When I was younger, I was diagnosed with ADHD and I always had difficulty focusing on tasks in front of me. When I became a teenager, my mom tried to teach me how to meditate to improve my focus but I had difficulty sitting down for more than a few minutes. 

After graduating college, I got my first job at a tech company and the CEO was big into meditation. Every few weeks, we would all sit and meditate together and after the meditations, my co-workers would talk about how peaceful it was, the insights they got, and some of them even received “downloads.” When they would ask me about my experience I would say that I got insights and let go of stress but in reality, I felt nothing. 

Cannabis & Meditation

Even though I didn’t benefit from meditating, the concept of meditating was always interesting to me. One day, I saw an ad for a cannabis and yoga event that was going on in Oakland. While I didn’t attend the event, it got me thinking of combining cannabis with meditation. 

That night, after I put my kids to bed, I took a dab and put on a guided meditation by Joe Dispenza. If you aren’t familiar, Dr. Joe Dispenza uses a lot of visualization techniques to guide you into a deep meditative state. The cannabis seemed to slow down my overactive mind and help me focus on Dr. Dispenza’s words: my consciousness was transported to what felt like another realm. The experience was so powerful that I thought that I was on psilocybin mushrooms.

That experience happened on June 30th, 2020 and ever since that day, I have dedicated 90 minutes of my day to meditation. While not every meditation session turns into a psychedelic journey, each session does produce an insight or an epiphany. After meditating for 90 minutes a day for the last 4 years, this is the framework that I have put together that I hope will help you in your meditation journey.

5-Step Framework for Meditation 

Step 1 

Understanding what meditation REALLY is. I used to think that meditation was clearing your mind of thoughts and thinking of nothing. Just like you can’t stop your heart from pumping blood, you cannot stop your mind from having thoughts. Meditation is the ability to focus on what you want to focus on. It can be an affirmation, your breath, a body part, or something that you want to manifest or let go.

Step 2 

Setting an intention. Before doing any plant medicine, the facilitator will ask you to set an intention. Meditation is no different: your intention can be to release trauma, manifest something into your life, relax, get answers to challenging situations, etc. Before meditating, figure out what your intention for the meditation is.

Step 3 

Show gratitude to the plant, whether you like to smoke, vape, or dab. Give thanks to the grower, the extractor, the trimmer, the distributor, the budtender, and everyone who made it possible so that you can use cannabis before your meditation. After you do that, ingest your medicine.

Step 4 

If you are new to meditating, here are my two favorite meditation techniques you can start off with. The first is doing a guided meditation, you can find them on YouTube or apps like Calm or Insight Timer.

The second technique is to just count your breath. When you inhale, count to one, when you exhale, count to two. Do this until you can count to 100. If you lose track of the number, just start over. I know this sounds very simple and basic but most people can’t count to 30 without getting distracted.

Step 5

When you are done meditating, journal any insights that you got from the meditation. If you do not journal after you meditate, many of the insights and epiphanies you get will quickly vanish and disappear, just like the details of a dream. While having these insights are great, if you don’t remember and implement them into your life, it is not very useful.

Stop Trying to Get Better at Meditation 

As I began cultivating my meditation practice I found myself seeking transcendent experiences. When I didn’t have them, I would work harder and harder at my meditations. What I found is that meditating isn’t something you get better at by putting more effort into it. Counterlogically, you get better at meditating by surrendering and detaching from any outcome you think meditation will give you. If you do not see visions or get downloads, don’t worry - that is why it is called a meditation practice. 

Many of the skills that helped me become a high achiever in life, working harder than others, sacrificing more than others, and having a stronger will than others, in my experience, held me back in my meditation practice. 

I found that consuming cannabis before my meditations would slow down my thoughts, relax my body, and give myself permission to sit for 15, 30, or even 90 minutes  - and it wasn’t a waste of time. For me, meditating for 90 minutes first thing in the morning allowed me to have more focus on clarity on what I needed to do that day. I noticed that when I have this clarity of mind, it is much easier to finish all the tasks that are in front of me. 

Remember that meditation is a practice that you cultivate. If you find it challenging or you feel like you are doing it wrong, don’t worry, it is natural and common for people to feel this way. Think of it like working out, even if you don’t see any physical changes after each workout, your body is getting healthier. Meditation is much the same way, keep giving yourself time to practice and before long, you will be able to get much more out of your meditations.