Does CBD Oil Help For Yoga & Meditation?

Long working hours, deadlines, illness in the family, finances, relationships, and the list goes on! These are all normal occurrences in the modern world we live in. Many people suffer from stress and anxiety because of this lifestyle and have not experienced a pure in-the-moment joy in a long time (1). In 2013, 1 in 6 Americans were on some kind of psychiatric drug due to anxiety, depression or another mental illness (2). In fact, treating anxiety and depression with prescription drugs is a $15 billion-dollar industry worldwide. This is causing a new way of thinking and many people are now looking for natural ways to relax body and mind. Yoga and meditation have been known for centuries to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and improve overall health and they have become popular in the West the past few years. That said, sometimes it is still a struggle to calm down the mind.

Cannabidiol or CBD is the major cannabinoid found in cannabis. It is quite similar to THC, another more well known major cannabinoid found in marijuana, but CBD does not have any psychoactive effects, i.e. it will not give a “high.” What it promises and delivers is to calm down the mind and gently relax the body which has been proven to greatly help people who suffer from anxiety.

CBD Oil for Meditation

Meditation has a long list of benefits including; relaxation of mind and body, pain control, better sleep, stress relief (3), relief of anxiety (4), relief of depression, enhanced positive thinking, enhanced self-image and optimism, improved self-awareness, and better attention span. These benefits will accrue only if you can manage to calm the mind and stop the thoughts that intrude into your session, keeping you stressed.

Meditation is an effective way to escape from the “hustle and bustle” for a given time in order to restore body and mind but it requires full release of the mind. CBD oil is great for those who find it hard to quiet the mind due to daily demands & high stress. CBD oil interacts with each person’s endocannabinoid system and can enhance the meditation process in many ways. For some the introduction of CBD oil will quiet the overactive mind, bring insight, and enable the user to go deeper spiritually. For others CBD will bring situational perspective into their life. It might be just that extra aid in to take before meditation that increases more enlightenment.

CBD Oil for Yoga

Many Western folks are turning to yoga, the ancient Indian practice that combines exercise with spiritual wellness, to combat stress and anxiety. That is because yoga is great for mental, emotional and physical health. Still, how many times have you been in a yoga class and half way through the session you wish you could silence the racing thoughts? You are not alone. It is hard to turn off the thoughts automatically when you hit the mat. Many people struggle to silence the mind as they go through the day’s work in their mind and worry about the upcoming deadline or meeting. That is why many yoga practitioners often reference CBD oil. It helps many yogi’s to focus on their practice.

CBD is wonderful for mental, emotional and physical health. The mental benefits of using it include pain relief, relief from depression and anxiety, relief from overthinking, and improved mood. Yoga delivers the same benefits. Both are calming and relaxing. Combining the two enhances your experience to a new level!

CBD works well if you are going to engage in restorative-style or gentle yoga. It works very well too if you are more interested in a more upbeat, quicker-paced and flow-style yoga especially if you tend to have a wandering mind. At physical level CBD improves flexibility and helps with the post-asana sore joints and muscles by reducing inflammation. As a bonus CBD enhances the blissful feelings that you get from your yoga session and prolongs the feelings of bliss after you have completed your session.

How to Get Started

To enhance your yoga or meditation session take CBD before you start. CBD comes in many forms. You can use a liquid tincture, soft gel, topical cream, etc. Maybe your question is, which form of CBD is better for you? Tinctures and soft gels have a full body impact as the CBD will enter the bloodstream. If you do not like the taste or want to carry a liquid dropper around, it’s best to take capsules and soft gels. They all have varying impacts depending on how much miligrams of CBD you ingest as well. Tinctures for instance, act faster than capsules as they do not have to pass through the digestive track but are absorbed through the mucous glands under the tongue. They take around 15 minutes to be felt in your body while soft gels will be felt after about 35 minutes. Alternatively, you can apply salves to your skin before your session.

No one can tell you the exact dosage that will work for you. Take the product for a week and see what happens. You may need to slightly increase your dosage.

Last Words

Yoga, meditation and CBD on their own alleviate stress. When combined together they become the a great harmony and synergy to fight stress. Regular use of CBD products before either yoga or meditation can significantly relieve stress and improve your emotional, mental and physical health. With regular practice you may even achieve inner peace and clarity.

For those who are still skeptical, in November 2017, the World Health Organization recommended that CBD should no longer be listed as a controlled substance since it has a long list of health benefits with no known side effects. Among these reasons, CBD oil has a good safety profile, low toxicity and no risk of dependency or abuse even at high doses. For Americans, the good news is that on 20 December 2018 the president signed into law the Farm Bill which legalizes CBD in all states and at federal level. So, enjoy! Just research each manufacturer before you buy products to make sure that you get good quality CBD.

References
1. Saad L. (2017, Dec). Gullup. 8 in 10 Americans Afflicted with Stress.
2. Miller SG. (2016, Dec). Live Science. 1 in 6 Americans Takes a Psychiatric Drug.
3. Goyal M. and others. (2014, Mar). JAMA Internal Medicine. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
4. Chen KW. and others. (2012, Jun). Depression and Anxiety. Meditative therapies for reducing anxiety: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials.