With so much going on around us, getting away from it all sounds very appealing. However, getting away may not be possible owing to demands of work, family and in some cases restrictions on travel because of the pandemic. But fortunately, there is another way to get away from it all, and it doesn’t require planes, trains or automobiles. The answer is meditation.
Meditation helps you get relief from turmoil, whether it comes from within or from external forces. When you meditate, you focus your attention and clear your mind of thoughts to help relieve stress and achieve a sense of calm and peace and balance. When you meditate, you also have the opportunity to explore yourself. Not only that, from a physical standpoint, the relaxation can help decrease metabolism, lower blood pressure and improve heart rate, breathing and brain waves. The body receives a quiet message to relax and that helps alleviate muscle tension and tightness.[1]
Here are some tips for getting started with mindful meditation:
- Find a comfortable place to sit. It can be anywhere from sitting on a chair or couch to sitting on the floor cross-legged.
- Set a time limit. In the beginning you may want to set a short time, five or 10 minutes.
- Check in with yourself. Be aware of what’s on your mind or if you are feeling tired or anxious.
- Once you settle in, pay attention to your breathing. Follow as you breath in and out.
- Don’t worry if your mind wanders. Expect that it will. Let it wander then return to paying attention to your breathing.
- Don’t get involved with the thoughts that come to mind. Just come back to your place of calm and following your breathing.
Add CBD oil to meditation practice
Many Americans are turning to CBD (Cannabidiol) for anxiety. A recent survey on the use of CBD found that among those that use CBD, about 55% of those who have tried it say they used it to relax, and another 50% said they were looking for stress and anxiety relief.[2] A 2011 study found that CBD was able to reduce Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) among participants in a simulated public speaking test (SPST). Pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in the speech performance of control patients, and significantly decreased alert levels in their anticipatory speech. The placebo group presented higher anxiety, cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert levels when compared with the control group.[3]
Studies such as this suggest that in helping to reduce anxiety, CBD oil can help calm the mind, which makes it a perfect complement to meditation. Furthermore, CBD has shown great promise as a safe, effective muscle relaxant, [4] so that by easing physical tension, it may help bring mind and body into balance, making it easier to get into a meditative state. And since CBD also can help reduce pain (see: “Does Topical CBD Provide Pain Relief? Here’s What We Know”) and inflammation should you have back, knee or hip pain, for example (see: “Can CBD Reduce Inflammation?”) it may help make it less uncomfortable to maintain the sitting positions required by meditation.
You have options for taking CBD oil. When it comes to ingesting CBD, three of the most popular delivery methods are CBD oil taken by mouth, tinctures taken by placing the liquid under the tongue (sublingually) and capsules, in which CBD is usually suspended in a gel capsule. To alleviate muscle and joint pain, CBD topicals can be applied to the area where you are experiencing pain.
Learn about Lab+Blends line of CBD products and choose one to help you “find your Zen.”