Spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle likes to remind whoever is listening that we are not our thoughts, nor are we our emotions. We are the awareness behind these two. However, amid the chaos of life, we can often forget this simple yet powerful statement and allow our thoughts and emotions to run wild.
A wild mind can only lead to an imbalance in mental wellness. Anxiety, depression, and panic attacks are some of the negative mental states we can experience when mental wellness is inexistent.
Rather than going into full panic mode, you can choose to find positive tools that can help you achieve a more balanced sense of self. CBD and yoga happen to be two of these tools.
While yoga has been around for thousands of years, CBD is new to the scene. Yet it has already made a name for itself with influencers on Instagram and other social mediums. Short for Cannabidiol, CBD is found in the Cannabis plant, similar to marijuana.
The difference between CBD and marijuana is that you won’t get high on it. You will not experience mind-altering moments either.
So why are many people raving about CBD?
Well, despite its more subtle function, CBD is known to ease stress — the instigator of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. Studies have shown that CBD can be helpful when it comes to PTSD treatment, muscle pain, nausea relief, insomnia, inflammation, acne, and psoriasis.
Yoga comes with a significant list of benefits too. This ancient practice is known to lower blood pressure and relieve chronic pain. It can help with flexibility and muscle strength and encourage better breathing and posture. Most importantly, it helps with stress, anxiety, and depression. Together, CBD and yoga can help you attain stillness — the most crucial state you can be in when faced with our modern, chaotic world. The following are five ways you can achieve mental wellness when combining CBD with yoga:
Create a strong body-mind connection.
Distractions are prominent every second of the day. Even when we are alone in a room, we can indulge in distractions by picking up our phone out of habit. CBD and yoga can help you sharpen your focus so that you can feel more centered and present. You can do this by taking a drop of CBDMEDIC CBD oil before heading to yoga class. The oil will make you feel more at ease, so you can find it easier to experience deeper focus while practicing different yoga positions.
Alleviate physical pain.
While yoga has been proven to be an exceptional workout that helps heal the body, you may still experience joint or muscle pain during your workout. CBD can help you enjoy your yoga workout by reducing your pain. CBD encourages your body to produce natural cannabinoids, whose function includes providing an efficient anti-inflammatory response to help you with your sore muscles.
Enhance your state of bliss.
Yoga is known to increase our sense of happiness, but this feeling can leave us as quickly as it came. With CBD as part of your yoga session, you will be able to prolong this positive feeling. Bliss is generated by Anandamide, a neurotransmitter, which, much like all neurotransmitters, is quickly broken down by the body. However, CBD has been found to slow down the enzyme that breaks down Anandamide, thus prolonging that state of bliss.
Tune in to your body.
While exercising is important for our mental wellness, some workouts can cause damage or pain, especially if we are not in tune with our bodies. Combining CBD and yoga can help prevent this. CBD is known to activate the vanilloid receptors in the body. These receptors help us regulate our body temperature and sense of pain. CBD can also help you tune in to your body and assess in a more mindful way how far you can push your body.
Create a deeper experience.
When your mind wonders, you are missing out on what the present moment is offering you. Combining CBD and yoga is a way to eliminate this “monkey mind,” so you can endure a more enhanced experience. Take one deep breath, in and out. Even in this short moment, you must have felt your presence and the aliveness of your body. Now, imagine how much more deeply you can experience yourself in the present moment when CBD and yoga help you focus on your breath flowing in and out of your body, as you pay attention to your muscles and bones.
Deeper experiences are what you should aim for, not only during yoga but even in the everyday moments. You can only experience these deep and rich experiences when you are truly present. CBD and yoga can help you become better in this practice, and you will find yourself remembering to be more present, even in the chaotic moments.
While both have positive traits, yoga and CBD should not be used as substitutes for whatever you feel is missing in your life, which is causing you an imbalance in your mental wellness. Prioritize being present by accepting the present moment, even if it is not what you want. Only by accepting the present moment can you make the right choices and create a healthy mental state for your whole being.
By Crystal Wilson
Crystal Willson is a full-time content marketing specialist. She has been closely monitoring the cannabis industry trends for quite some time. She has worked in various domains before the cannabis industry. On her off days, she likes to spend her time with her family, lift weights, and reading novels.
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