Mindfulness is a practice that allows you to be aware of the present moment. When we are mindful, we are able to accept our current situation instead of trying to change it. We can take advantage of this by focusing on something that’s already there, rather than looking for things to fix or change in the future. This blog will be a guide on how to practice mindfulness with the added benefits of CBD.
Mindfulness is the practice of being focused on the present moment, rather than worrying about the past or future. It's a way of paying attention to your thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad, right or wrong.
Ways to practice mindfulness include:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- 5 Senses Exercise
Try including CBD before and after these practices for a more calm and improve overall wellbeing.
CBD can benefits your yoga session by:
- Help find your inner peace
- Improve balance
- Reduce soreness
- Choose your CBD! If you're unsure which type of CBD may be best for you, read our CBD buying guide here.
- Find a comfy spot where you can relax.
- Focus on the present.
- Check in with your body.
- Begin your breathing exercise.
- Find your intention.
- Focus on your breath and thoughts.
- Finish the meditaion.
- Bring your intention with you.
The 5 Senses Exercise can be done anywhere at any time and can be helpful when your anxiety is getting to high. Follow this order to practice the five senses:
- Become aware of 5 things you can see.
- Become aware of 4 things you can feel.
- Become aware of 3 things you can hear.
- Become aware of 2 things you can smell.
- Become aware of 1 thing you can taste.
This exercise is quick and easy when it comes to grounding yourself and becoming more mindful.
What are the benefits of mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of being focused on the present moment, rather than worrying about the past or future. It’s a way of paying attention to your thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad, right or wrong. Mindfulness also helps you accept yourself and others, instead of judging yourself harshly for things such as mistakes you may have made in the past.
Mindfulness has many benefits:
- Helps reduce stress
- Reduces anxiety and insomnia
- Improves sleep quality
- Improves mood and well-being
- Improves focus, concentration and attention
- Improves relationships with others
Potentially helps you make better decisions
How to practice mindfulness and incorporate CBD
Yoga
CBD and yoga have been partners for quite some time. In the Vedas (a text that dates back to 2000-1400 BCE) it recommends combining cannabis with yoga. The Vedas are known as one of the oldest texts about spiritual guidance. The basis of this combination is that yoga promises spiritually awareness and bliss, while cannabis may help your body respond better to these virtues.
For the best results with this combo, taking a CBD oil product daily is most beneficial. You need to give CBD time to set in and help boost your endocannabinoid system. Every person will react differently to it, but the best results come from consistency.
Here are some ways CBD can benefit your yoga session:
Help find your inner peace
A lot of people can get anxious at the thought of going to a group class. You might be self conscious or worry about looking like a beginner in front of everyone. CBD oil might be effective in helping you take control of your feelings. We all know that CBD can help you relax and gain a sense of calm, therefore you shouldn’t be as worried about what others think and bring you back into the present moment so you can focus on yourself.
Improve balance
CBD may not help you pull off that standing head to knee pose, but CBD is thought to help our endocannabinoid systems achieve homeostasis (or balance)!
Reduce soreness
The aftermath of an intense yoga session may leave you feeling sore and achy. Going for that intermediate pose may not have been the best call. A CBD topical cream may be exactly what you need to promote recovery and alleviate soreness.
Meditation
Meditation is one of the most well-known ways to practice mindfulness. It’s also one of the easiest to practice, since all you have to do is sit still and focus on your breathing without getting distracted by thoughts, feelings or sensations. However, this is also easier said than done.
Although meditation is powerful by itself, adding CBD to your daily routine could help enhance your practice. You are trying to find a calm space in your mind and that may be difficult if you are constantly worrying about everything. A study done in 2021 came to the conclusion that, “There is substantial clinical evidence that CBD safely and effectively constrains the stress response.” (Henson et al.) They referred to seven double blind placebo controlled clinical trials of CBD for stress on over 232 participants and one controlled study of 120 participants. All showed that CBD was effective in significantly reducing the stress response and its manifestations. (Henson et al.)
How do I meditate?
Sometimes it takes CBD a little while to kick in. If you are taking capsules or edibles, make sure you take them a few hours before you plan to meditate. It’s also helpful if you take these consistently instead of sporadically. If you take a tincture sublingually, take it an hour before you plan to meditate. If you have a CBD vape or prefer to dab a crumble, you can do this right before you plan to meditate since these methods tend to kick in almost immediately. The bioavailability of these different products changes how quickly you will feel them.
