If you’ve ever smoked marijuana in your past, there’s no denying you’ll already be familiar with what some people might call the ‘meditative’ properties. Whether medicinal or recreational, marijuana is famed for helping people chill out, relax, and take the edge off.
However, an increasing number of people are starting to see and use marijuana specifically in actual mediation practices and are finding an enhanced experience that is positively changing their lives. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, you’ve come to the right place as I show you how to get started with this yourself.
The truth is, marijuana has been used in holistic and meditative practices for several thousand years. If you read the original (now translated) Vedic texts in Nepal and India, marijuana is described as one of the five sacred plants, which dates back to 2,000 BC.
This is true in Buddhism, there’s evidence of it in 14th Century Ethiopia, and mentions in ancient Japanese cultures and texts. The plant has been used throughout human history, and something to have lasted so long must be on the right path.
Getting Started
Before I jump into how to smoke with a meditative practice in mind, it’s important to remember that your journey will be your own, and what works for other people, might not necessarily work for you.
Some people might have the best experience laying on the sofa or bed in the dark. Some with the lights on. Some might like to walk in nature, or some might like to write or draw. The trick is to experiment to find the best experience for you.
With that in mind, let’s jump into it!
Your Environment
The first thing you’ll want to think about is the environment you’re smoking in. Just like in ‘normal’ meditation, you’ll want to make sure you’re in a calm and quiet room where you can concentrate on yourself internally, rather than what’s going on externally.
For this reason, you’re probably going to want to meditate along, and if you want to smoke and have fun with your friends, this probably isn’t the best time to have a meditative experience. However, if you’re all on the same page, this could work really well.
“If you want to try listening to music, something like binaural audio, classical music, natural sounds, or any kind of ambient music is the best idea because it’s calm. Anything with too much of a beat could be too much” explains Tom Cobalt, a consulting physician for Online Paper Help and Editing Services.
While Meditating
After a while, your mind will start to wander, and you’ll start your own journey of exploration; but it’s up to you to make sure your mind is on a path that you want it to go on. A good way to do this and to get yourself into the right mindset is to think about how the entire universe is made using energy.
Think about these energy lines and sources. Aim to feel these energy sources. If there’s something like a question you wanted to answer through meditation, think about the different perspectives of energy surrounding the things involved with this question.
You’ll also want to make sure you keep yourself grounded throughout the session. For this, try and stay in touch with your body as much as possible. Feel the weight of your body pushing into the ground, or the object you’re sitting/laying on.
“Try and stay connected with your breath to keep you focused on the present moment. You can easily do this by inhaling for 8 seconds and exhaling for 12 seconds. This will help to slow your mind down and help you reach the meditative state” shares Melissa Bell, a yoga instructor for Urgent Assignment Writing and Academized.
The important element here is to understand the proper meditation practices as well. While this is another area where you do have somewhat of freedom in what you should or can do, there are still some things that might help you get there faster.
For example, you could try guided meditation as a way to stay on track and keep your mind focused. There are plenty of ways to do that, from apps on your phone to actually hiring someone to guide you. Of course, you can also do it yourself, without any guidance, but you should at least be familiar with meditation before you do this.
Try meditating without cannabis a few times and then include it when you form a habit and you are already comfortable meditating.
Now, when it comes to what you can do in that meditative state, the obvious answer is to lie down or sit down and enjoy. However, this might not be what you want. If you are a painter or a writer or a musician, make sure that you have your tools of creation around you if you feel like creating in that meditative state will be beneficial for your work.
Keep in mind that there is no way of knowing what you will want to do then, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you just remain in the same position and relax. Opening up your mind and just thinking can be a wonderful thing for your creation later on when you do start working and creating.
Taking a walk or doing some similar activity may not be so possible or recommended but you can try it if you think that it’s something that would bring you value in terms of experience. However, experimenting is a fun idea and you can definitely do whatever you want with that time you get.
The important part as well is to turn all of the distractions off because these can be seriously damaging to your experience. For example, if your phone rings or your laptop makes a noise or your doorbell rings. So, turn off all of your devices and make sure that they are not going to make sounds while you meditate.
Other than that, feel free to experiment with your practice to see what works well for you!
Aimee Laurence is a lifestyle consultant and writer at Boom Essays and UK Dissertation Help. She writes about exciting field of mind and body improvement and creates articles about things that excite her for Essayroo.