Hey guys, So recently, I decided to take a good amount of time out of smoking. I was noticing that I just was not myself. I have been smoking fairly regularly, fairly consistently for about 3-4 years, and hadn't really gone more than a month without smoking in over a year, at the minimum. My confidence and self esteem were down, my paranoia was up, my allergies were worse, my energy was low, and I just wasn't there, all the time. Although I was happy on a certain level, due to spiritual understanding and detachment from negative states etc, I wasn't experiencing very many positive states. Such as abundant love, passionate energy etc. (i wasnt neccessarily down, but just not as stabily up as i figure i should have been) I would also feel a sensation of "emptiness" in the back of my lower back, in the kidney area when I would smoke a lot. If anyone is a chronic smoker you might know what I am talking about. Well, I have been hanging out in some Traditional Chinese Medicine forums and some QiGong/Energy cultivation forums, and apparently, in the TCM view, (according to a knowledgeable, respectable acupuncturist) what marijuana does is it takes the energy center behind your kidneys, the ming men (or Door of Life) and flares it out of position, bringing the extra heat up to your head, making you think your higher energy centers are being open, upping the amount of serotonin you produce momentarily. "After long term use, you slowly drain the good feeling hormones from your brain and adrenals. Eventually leads to insomnia and depression without the drug. The addiction comes from the lack of stimulation on the adrenals, not receptors in your brain.... The ultimate goal is to be able to alter your own hormone system without any external influence." Hence, why you practice good diet and energy cultivation such as Qigong, which I will get to shortly. (Anyone who smokes can attest to the above about insomnia and depression, btw. I can, at least. had a hard first night sleep but it was fine after that). This is what they have to say about deficiency in the Door of Life: (ming men point behind your navel, where the energy gets burned from with weed) "The Ming Men ("Door of Life") is located just beneath the two kidneys, and exactly opposite the navel. It is associated with the element water and the trigram kan. This centre supports the kidneys, which not only purify the blood but also store sexual and energetic essences and stimulate the body's chi when it is low. It is called the Door of Life (Ming Men) because it is the centre of Prenatal Chi or innate life-force. This centre also serves as the "negative" or yin chi pole, in relation to the Heart centre, which constitutes the "positive" or yang chi pole. Open and Balanced: You are a gentle person and yet you have a great deal of emotional strength. Malfunctioning: You can suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. Blocked: You are weak and insecure and easily swayed by others ; you are easily taken advantage of . (I don't know about you guys, but most of the time after a smoke, I am more likely to feel the latter. After a while, at least. And I'm talking about smoking only medical grade. Not necessarily taken advantage of, but insecurity, oh yes. and I am typically a calm, confident person. ) So, I decided it was finally time to take a break. A GOOD break. I resolved to quit "forever - until the time is right, lol." But I don't plan on smoking for a goood amount of time. And I have been SO much better off since I have. I've been calmer, happier, more responsible, alert, energetic, and aware of what's going on with my family and how to help, and I just feel a lot better. It's like being on solid ground for the first time after being at sea for a year. Not only did I simply quit, though, I resolved to replace the weed with HEALING. Physical exercise, good food, good rest, and opening energetic blockages through Yoga and Qigong and breathing exercises. And boy, my nervous system and every aspect of my life has been thanking my ass big time for the past 3-4 days. If anyone is feeling continually depressed and you don't know why, or even spirtually blocked or in a loop, and are smoking heavily (daily or semidaily), consider that it may be due to the weed. As much as we don't like to admit that the weed is harming us, it very likely may be, in fact. One thing I can attest to is that once I quit, I was out of my head and into my body, a much safer place to be. Here is what you can REPLACE weed with if you want to give this a shot and see how you feel after a good break/quitting: - Light or vigorous EXERCISE. I know it can be hard to get motivated to do a long drawn out workout for a lot of people, especially when you've been smoking multiple times every day. Just find something simple and basic. Do bodyweight squats. Pullups if you have a pullup bar. Pushups. Lie down and lift your legs six inches. Do supermans (laying on your stomach, on inhale, raise arms and straight legs, maintain that for a few breaths, lay down, repeat). Building the core and the lower back is tremendously helpful. - A solid, nourishing DIET. Cut the junk food. Eat foods that will cleanse and nourish your body. Leafy greens, salads, fruits, fish, nuts, light on the meet, etc. Cut the junk food, that only makes you feel worse and worse. When you eat clean and light, your mind is clean and light. That is a fact. - DEEP BREATHING. This is very important. If anyone is interested in completely stabilizing their nervous system and ridding away things such as anxiety, depression, etc, learn The Yogic Complete Breath. Basically, it is inhaling slowly first from the lower lungs via descending diaphragm, then portuding the ribs and chest to inhale into middle lungs, and finally into the upper lungs by raising the clavicle and upper chest. Then, retain for a short while and exhale slowly, keeping chest in same position and pushing abdomen in and up. http://www.way2bliss.com/science-of-breath.pdf This will do WONDERS for your body and mind. My chest and arms gained muscle just after a few