How CBD and Meditation Work Together

Even under normal circumstances, the stress of everyday life can compound in ways potentially hazardous to our health. Considering the last year we’ve all shared, managing our stress levels is even more important than ever.

Things like regular exercise and practicing good sleep patterns can be practical tools in combating daily stress, but today, we’re going to talk about one of the most powerful techniques in our relaxation arsenal – a combination of meditation and CBD. 

What is Meditation?

When some people hear the word meditation, they picture cross-legged monks perched on mountain tops or new-age types naval-gazing on a beach. The truth is that meditation is for everyone, and even science agrees that it can help promote a healthier cardiovascular system and help reduce anxiety. 

Our bodies developed a sympathetic nervous system to help early humans survive in a world where hostile predators lurked around every corner. It’s the part of the body responsible for the infamous “fight or flight” response you’ve probably heard about. By releasing adrenaline when faced with a potentially harmful situation, our sympathetic nervous system gives us that extra boost we need to get away from a hungry bear.

Modern humans don’t have to worry so much about grizzly bear attacks or being stalked by a pack of wolves; however, that doesn’t mean our sympathetic nervous system just turns off. Things like sending an important email, or getting called into our bosses office on a Friday afternoon, threaten our lives in more subtle ways, but our bodies don’t always know the difference. These everyday tribulations release the hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine in the same way spotting a lion on the savannah would with our ancestors. If this strain isn’t managed successfully, it can have serious health implications. One of the best ways of mitigating this kind of stress is through meditation.

Meditation can be tricky to define, and there isn’t necessarily one meditation definition. However, the ultimate goal of the practice always involves increasing awareness of our bodies and surroundings while fostering a deep sense of calm and relaxation. 

The three most common meditation techniques practiced today are: 

• transcendental meditation  
• mindfulness meditation  
• guided meditation

Let’s take a quick look at all three. 

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation, oftentimes stylized as TM for short, involves quieting down the rest of the world by focusing on a specific mantra. Mantras are sounds, words, or phrases chosen by the individual practitioner and repeated internally over and over again until the external noise is dulled or even silenced. 

Guided Meditation

The practice of meditating while being led by a professional, is known as guided meditation. Before the ubiquity of technology, one would have to attend a class in-person to participate in a guided meditation. Now with apps like insight timer, people can practice guided meditation whenever they want, wherever they are, making it an excellent option for dealing with the stress of quarantines and stay-at-home orders. These apps also offer relaxing meditation music that can help you find your zen.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is all about staying in the moment and living in the presence. By paying attention to your breath and every minor sensation in your mind and body, you can recognize your feelings without attaching to them, reducing the constant worry and chatter happening in your brain. 

CBD and Meditation

Meditation is a great tool all on its own, but it can be an even more effective stress reducer when coupled with CBD. 

CBD, an abbreviation of cannabidiol, has been shown to possess many positive attributes which pair well with meditation. The hemp plant is full of a wide variety of cannabinoids that have anxiety and depression reducing characteristics. These cannabinoids work by interacting with the endocannabinoid system and altering the way our serotonin receptors receive signals. For many people, anxiety can be a massive contributor to daily stress. By addressing some of the physical components of anxiety with cannabinoids first, tackling the mental aspects with meditation is easier. 

Being mindful of our bodies can be extremely difficult when the predominant feeling in our body is pain. Cannabinoids have anti-inflammatory properties which make it useful in relieving chronic pain caused by conditions such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, and its interaction with our nervous systems makes it helpful for treating neuropathic pain as well. Chronic pain is a serious roadblock on the path to relaxation. Dulling this pain with naturally-occurring plant compounds makes accessing the benefits of meditation much more straightforward. 

Many users of hemp with high cannabinoid content describe feelings of deep relaxation after consumption. This opens us up for further tranquility through the meditative process. Our blend of natural sun-grown hemp flower, stelo™ Relax, is the perfect way to loosen up the mind and body for a meditation session. The mix of terpenes and cannabinoids is precisely engineered to maximize peacefulness, providing a sublime space for you to reach serenity.