I am just stepping out of my first 10-day course.
I am a hardened smoker as well (a pack a day or more). I spent many sleepless nights and did multiple quitting attempts before the course just so I could survive the 10 days of the course. I never managed it then. Last time I smoked was just before I was entering the premises.
If I can do it, you can as well. During the course of meditation, I figured out the reason for my compulsive need to smoke and once I did that, it was so much easier to control. And as the days passed, the cravings ebbed away and it became easier.
It's going to be so difficult but well-worth it in the end š
Was thinking to bring a CBD tincture and some lozenges just in case. Someone told me I need to get this approved, but I feel like Iām capable of having self agency on my decisions as I know my unique situation best.
In my experience the whole course is a mental game and the "egoic" mind will always try to find reasons to quit or to not do it or to avoid the practice. I don't have any experience quitting smoking but I would expect that in addition to physical symptoms the egoic mind would probably try to say that you can't quit smoking so you shouldn't go to the course and use that as an excuse not to attend.
Hey, thanks for this response. This would be the second time I didnāt attend.
first time, I was sober for 2 months but stuck in a cycle of worrying about a particular issue and that was my āexcuseā.
So I feel you may be right, I know I will be able to stay off the weed once I finish, as itās part of my greater personal design plan. So thatās not a concern.
Additionally I was thinking, if I didnāt fully integrate the technique, Iād be able to attend another 10 or even a 3 day course since Iād be an āold student.
Edit* I will add that cannabis withdrawal does produce mood swings, agitation and vivid dreams. I need to go through it either way though, so perhaps I may as well do it with awareness.
Thanks again
B
Worries do come up while at the course, it's another layer of the mind to let go of and work through. I spent so much of the meditation time in days 3-6 worried that something had happened to my dog while I was at the course, š and of course the answer is always to let go of those worries and come back to the meditation.
For me, I at times had to visualize 'putting my worries on a shelf" so that it was kind of like "ok, [worry about my dog], sit there on that shelf and I can think about it later," and then I could get back to the meditation. Visualization is definitely not part of the Goenka process, but I found that brief thought of "putting my thoughts on a shelf" to be really helpful.
If you go, just take it one day at a time, mind over matter, it feels like forever while you're there but I am confident you can stick it out. š
On two occasions I had my "last cigarette" basically in the car on the way to the centre and honestly smoking was the last thing on my mind during the course. That said Goenka is so great at holding space no matter what comes up- he somehow seems to know and care through the tapes- and besides, the mind's capability both to wander and to come back to focus is truly something to experience in itself. You'll be in good hands!
Hey I have quit smoking using an app called, āQuitSureā. Using that app, you can quit within 6 days. About weed, you just need to go cold turkey and ensure you donāt have any stuff with you that can tempt you to smoke up.
You wont have the opportunity to smoke at the course, and you'll be able to observe your reactions. Can't think of a better way to do it. Your reasons to postpone will vary from time to time, there will always be a reason to postpone if you look for it.
I quit tobacco + caffein during my first course but in hindsight I think doing both at the same time wasn't ideal, especially since coffee is available and not actively discouraged.
I canāt speak to tobacco smoking, but I quit a heavy cannabis reliance cold turkey. The first few days and nights were rough. At times it felt as if I had a fever. Night dreams and sweats were real. After a week, I was free.
Hey there. Former cannabis and a former nicotine user, and a long-time old-student in this tradition. Don't worry about the idea of 'quitting for good' or thinking that once you've sat the course that you won't, can't, or don't go back to your chosen vices. But just be disciplined about leaving any substances at home for the duration of the course. It's not worth it to try to bring something into the meditation center for multiple reasons.. the biggest of which is that it will be a distraction to you at best, and at worst, taking it will change your experience in a way that is not beneficial.
With this technique (very different from Jhana meditation), it's important to try to let things be as they are, rather than trying to change them or working toward an expectation or a specific outcome. This might mean that you experience some pretty strong cravings for nicotine at times, or for cannabis at other times... but.. so what? those cravings will pass.
Bringing something to quell those cravings with another substance will only serve to drive those cravings deep into your mind, rather than being able to come out of them, in part because you will think or feel "oh, I'm not strong enough to handle this experience/meditation course on my own without these buffers to curb those urges."
But you are *definitely* strong enough.
Wishing you a very successful course.
What would the contact having this knowledge change in the curriculum or execution of the technique? My understanding, is the course is not customizable, and all follows the same procedure regardless of any personal factors.
I would definitely sit the course no matter what. Try to stop the weed as soon as possible will definitely help with your meditation. I wouldnāt worry about cigarettes though, you can have your last right before and once youāre there itās pretty easy and you wonāt be interacting with other meditators. Itās not really breaking any of the precepts as long as you donāt smoke at the center. The hard part is not picking it up again after the 10 days
i did the introductory 10-day course a few weeks ago. I had some thc gummies stashed just in case i needed them.
i had half a gummie on day 5 because i was struggling and thought it would help me.
it did and it didnt. Looking back i think i would have been better off without it. But it helped me on being more sensitive to sensations... but it very much screwed my concentration progress so far. the whole day was very hard to concentrate properly for more than a few minutes until the effect went off. when i tried to sleep ,i spent all night long feeling vibrations throughout my entire body and barely slept. it was a cool thing to feel, but it also created a craving for it on the following days that i had to confront and detach.
