Why you should practice mindfulness while toking

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.

Is mindfulness just a fad or is there something behind it?

What does it mean to be mindful? Synonyms for this word are “attentive”, “attentive” and my favorite “attentive”. Yes, being mindful is simply being present. Becoming acutely aware of awareness. It is an insanely simple activity that can make some profound life-changing changes in practitioners’ lives.

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Yes, there are millions of people who actively practice sitting still, with their eyes closed and just looking at reality from that perspective. However, some people find it difficult; mindfulness is something that just “happens”. It’s not about trying, it’s just about getting comfortable and waiting for nothing to happen.

Let all thoughts and sounds continue as usual so that life can unfold without your interference. They simply allow what is going on and decline active participation. You let go of the handlebars, close your eyes and experience what is happening in and around you.

That is mindfulness in its basic form. However, some people find this incredibly difficult. It is not entirely their fault either; This hyper-digitized world has aroused the expectation of quick returns. Mindfulness practice is about the process, not so much about the results. They are simply engaging in another “mode” of consciousness that many people do not engage with in their entire lives. For those who cannot shut the mind off, mindfulness doesn’t have to be so extreme either.

You can start training your mind to be more mindful by incorporating it into certain actions in your life. For example, a “mindful walk” means observing closely everything that happens in your body while you are walking. Every step, every movement focuses on the subtle sensations in the body and mind. Become aware of where your thoughts are wandering, where your emotions linger, and simply block everything out to be attentive as you walk. You can do this with food, shower, and even breathing! You can even do it by smoking cannabis!

Learning how to take a mindful puff

If you are looking to maximize the mindfulness token experience, you should prepare properly. Start by avoiding weed for about seven days. I know some of you will say something like, “A week without smoking weed?” To which I will say, “YES!”

Seven days is a light detox; it’s a week of sobriety, no big deal. If it’s a big deal, the practice of mindfulness drinking would have already revealed its first fruits, revealing how addicted you are to cannabis.

Of course, if you’re using it for medical reasons, it’s understandable that abstinence isn’t that easy. But even if you suffer from an illness, it is recommended that you abstain for a day or two.

This period of abstinence is for us to see which areas of our lives cannabis affects. It will also reveal to us the intensity of the “no cannabis” symptoms or side effects in our lives, which would deepen our appreciation for what the plant does for you.

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You will yourself be the judge of your experience, but if possible, practice total abstinence for at least twenty-four hours, but ideally you want to do seven days. During these seven days, try to eat healthily, exercise, work up a sweat and detox.

During Lent, you should engage in mindfulness as much as possible. This does not mean meditating for seven days in a row, but try to become aware of your surroundings, the thoughts in your head, your feelings at different times of the day. As you take a sip of coffee, put your head on your tongue and watch how it tastes. Where does the sensation begin, where does it end?

You can also do short meditations of five to ten minutes, or do breathing exercises, yoga, or qigong, whatever your boat is doing. It’s about preparing the mind to become more mindful. You should practice some before mixing it with cannabis so that you are comfortable with the experience and can get more out of it.

When you wake up, do a quick meditation, stretch, eat something, and get as comfortable as possible. Depending on how intense you want the experience to be, you can choose to take or ingest edibles … it’s up to you.

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Edibles give a deeper body experience, while smoking might make it a bit more cerebral. I recommend smoking first if this is your first time. Mainly because 11-Hydroxy-TCH can trigger some intense trips, and after a seven day cleanse – you could be facing a trip.

However, I leave all of this to your judgment.

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If you smoke weed, you should be mindful of the entire process. Before you begin, say a simple mantra like “I’m here now” to remind yourself to be mindful. This will bring your attention back to the moment. You can also say things like, “I’m being mindful right now,” as a simple command.

Then become aware of everything. The environment, the way you breathe, the cannabis. Pick it up, look at it, smell it … break it off and taste it raw. Just become aware of it. Feel it crumble in your hands … then roll it to be absolutely aware of everything you are doing.

Before getting infected, take a few deep, grounding breaths, simply inhaling deeply into your nose for four seconds and exhaling through your mouth for five seconds. Just focus on your breathing, focus on your body. You can also do a quick body scan which is simply a review of how you are feeling at that particular moment.

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Once you’re ready, light whatever you smoke and feel the smoke as it enters your mouth and travels down your throat and into your lungs. Feel how the gas exchange takes place, how your lungs absorb the smoke or steam enriched with cannabinoids. As you exhale, notice how your body feels after that first puff.

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Don’t take another train. Wait in complete silence for about five minutes. You can close your eyes and concentrate fully on your breathing. Observe the feelings in your body, focus on certain parts. Do this for as long as possible.

Once you feel the effects have subsided, take a second big hit or two. Set the grass aside for another five to 10 minutes and engage in mindfulness.

When you feel the effects are weakening again, you can take a third puff or two and return to mindfulness.

After the third time you can just enjoy the rest of the joint / blunt / pipe or whatever medium you chose.

When you are done smoking, just observe your surroundings, meditate; Take some time to just be with yourself for a while. Get to know yourself.

Mindfulness is something that everyone can benefit from and can be done with anything. This is just one example of how you can introduce this concept into your life today.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.