days of doing only this exercise. My lungs expanded back from their contracted positions, my skin was glowing, and most importantly, my nervous system felt FLUSHED. The fact of breathing with the entire breathing apparatus combined with breath retention is just awesome, you have to try it to feel it. Complete Breath. Look it up, most all Yoga classes begin with this. This is the fundamental step to Pranayama, the Yoga rung of Breath/Nervous System/Prana/Chi Control. If you want to learn more about it, I highly highly recommend the book "The Science of Breath" by the renown Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Yoga Meditation A site of one of his accomplished students, an EXCELLENT resource for the true Yoga, self realization, practice, all of it. Here is the Science of Breath for FREE! Don't pass this up. Get this book and read it - it is filled with even more great information, variations on the Complete Breath, the Science of breathing and nervous system, etc. (FYI this is one of GZA of Wu-Tang Clan's fav books, so u kno its the shit ) http://www.way2bliss.com/science-of-breath.pdf So, anyways, those are just some tools in case you want to try this experiment out. I don't think there is anything wrong with marijuana at all. It is just another great plant. But you don't eat just grapes all day every day, or chicken all day every day, or you will get sick. I think a similar type thing happens with marijuana. Eventually your nervous system just gets overloaded. I have experienced much more calm, peace, lessened anxiety, and just overall sense of groundedness since I've stopped smoking. Everyone is different, but if you're feeling really spacey and out of it, maybe this could help That is my intention. ------ Also, if anyone is looking for a good Qigong practice to get started with, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Spring Forest Qigong. It is very easy to learn and he has the basics available for free. This man is a highly experienced healer and meditator, who has spent over 40 days in full lotus position without moving, no food or anything, in deep meditation. This guy is the real deal, I have used his healing techniques many times with great, 100% success. I've even used his Sword fingers technique on my cat but the primary benefit is the basic exercises. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXwIRRTv7z4"][/ame][ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXwIRRTv7z4[/ame] (also watch the "Moving of Yin and Yang" video in related vids section for more) Here is a good online Yoga teacher I like. There are a million, find something you like. But the simpler it is the more likely you are going to do it. Combining Yoga and Qigong, you can experience blisses much better than an high, any on top of that you will be clear. You can even smoke afterwards but it will somewhat negate the effects. It's all up to you though. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLrwMkgqI0o"][/ame][ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLrwMkgqI0o[/ame] More on the Door of Life: Ming Men ("Door of Life") Centre Take care If anyone benefits from any of this, the quitting or the exercises or any of it let us know! If anyone has tried something similar, what has been your experience?
Read most of it.. I think you are a bit paranoid as far as the chinese "energy power" goes, I'm not sure what you mean by kidney 'emptiness', I don't think I've experienced it... maybe it's something you have and you were concerned about it. I can understand such a transformation if your life revolved around marijuana... good for you. But I'm sure people that do smoke weed can partake in such energy exercise, including myself... I do a lot of meditations, etc. But as far as what chinese ancient medicine doctors are saying about marijuana on a message board, I'd take it with 2 cents... I know heavy marijuana smokers that have lived a long, healthy, and exciting life.. and I plan to do so too If you believe in powers of chakras, energy portals, great, to each his own. If you think marijuana prohibits such chakra growth/expansion, then it's clear you should tone it down a bit
Right on. Like I said, everyone is not the same. I smoked daily for years without any problems myself. I just got to a point where I needed to take a break, and my body thanked me for it. And I know some people out there may need to hear the same thing, and what they can use to help them remain in positive emotional states. You make a good point about the message board. That board is mainly concerned with Taoist energy cultivation methods, they take it seriously, so it is expected that most will not agree with weed. But what he said does makes sense according to my personal experience. It is something that must be experienced to be understood, but we really ARE all beings with an energetic component to us. The Chinese medicine theory is no more than how our organs interact with eachother to produce health or sickness and regulate our emotions. The main point I was trying to get at with that is that I know that for some people, myself included at times, when you are smoking often, your baseline level of happiness just isn't "up there" as high as it used to be, if you know what I mean. So stopping, at least for a little while, may be a very beneficial thing to do in that case. This is, of course, assuming that this is true in the first place. And, even if this is true, this is assuming that you even give a shit I know I didn't care at all and I was just fine for a while. I was just at a point where weed was blocking my personal and spiritual development more than helping it so it was time to put it aside for a while. Like I said though, one size doesn't fit all. If you are getting on just fine then keep on doing what you do, don't fix what ain't broke Best to you! Peace
Can you really attribute your elevated feelings of health due to your lack of weed, when you started eating healthier, breathing better, and exercising more at the same time? Those activities will make you feel better no matter what.
