Category: How to Heal Yourself

Meditation is a practice that has been used for centuries to promote relaxation and well-being. In recent years, meditation has become increasingly popular as a way to reduce stress and improve mental health. So too, has taking CBD oil. And now we know that full spectrum CBD oil and meditation actually work together synergistically to create more mental peace and clarity.

Scientists discovered that CBD (cannabidiol) and other cannabinoids in CBD oil boost the endocannabinoid system, improving well-being and increasing balance in the body. And now, there is increasing evidence that practicing mindfulness, meditation and breathing exercises also fires up the endocannabinoid system with similar results. Research has shown that using whole plant CBD oil alongside meditation can offer a host of increased benefits, including reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and increasing focus and concentration.

Christine Heilbron from Yoga Basics explains that using CBD oil together with practicing meditation helps by:

• Increasing our ability to concentrate – we focus on sensations and less on random thoughts.
• Stabilising and improving our mood – through the production of serotonin in our brains.
• Decreasing stress and anxiety – less worry and stress helps us to enjoy being present.
• Reducing pain and muscle soreness – improved range of motion and ability to sit still.

So if we take CBD oil before our meditation practice we may find that it is easier to drop into the present moment, as our minds are already a little bit calmer and more focused. And it’s a virtuous circle – the more we meditate and calm the mind, the more that CBD is able to increase that sense of calm and peace rather than just reducing anxiety.

Mark Dunn, founder of Bristol CBD and a mindfulness meditation coach says, “When I first took CBD oil I was amazed. I felt like I had just finished a 10 day meditation retreat. Taking CBD oil has made it easier for me to be present and to drop into mindful moments.”

CBD Oil and Meditation – Some Practical Tips

For many people, the idea of meditation conjures up images of monks sitting cross-legged on mountain tops. But the truth is, meditation is a practice that can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere. The most accessible form of meditation is simply the practice of focusing on our breathing. The key is simply to do it, even for just a minute or two a day.

For many busy people, the thought of setting aside even a few minutes for meditating and breathing exercises can seem impossible. But the truth is we do not need to find time to practice intentional breathing. We can focus on our breathing any time of day – while we are sitting in meetings, doing the washing up, or even while we are out walking. It’s simply about shifting our focus!

Seated Breath Meditation

We can practice seated breathing exercises at work, on the bus or at home – anytime we are sat still. Taking a few minutes to focus on our breathing, even with our eyes open, actually helps us to relax and unplug from the stress of the day. Here are a few quick and simple breathing exercises to try:

1. Belly Breath – Sit up straight and place one hand on your stomach. Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling your stomach expand. Then exhale through your mouth, feeling your stomach contract. Repeat 6 times.
2. Extended Exhale – Relax back in your chair and take slow, deep breaths through the nose if possible. Inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of eight. Repeat 6 times.
3. Box breathing – Inhale slowly for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, and then exhale slowly for a count of four. Hold your breath out for a count of four. Repeat 6 times.

Each of these practices take less than 3 minutes to practice but we have found great benefits from simply remembering to do a few each day. We feel calmer, more at peace and less trapped in the dramatic stories that our minds can sometimes generate.

CBD Oil and Walking Meditation

We don’t have to be sitting still to practice breathing exercises. Walking outdoors is a great way to get some exercise and fresh air, but we can also use it as an opportunity to improve our mental health. Just by adding a few simple breathing exercises and a few drops of CBD oil to our walking routine, we can help to calm our incessant minds as well as increasing lung capacity and improving overall respiratory health.

One breathing exercise that we use when walking is to focus on the feeling of our feet walking on the ground as we also focus on breathing through the nose. As we walk and breath we simply count to four in our head, like this:

“In, two, three, four” (during the inhalation)

“Out, two, three, four” (during the exhalation)

“In, two, three, four” (during the inhalation)

etc.

It’s a bit like a marching chant, but one in which we get to choose our own speed, rhythm and style. After a minute or two of mental counting, we often let go of the counting and just try to focus on the breathing and the walking sensations in our feet.

