoking or vaping CBD might offer the fastest effects
Regardless of why you’re using CBD to meditate, you might find that inhaling this cannabinoid provides the most beneficial effects. Inhaling CBD offers quick, potent effects before dissipating just as rapidly, so using CBD this way will only affect the early portions of your meditation session.
The potent effects offered by CBD inhalation deliver this cannabinoid’s benefits more quickly than any other ingestive mechanism. If you’re meditating in a group, sharing a CBD pre-roll or a vape pen with your fellow contemplators might be the perfect way to set the mood for your session.
CBD for overall health and well-being
After learning about the benefits of CBD for meditation, you might want to use this cannabinoid in conjunction with your meditative practice, or you might not. Regardless of whether you use CBD while you meditate, however, it can’t be denied that this non-intoxicating cannabinoid is the perfect companion to the ardent meditator’s lifestyle.
Like meditation, the primary purpose of CBD is to balance your body and bring your mind into a greater state of harmony. Also like meditation, CBD doesn’t appear to have any serious side effects, and you can’t overdose on either CBD or finding your zen.
You might want to use CBD right before you meditate, or you might want to enjoy the benefits of this cannabinoid after you come back down to Earth to savor your calm mindset a little while longer. Either way, it’s clear that the benefits of CBD and the benefits of meditation go hand in hand.
Meditation & CBD FAQ
1. Does CBD help with meditation?
Some people experience uplifted mood and bodily relaxation after using CBD, which could be very helpful when you’re trying to meditate. Certain strains of CBD flower also contain uplifting terpenes like limonene, which might help you focus if you’re pursuing a more contemplative meditative discipline. Just remember to avoid indica CBD hemp strains, which might make you fall asleep accidentally while meditating.
2. Does CBD mess with your mind?
No, most users report that CBD does not have any significantly mind-altering effects. If you use CBD regularly, though, your overall disposition might become more relaxed. It’s worth noting that CBD significantly affects the way your brain functions even though it’s fully non-intoxicating.
3. Does CBD give you a mind high?
No, CBD does not cause a head high, also known as a “mind high.” CBD doesn’t make you high at all, but if the non-intoxicating CBD buzz had to be characterized, it would be more of a bodily sensation than a mental feeling anyway. Try delta 8 THC if you’re looking for a cannabinoid you can buy online that will get you high.
4. Is CBD good for mental health?
Thousands of people have reported that CBD helped them with mental health conditions. Research indicates that CBD may strongly impact the neuroreceptors in your brain that produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter that controls common mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Studies into CBD and mental health have been promising, more research needs to be published before we can make any firm conclusions.
5. Does CBD increase serotonin?
Yes, studies indicate that CBD may impact serotonin levels in your nervous system. This cannabinoid appears to demonstrate considerable affinity for your brain’s 5-HT receptors, which control serotonin production. Given the critical role serotonin plays in mental health, we’re eagerly awaiting future research into CBD and serotonin.