2. Find a comfy spot where you can relax.
The best spot you can pick is somewhere you will not get distracted or interrupted. It’s best to find a spot that you can practice in everyday. The consistency will help your mind know it’s time to focus on meditation. Once you’ve found your cozy spot, sit on the ground, crossed legged or on your knees. You do not want to lay down while meditating, as this may lead to a nap. Settle into your position of choice, close your eyes and start taking deep breaths. Some instructors tell you to focus on how your breath feels cold coming into the nose and warm when you breathe out.
3. Focus on the present.
Close your eyes and try to focus on your practice. Hopefully the CBD has set in and given you a sense of calm by this stage. Clear your mind of your worries and concerns and focus on how it feels to breathe. If an unpleasant thought pops up, acknowledge it and let it go. Don’t let it sit in your mind and ruin your peaceful moment.
4. Check in with your body.
Turn your attention to how your body is feeling. Are your hands heavy on your legs? Do you still have tension in your neck? Is sitting on the ground uncomfortable on your legs? This is a body scan. It allows you to notice how your body is feeling at this moment. Evaluate and adjust yourself.
5. Begin your breathing exercise.
Focusing on your breathing can go a long way. Feel your chest fill up and empty it. A common breathing exercise is the 4-7-8 technique. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. Try to take at least 4 of these deep breaths. This breathing exercise combined with the CBD could really help you expel your worries and concerns.
6. Find your intention.
Everyone meditates differently, so there’s no wrong way to do it. If you are a beginner you may find it helpful to set an intention for your meditation. This isn’t the same as a goal, but rather is an attribute, a quality or energy you want to cultivate. An example of an intention could be “I seek balance in all areas of my life” or “my anxiety does not control me.” If your mind starts to wander, go back to this.
7. Focus on your breath and thoughts.
Once again, it is okay if your mind wanders. Don’t be hard on yourself for this, as it is totally natural. Meditation is a practice, and you will get better as you do it more consistently. Bring your attention back to your breath and how it feels. Maybe place yourself in a peaceful place in nature with a lifetime supply of CBD products (in your mind) to try to get back to your intention.
8. Finish the meditation.
Your practice could be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more. Do what feels right for you. Start to slowly awaken your body by wiggling your toes, rocking your hips, rolling your shoulders and stretching your fingers. Take a moment to thank yourself for putting the time aside to focus on yourself and your mind. You can thank CBD oil too, if you feel so inclined.
9. Bring your intention with you
Now that your meditation is over, take your time to adjust back to the day. If that was too long or too short, make adjustments for the next practice. It will take time to find your meditation groove, so be gentle to yourself. Just like CBD oil, low and slow is the way to go.
If you want to dive deeper into meditation, there are numerous amazing apps and videos online out there to help guide you through the process. This is a great place to start so you won’t have to worry and some soothing voice will remind you of the next step. CBD oil can really help deepen your meditation practice by helping soothe any tension you may be experiencing, as well as promoting relaxation and general balance throughout the body. You can do it!
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5 Senses Exercise
The 5 sense exercise is another to practice mindfulness. This one is rather simple and can be done anywhere at any time. It comes in handy at times where your anxiety is hitting too high. You can combine this practice with your daily CBD oil, but in cases where you need immediate help with stress levels, CBD vape would be the quickest solution in your time of need.
All that is needed for this practice is to notice something you are experiencing with each of the five senses.
Follow this order to practice the Five Senses:
1. Become aware of five things you can see.
Look around you and focus on five things that you can see. Try to find something that you don’t normally notice.
2. Become aware of four things that you can feel.
Be conscious of four things that you are feeling presently. This could be the texture of your shirt on your skin, the feeling of the breeze moving your hair, or the smoothness of a table your hands on.
3. Become aware of three things you can hear.
Pause and just listen, what 3 sounds do you hear in the background? This could be the bark of the neighbor’s dog, the A/C or heat flowing through the vents, or hum of your electronics.
4. Become aware of two things you can smell.
Acknowledge the smells that you usually filter out. Perhaps you’re outside and smell fresh cut grass, or inside and can smell fresh laundry.
5. Become aware of one thing you can taste.
Concentrate on one thing that you can taste currently. You can take a swig of a drink, pop in a mint, snack on something, but focus on the current taste in your mouth.
This exercise is quick and easy when it comes to grounding yourself and becoming more mindful. It is the perfect exercise if you only have a minute or two, the five senses exercise can help you bring awareness to the current moment in an expedited time.
Mindfulness practices are great for improving mental health, managing stress and anxiety, and leading to a more fulfilling life. They can also be used as a tool for self-care if you’re struggling with physical ailments. There are many different types of ways to practice mindfulness that you can use alone or in combination with CBD oil to help improve your overall well-being. Good luck on your journey to mindfulness, and remember that CBD oil can help make the journey easier!
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