We may only do this meditation for a short amount of time before we lose focus on the breath and our mind wanders again. But whenever we notice that we are thinking there is an opportunity to step back into focusing on our breath and our feet.

Whenever we feel like it, we can just count the breath in time with our footsteps. The more we practice it, the easier it gets to step out of the thinking mind and back into a short breathing meditation.

In addition to helping with lung health, these breathing exercises can also help to reduce stress. Walking and taking CBD oil also have the added benefit of supporting the autonomic nervous system and further reducing stress. So why not try heading out for a walk, taking a few drops of CBD oil beforehand and setting the intention to add a few deep breathing exercises to the mix. Notice how you feel afterwards!

Practicing Breathing Exercises throughout the day

As well as practicing meditation when sitting down or walking, we have found there are ample opportunities to check in with our breathing throughout the day. With a little practice (and CBD oil), we soon found that we really enjoyed practicing the breathing exercises and have built them into more aspects of life.

We breathe consciously in the shower, while waiting for the kettle to boil or while doing some sit-ups. We also love taking short moments to connect with our breath while doing household chores, like washing up or making the bed. And, dare we say it, even intimate moments with our partners seem to improve when we practice being more present by connecting with our breath and focusing on the sensations of touch rather than getting stuck in thought.

CBD Oil and Meditation – Summary

In summary, CBD oil and meditation individually help to calm the thinking mind and allow us to step outside the endless dramas that our thoughts can conjure up. But when we combine the two together we find a deeper freedom and mastery of the mind.

CBD oil and meditation can be used together to promote relaxation and stress relief – taking CBD oil and then practicing mindful breathing for just a few minutes each day can bring a deeper sense of peace, calm, and self-control as well as improving respiratory health.

And the more often we interrupt the thinking mind with moments of presence and breath, the more we step away from emotions like anxiety, sadness, anger and guilt. These little moments of peace are more grounded in reality, not stuck in stressful stories.

From this more relaxed state, we find we’re better equipped to handle stressful situations when they do actually arise in real life…

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For more information about mindfulness, meditation and positive thinking, please contact Mark Dunn via www.positivemeditation.com

For more information about CBD oil, please visit www.bristolcbd.co.uk.

For breathing apps we recommend Breathe (it’s free on Android and IOS), which you can use to time regular breathing (e.g. 5 seconds inhale, 5 seconds exhale) and, while you breath consciously for a minute, you can do something physical.

Further Reading: Breath by James Nestor

Feeling Good Is A Balancing Act…

Our health, happiness and well-being is all about being balanced – whether that is through creating work-life balance, eating a balanced diet or practising emotional stability. Being an extremist may work for a while but, in the long run, being balanced turns out to be a much better strategy if we want to feel healthy and happy.

But did you know that there is a system in our bodies which has the sole purpose of creating internal equilibrium and restoring balance? Scientists call this system the ‘Endocannabinoid system’ (or ECS for short) and there are seven simple ways to boost it.

Most people haven’t even heard of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which isn’t surprising because it is almost never mentioned on TV or in magazines. Even our GPs and doctors are largely unaware of it as the ECS is rarely taught in our universities and hospitals.

But when we consider that the ECS is critical for almost every aspect of our body’s functioning, we start to realise that developing an understanding of how to work with and enhance our own endocannabinoid system is vitally important for our long-term health and happiness.

As Dr Ethan Russo says, “the idea of not educating people on the ECS is incomprehensible because it is fundamental to how our bodies work”.

What Is The Endocannabinoid System?

So what exactly is the endocannabinoid system? The ECS is a vast network of chemical signals and receptors that are densely packed throughout our brains and bodies. The job of this network is to regulate things in the body, by turning up or down the activity of whichever system needs to be adjusted, whether that is hunger, inflammation or alertness.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) was first identified in the early 1990s by researchers exploring THC, a well-known phyto-cannabinoid that creates a euphoric high feeling. (Phyto-cannabinoids are compounds found in cannabis, hemp and some other plants.)

To date, scientists have discovered that the ECS regulates and balances many of our critical bodily functions such as learning, memory, pain, body temperature, emotional processing, sleep, appetite and immune responses. So, if we want to feel healthy and happy, then we need to boost our endocannabinoid system.