Sometimes we need to place the blame on something to move forward, even if that something isn't the thing to actually be blamed, different for different people.
Same thing happened to me man.. I was always in my head and got bad ass anxiety.. Finally took a month long break and feel 10x better.
Well the thing is I was doing these things while smoking but I was still not feeling well daily, still getting stuck in the head an such. So the exercises really made a lasting improvement, they didn't get erased when I smoked. Possible point there. I'm sure it wasn't just the weed that was causing my feelings, but I was at a stage where I should have been much more clear and I knew it, and weed was the only external factor holding me back. All of those feelings were gone once I quit. I'm sure I'll go back eventually though, just in vastly greatly moderation. Right on man Glad to hear. Getting stuck in the head and anxiety is the biggest side effect I notice about weed.
Thank you for this post... It will change my life. I've been looking for something to help me clear the blockages from my chakras. I know for a fact that weed does exactly what you say because I have experienced a lot of the same "symptoms" as you... I've also been looking for a way to help open up my chakras and get rid of the blockages.. I never even thought of qui gong or breathing exercises. I'm going to start practicing you "guide" daily.... exercise, quigong, yoga, breathing etc... I'll post back in a month and let you know what kind of changes have taken place in my life. Thank you for taking the time to write out this guide! How have these practices helped you so far? -Trigger
I'd just like to jump in and say I've had no problems at all with marijuana effecting my breathing/meditation exercises, in fact it helps and makes me become more concentrated. I use to go to buddhist meditation courses a while back and asked the monk about marijuana, his father was from tibet and he'd go over, marijuana is a normal thing in a part of their culture, and there was no negative feelings towards it. Marijuana can definitely cause some types of paranoia or anxiety if you let it get ahold of you, it's just a small effect of the plant. Over the years I've learned to completely block anxiety out and such things do not effect me. But like you said, to each his own. Everyone's different, and it reacts to people differently. If you think marijuana is forming negative energy chakras in your kidneys, and you feel it effecting you, stop! if not, keep toking
What are the benefits of quitting eating fish to help your golf game? It only matters if you make it matter.
I think it's great that you're achieving a better energy in your life, it just works differently for you. I'm very aware of my breathing and deep breathe everyday. I lift weights 4 days a week and eat nothing but great sources of carbs/protein. I'm a full time student and work 5 days a week also. I just stick to the once weekly dosage and it seems to keep me pretty clear headed and connected to the world. It helps me take a step back from everything I have and causes me to reanalyze the way my life is going and what I need to do to stay positive and make successful choices
Thanks for all the positive responses If smoking is not causing you any harm, and you are in a good place in your life with weed, by all means I see no reason to quit and this post isn't really directed to you. Whatever works is all that matters. This is why I wrote this guide right here. I'm glad to hear this resonated with you. Taking a break from smoking daily and replacing it with these practices has helped every aspect of my life tremendously. For one thing, my memory has returned greatly. I can actually recall shit, and I am back to my former mental sharpness and clarity. I also don't have the subtle paranoia feeling I used to have with frequent smoking, and I also don't get any more random negative/bleh feelings and mind fog. The practices, especially the breathing, has revitalized my entire nervous system. After 10 mins of Complete Breath I feel like a new person. Any trace of anxiety or restlessness is my body is eliminated completely, I have a ton of energy and freshness. Also, my sense of smell has returned for the first time in about 2 years thanks to the Complete Breath. (returned to its proper state I should say) Also, my skin GLOWS after a few minutes of this breath. My skin has completely cleared up. The qigong and yoga really serve to loosen up my body and therefore I am much more relaxed, grounded, aware and focused. The qigong is great for just an overall sense of balance and wellbeing, and yoga really loosens up the tensions in the body. I'm looking forward to hearing about your progress in a month! Only good things can happen when you are good to your body and mind Things like Yoga, Qigong and Meditation work on relaxing not just the physical body but the subtle body as well. Truly body, mind and spirit health. (I would also recommend 5-10-20 mins of basic sitting meditation. Just watch your breath as it flows down on the inhale and out on the exhale. A very relaxing practices is to try to get your out breath twice as long as the in breath. For instance, 3 second inhale, 6 seconds exhale. Keep that up for a couple minutes, then let that go and just watch the breath. That really serves to concentrate the mind and clear your head/body. ) http://www.precisiondocs.com/~altaoism/gapstillness.htm Two "mantras" that work well for me in daily life are "Be a mirror" and "Be water." Those may or may not have an affect