Cannabis and Mindfulness: Harness the Fall Season for Meditation

The fall season is coming up fast, and so is the stress that comes along with the foreboding holidays around the corner. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are all filled with joy and fun, but it can be overwhelming to say the least. A great way to deal with stress is mindfulness and overall meditation.

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a type of meditation where you “focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.” This is a perfect way to manage stress around the holiday’s as it is meant to help you spend less time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts that can be draining, both mentally and physically.

Scientific research on meditation reports that meditation is very helpful with stress, anxiety, pain, depression, insomnia, high blood pressure, as well as potentially helping with asthma and fibromyalgia. People who actively meditate report a greater balance and acceptance of their thoughts and emotions. They also report improved sleep, improved diabetes control, decreased burnout, and improved attention spans.

Before we get into how cannabis can potentially improve meditation, let's go over some ways you can slowly integrate and practice mindfulness meditation within your own life. The first thing is to pay attention to the world around you and within you. This is essentially the saying, “stop and smell the roses.” Life can be fast paced but taking the time to experience your surroundings with all of your senses can be extremely beneficial. A great way to practice this is to eat your favorite food, really take the time to taste, smell, and actually enjoy it!

Next, live in the moment, stop thinking about all the things you need to do in the future and actually be present with yourself. Try to be open, accepting, and discerning with your attention. It is so important to find joy in your everyday life. For example, maybe take the dog on a walk and really take in your environment, notice the beauty in the trees, notice how happy your dog is just to spend time with you. It’s the little things that really matter.

This next step is one of the most important and it can be the hardest one to add into your routine. Accepting yourself. It’s okay to have insecurities and flaws but all of those things are who you are. Self acceptance can be small at first, maybe it’s time to stop scrutinizing yourself in the mirror or wishing you had a better wardrobe. While yes, you can continue to better yourself but, acceptance is a huge part of bettering yourself.

Some more specific mindfulness exercises are: body scan meditation, sitting meditation, and walking meditation. Each of these are centered around focusing on feeling your physical sensations. Find an area where you can be alone, and for around 10 to 20 minutes just be with yourself and feel.

So, how can cannabis be added to meditation, and have there been reported benefits? Many people who add cannabis to their meditation routine report that since cannabis is good at reducing stress and anxiety while enhancing sensory experiences, it enhances the overall exposure. According to the Green Goddess Collective, cannabis can “make it easier to “drop-in” and focus on the practice... CB1 receptors (where your brain reacts to cannabinoids) are responsible for your brain’s inhibition and excitation response, allowing the brain to function optimally. This can help promote balance in your brain. Cannabis also affects the three primary neurotransmitters – dopamine, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid– which help promote brain health, control mood, and modulate stress. When you introduce cannabis to this system, it directly affects all three of these neurotransmitters, making it easier to focus, relax, and settle into the meditation experience.”

If this is something that sounds like something you’d be interested in trying, picking the correct terpenes and THC percentage can be crucial to the experience. For those who have a hard time getting into the proper relaxed mood, linalool is a great option. This terpene is often found in lavender. As for strains, check around your local dispensaries for Do Si Do, Zkittlez, Scooby Snacks, OG Shark, and LA Confidential. If you have issues with physical pain while meditating, a terpene for that would be beta-caryophyllene. Beta-caryophyllene can help reduce inflammation, pain, muscle tension, and more. Some strains that contain this terpene are Bubba Kush, Girl Scout Cookies, Sour Diesel, Super Skunk, and White Runtz. Lastly, if one is experiencing issues focusing while meditating, limonene is perfect for improving focus, reducing stress, and boosting your overall mood. Some common strains with limonene heavily present are Berry White, Durban Poison, Jack Herer, Jack the Ripper, Lemon Diesel, and OG Kush. Some cannabis meditators have also recommended the use of Indica based strains as well. Popular Indica strains are Granddaddy Purple, Northern Lights, Hindu Kush, Wedding Cake, and Slurricane. It is necessary to be aware of the amount of THC within the strains you pick. While THC can help people focus, it can get overwhelming and make focusing nearly impossible. Try to go light on the THC or, if there isn’t an option for less THC, just use less. Go slowly while integrating cannabis into your meditation routine. CBD is another good option if you are feeling apprehensive about adding too much THC.

Also, it is important to note that adding cannabis to meditation is your choice. Not everyone who has tried this combination has felt that it has added benefits, it is all up to each person's experiences. Personally, mindfulness is one of my favorite things to practice. Within my own life, it has worked to make me an all around better person. During the pandemic, it was something I focused on heavily. I fully recommend practicing mindfulness even if you don’t want to try full on meditation. Additionally, I will be trying to add cannabis to my own routine and expect to feel wonderful results. I hope you try it yourself. Stay safe and be sure to ‘stop and smell the roses’.