How To Boost Your Endocannabinoid System

Fortunately you don’t need to get high on THC to have a healthy endocannabinoid system. Taking CBD oil, which does not contain THC, has been shown to help the ECS to do its job of balancing us out.

Scientists are not entirely sure how CBD works. Many believe it works by preventing our existing endocannabinoids from being broken down. This allows them to have more of an effect on your body. Others believe that CBD binds to a receptor that hasn’t been discovered yet.

However taking CBD oil is not the only way to improve your ECS or to be more balanced. In fact, scientists are beginning to understand that, to be happy and healthy, the trick is to feed and fire up your endocannabinoid system in a number of different ways.

According to Dr Rachel Knox, a clinical endocannabinologist, there are seven simple habits that we can practice to help our endocannabinoid system work more effectively and for us to feel healthy and happy. These are:

1. Eat Real Food

Eating whole foods like fruit, vegetables and fish and avoiding processed foods is a vital step to providing us with the building blocks to produce our own internal endocannabinioids (chemicals like Anandamide and 2-AG). The more cannabinoids we can produce in our body through eating nutritious whole foods, the more we are able to fire up the ECS and achieve balance.

2. Mindfulness Meditation And Deep Breathing

Training ourselves to become aware of our breathing helps us notice when we have become stressed. Using slow, deep breathing helps us to move out of the stress state. Stress has been shown to hamper ECS function and breathing meditations have been proven to increase production of cannabinoids in the body. For more information about how to learn simple, yet effective meditation techniques please visit Positive Meditation.

3. Pamper Yourself Or Others

Giving or receiving massage or soothing touch has been shown to stimulate the endocannabinoid system. For more information check out Massage Today. At Bristol CBD we sell a high quality CBD massage oil to further boost the ECS.

4. Detox Your Body

Taking time to detox cleanses our bodies and reduces inflammation by ridding us of harmful toxins, which may hamper the normal functioning of the ECS. This can be done gently by intermittent fasting or via juice fasting or water fasting. Patrick Holford offers an excellent guide to detoxing here.

5. Get Better Quality Sleep

Sleeping better has been shown to improve ECS function. According to Project CBD using CBD oil can help us sleep better and avoiding things that interrupt sleep like alcohol, caffeine and watching screens before bed has been shown to aid deeper sleep. Matthew Walker’s brilliant book ‘Why We Sleep‘ explains why sleep is so important and is full of tips on what we can do to get better sleep.

6. Exercise And Move Your Body

Recent research findings show that exercise increases serum concentrations of endocannabinoids. An hour of walking each day and a few minutes of simple stretching or yoga exercises are enough. Many people equate exercise with going to the gym, sweating and pain. But simply moving our bodies and being less sedentary seems to be just as beneficial.

7. Take Good Quality Supplements

Taking multi-vitamins and other health supplements like CBD oil, magnesium, 5 HTP, turmeric and adaptogenic herbs and spices can soothe and tone the endocannabinoid system, thereby aiding restoration. Always ensure you buy supplements from companies with good reviews. If you are looking to buy CBD oil or other supplements make sure you read our recent article ‘How to Buy Safe, Effective and Reasonably Priced CBD Oil‘.

Feel Happy And Healthy – Starting With Baby Steps

It may seem a little daunting to try and master all seven of these habits at once but our team at Bristol CBD have tried and tested these with a few baby steps and we quickly began to notice an improvement. We recently started using a breathing app called Breathe to help us focus on breathing and a Fitbit to count our walking steps. We also started taking more supplements and we stopped watching screens before bed. We even started giving each other massages!

Our anecdotal experiences match the emerging science of the endocannabinoid system – it seems the better we are at taking the time to practice these seven habits, the happier and more balanced we feel.

If you have any questions about how you could incorporate these habits into your own life, please feel free to call us on 07706 031 935 at any time. We are always happy to share our experiences and help people to find the best solution for their own needs.

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Written by Bristol CBD, The Trusted CBD Specialists