on you but they remind me to be open and relaxed and go with the flow Good luck! No doubt man. Marijuana used to help with my meditations and energy work as well, no doubt about it. All about proper moderation I guess, I was going overboard I think. That's awesome. That's what I realize myself. I don't plan to quit forever, but I do plan to quit forever the daily smoking thing, definitely disconnects you in my experience, if not handled properly that is. Glad things are working out. Again, it's all about what works for you, only you can decide that. Peace edit: here is a link to the Science of Breath on amazon in case you want to pick up a copy for yourself, as well as a link to "Light On Pranayama", another great book on breathing by a very renown Yogi, BKS Iyengar. [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Science-Breath-Practical-Guide-Rama/dp/0893891517[/ame] [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Light-Pranayama-Yogic-Art-Breathing/dp/0824506863[/ame]
its like all the bad stuff i tryed to block out about weed just came together into a giant thread... sigh.. *favorited*
i knew i wasnt the only one eaither... i'll start today as well, and we can both come back in a month march 6th 2011
wow amazing post. thank you as you have changed my life i know benefits of yoga/deep breathing etc are real. ive wanted to start for a while now but with the help of this thread today is actually the first day of my marijuana break so good timing for me im gonna read the breathing book you provided that was written in 1903 and the copy right experied first. i dont know how to start the other things like yoga what kind of yoga should i do? i have some videos favorited and a p90x yoga workout. are these fine? i will have tons of more questions if you are willing to answer OP ill inbox you if i dont see you back in here soon thanks again! god bless. all the best for you!
You are very welcome my friend Ideally you would want to take a yoga class with an instructor, but if that is too much or just not possible, you should still be fine with a decent online yoga instructor. As long as you be sure to be gentle with yourself and don't over-strain yourself you shouldn't have any problems. The P90x one isn't too bad, I've done that one, but he doesn't emphasize breathing as much as I like, and the breathing rhythm is pretty important in yoga. This is a good one, granted it's a little hard at times. I still can't even do a lot of the poses, but pretty good nonetheless. A little more "vigorous". Online Yoga Class Session - Classes of 20 Yoga postures Some other good ones. This is below is probably much easier and more gentle than the one above. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcC8hZPwj6w]YouTube - 42 min. full class ~ Hatha Yoga Flow 3[/ame] Esther is probably my favorite of these online teachers I have found, and she is still coming out with new videos frequently. I really like her style and her general vibe. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vLZqPZxZE]YouTube - YOGA FOR BEGINNERS Pt 1[/ame] Some other decent ones. I think when it comes to this, just find something that works for you. Basically, as long as you are doing the poses and being mindful of your slow deep breathing (using your diaphragm), you are moving the blood around in your body and stretching out those muscles and tendons and filling your body with oxygen, so you really can't go wrong. You will get better and more comfortable with it over time. (Just remember - it is all about the breath). The asanas make the outside of the body strong and flexible but it is the deep breathing in conjuction with them that cleanses the blockages and gives you that calm mind. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4DLX0Au9WE&feature=related]YouTube - Yoga for the New Beginner[/ame] (^i actually really like this one as well ^) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3kA7G3hZbg&feature=related]YouTube - Hatha Yoga 1 -Easy Ground Work - Full 43 Minute Class[/ame] Anything else just PM me and I'll be happy to help you out as best I can
I really needed this thanks, I have recently be going through a lot of the same exact symptoms and the anxiety/parnoia has been the worse. I took a month long break awhile ago and it was great but I needed something to reassure me that the weed is what has made me sick. I've started smoking daily again and am back to the similiar symptoms.
I haven't smoked in 3 months... It's a good feeling to know that you don't need marijuana to get a piece of mind... The greatest mind is a mind in itself; without external aid.
I've been through 1 month, 12 month, and once, a 2 year t-break. The anxiety and paranoia is simply your mind at work. If you're smoking marijuana and getting sick, why the hell are you on this forum and smoking marijuana? Like OP said many times, it's differentiates between persons. But, as I said, the mind is powerful, and, mixed with marijuana, you will believe anything to attempt to make, what you believe, is a rational decision. You don't need to quit marijuana in order to enjoy yoga. I've been to several yoga classes, and know many smokers who enjoy it as much as the non-smokers. Even my mother who's a moderate smoker will get cranky if she doesn't make it to her yoga meetups. If you want to stop smoking cannabis to become more peaceful, you need to seriously look at your situation. What the hell are you smoking weed for? To become more agitated, annoyed, and paranoid? If so, STOP! You're mindset obviously can't handle the effects of marijuana.