4 ms·

I don't know what kind of cannabis you're smoking but generally cannabis provides a distraction away from the present moment, which is the opposite of what you

I don't know what kind of cannabis you're smoking but generally cannabis provides a distraction away from the present moment, which is the opposite of what you want. Amphetamines may help, but they also increase tension. One of the key and most important factors in meditation practice is tranquility which is the opposite of even subtle muscle tension. Magic mushrooms while not always ideal, induce a near identical brain state to deep meditation, so you get an idea of what is possible. I wouldn't say it hinders meditation, but it's not something that benefits meditation in the long run. Keep in mind many of the popular kinds of meditation (eg Mindfulness Meditation) you begin to naturally identify when you're distracted. If you can't do that sober (yet) that should be the goal, to the point you don't have to rely on chemicals to achieve it.

qwerty456127 7y ago
The moment in time does not matter, you can perfectly meditate within a lucid dream in the context of long time ago in a galaxy far away. The only thing important is you are to mindfully observe this, your attention must not be charmed by anything. Muscle tension does not matter as long as you don't let it distract you. The quality of attention is what matters. You won't have to sit for too long (in fact you don't even have to sit, shavasana is a perfect position if you manage to avoid falling asleep) and you will achieve the goal quickly if you manage to maintain perfect presence and awareness for just some minutes. Needless to say most of the people can't achieve this easily so they have to train for many years but I've found out attention and perception augmenting drugs can help a lot if you have proper motivation, guidance and your brain is ready for this.
azhu 7y ago
I'm not so sure it's quite that simple. I've got a prescription to amphetamine salts as well as a marijuana habit. And an injury rehab situation that requires I strengthen muscles I couldn't even consciously access and breathing engaging my diaphragm in a way I haven't since literal babyhood. Marijuana drastically amplifies the nervous system signal through to my muscles, but I find I have to focus, otherwise I sort of just melt. Amphetamine drastically amplifies the signal as well, but I find I can't let it go unless I focus on relaxing. It very much feels like the interaction that's happening is how my conscious cognition can access the nervous system wires running throughout the body. It feels very possible that some forms of meditation may not necessarily be about utter quiet, but rather such focus that noise cannot exist. Anecdotal stuff aside, many meditative practices require active engagement of muscles. Yoga is a big one.
- proverbialbunny 7y ago
  I also went through physical therapy too. I hope you're past any pain and are doing well. I know how painful things can get. >It feels very possible that some forms of meditation may not necessarily be about utter quiet, but rather such focus that noise cannot exist. You might already know this, but meditation is about identifying when you are and are not in the present moment, be it quiet or not. So utter quiet isn't necessary. There are thoughts in the present moment. The present moment is when you're aware of your chosen anchor, eg the breath. There are noises sometimes. One of the first kinds of meditation I did I was told to listen to the birds outside. If my mind started taking me away from the birds, I went back to listening to the birds. The goal of meditation is to identify this transition from the present moment to away from the present moment, and back. There are many kinds of meditation, but usually when someone says meditation they mean concentration building types like Mindfulness Meditation, which deals with learning how to identify the present moment. Absolute quiet is a misunderstanding, though it is nice when camping. In ancient eastern practices (where meditation comes from) there is the concept of a middle ground, which isn't moderation. It's basically: do what works best in that set and setting. If amphetamines work for you right now, then that is your middle ground, but know they will not always work on everyone the same way. Eventually if you exercise your mind, like exercising a muscle, you will need less and less of the drugs you're taking to be able do what you want to do. I have ADHD and was amphetamines too, but after I started meditating for a while, my concentration jumped up and I ended up having to take less and less meds until I stopped taking them all together. Of course, I can still take them, but it's nice that meditation lets you hack your brain and change your mental state to what you want.

qwerty456127 7y ago

The moment in time does not matter, you can perfectly meditate within a lucid dream in the context of long time ago in a galaxy far away. The only thing important is you are to mindfully observe this, your attention must not be charmed by anything. Muscle tension does not matter as long as you don't let it distract you. The quality of attention is what matters. You won't have to sit for too long (in fact you don't even have to sit, shavasana is a perfect position if you manage to avoid falling asleep) and you will achieve the goal quickly if you manage to maintain perfect presence and awareness for just some minutes. Needless to say most of the people can't achieve this easily so they have to train for many years but I've found out attention and perception augmenting drugs can help a lot if you have proper motivation, guidance and your brain is ready for this.

azhu 7y ago

I'm not so sure it's quite that simple. I've got a prescription to amphetamine salts as well as a marijuana habit. And an injury rehab situation that requires I strengthen muscles I couldn't even consciously access and breathing engaging my diaphragm in a way I haven't since literal babyhood. Marijuana drastically amplifies the nervous system signal through to my muscles, but I find I have to focus, otherwise I sort of just melt. Amphetamine drastically amplifies the signal as well, but I find I can't let it go unless I focus on relaxing. It very much feels like the interaction that's happening is how my conscious cognition can access the nervous system wires running throughout the body. It feels very possible that some forms of meditation may not necessarily be about utter quiet, but rather such focus that noise cannot exist. Anecdotal stuff aside, many meditative practices require active engagement of muscles. Yoga is a big one.

proverbialbunny 7y ago
I also went through physical therapy too. I hope you're past any pain and are doing well. I know how painful things can get. >It feels very possible that some forms of meditation may not necessarily be about utter quiet, but rather such focus that noise cannot exist. You might already know this, but meditation is about identifying when you are and are not in the present moment, be it quiet or not. So utter quiet isn't necessary. There are thoughts in the present moment. The present moment is when you're aware of your chosen anchor, eg the breath. There are noises sometimes. One of the first kinds of meditation I did I was told to listen to the birds outside. If my mind started taking me away from the birds, I went back to listening to the birds. The goal of meditation is to identify this transition from the present moment to away from the present moment, and back. There are many kinds of meditation, but usually when someone says meditation they mean concentration building types like Mindfulness Meditation, which deals with learning how to identify the present moment. Absolute quiet is a misunderstanding, though it is nice when camping. In ancient eastern practices (where meditation comes from) there is the concept of a middle ground, which isn't moderation. It's basically: do what works best in that set and setting. If amphetamines work for you right now, then that is your middle ground, but know they will not always work on everyone the same way. Eventually if you exercise your mind, like exercising a muscle, you will need less and less of the drugs you're taking to be able do what you want to do. I have ADHD and was amphetamines too, but after I started meditating for a while, my concentration jumped up and I ended up having to take less and less meds until I stopped taking them all together. Of course, I can still take them, but it's nice that meditation lets you hack your brain and change your mental state to what you want.