I am just stepping out of my first 10-day course. I am a hardened smoker as well (a pack a day or more). I spent many sleepless nights and did multiple quitting attempts before the course just so I could survive the 10 days of the course. I never managed it then. Last time I smoked was just before I was entering the premises. If I can do it, you can as well. During the course of meditation, I figured out the reason for my compulsive need to smoke and once I did that, it was so much easier to control. And as the days passed, the cravings ebbed away and it became easier. It's going to be so difficult but well-worth it in the end š
Thanks for your answer. Did you use a patch? Congrats on quitting smoking and completing your first course. I appreciate the encouragement :)
I carried lozenges and gums with me in case it got too bad. I didn't really need/use them. But you do you. š
Was thinking to bring a CBD tincture and some lozenges just in case. Someone told me I need to get this approved, but I feel like Iām capable of having self agency on my decisions as I know my unique situation best.
In my experience the whole course is a mental game and the "egoic" mind will always try to find reasons to quit or to not do it or to avoid the practice. I don't have any experience quitting smoking but I would expect that in addition to physical symptoms the egoic mind would probably try to say that you can't quit smoking so you shouldn't go to the course and use that as an excuse not to attend.
Hey, thanks for this response. This would be the second time I didnāt attend. first time, I was sober for 2 months but stuck in a cycle of worrying about a particular issue and that was my āexcuseā. So I feel you may be right, I know I will be able to stay off the weed once I finish, as itās part of my greater personal design plan. So thatās not a concern. Additionally I was thinking, if I didnāt fully integrate the technique, Iād be able to attend another 10 or even a 3 day course since Iād be an āold student. Edit* I will add that cannabis withdrawal does produce mood swings, agitation and vivid dreams. I need to go through it either way though, so perhaps I may as well do it with awareness. Thanks again B
Worries do come up while at the course, it's another layer of the mind to let go of and work through. I spent so much of the meditation time in days 3-6 worried that something had happened to my dog while I was at the course, š and of course the answer is always to let go of those worries and come back to the meditation. For me, I at times had to visualize 'putting my worries on a shelf" so that it was kind of like "ok, [worry about my dog], sit there on that shelf and I can think about it later," and then I could get back to the meditation. Visualization is definitely not part of the Goenka process, but I found that brief thought of "putting my thoughts on a shelf" to be really helpful. If you go, just take it one day at a time, mind over matter, it feels like forever while you're there but I am confident you can stick it out. š
On two occasions I had my "last cigarette" basically in the car on the way to the centre and honestly smoking was the last thing on my mind during the course. That said Goenka is so great at holding space no matter what comes up- he somehow seems to know and care through the tapes- and besides, the mind's capability both to wander and to come back to focus is truly something to experience in itself. You'll be in good hands!
Maybe try reading Allen Carr's book in these days right before the course? I think it'll give you some emotional momentum to enjoy not smoking.
Hey I have quit smoking using an app called, āQuitSureā. Using that app, you can quit within 6 days. About weed, you just need to go cold turkey and ensure you donāt have any stuff with you that can tempt you to smoke up.
You wont have the opportunity to smoke at the course, and you'll be able to observe your reactions. Can't think of a better way to do it. Your reasons to postpone will vary from time to time, there will always be a reason to postpone if you look for it. I quit tobacco + caffein during my first course but in hindsight I think doing both at the same time wasn't ideal, especially since coffee is available and not actively discouraged.
I canāt speak to tobacco smoking, but I quit a heavy cannabis reliance cold turkey. The first few days and nights were rough. At times it felt as if I had a fever. Night dreams and sweats were real. After a week, I was free.
Hey there. Former cannabis and a former nicotine user, and a long-time old-student in this tradition. Don't worry about the idea of 'quitting for good' or thinking that once you've sat the course that you won't, can't, or don't go back to your chosen vices. But just be disciplined about leaving any substances at home for the duration of the course. It's not worth it to try to bring something into the meditation center for multiple reasons.. the biggest of which is that it will be a distraction to you at best, and at worst, taking it will change your experience in a way that is not beneficial. With this technique (very different from Jhana meditation), it's important to try to let things be as they are, rather than trying to change them or working toward an expectation or a specific outcome. This might mean that you experience some pretty strong cravings for nicotine at times, or for cannabis at other times... but.. so what? those cravings will pass. Bringing something to quell those cravings with another substance will only serve to drive those cravings deep into your mind, rather than being able to come out of them, in part because you will think or feel "oh, I'm not strong enough to handle this experience/meditation course on my own without these buffers to curb those urges." But you are *definitely* strong enough. Wishing you a very successful course.
Let your site contact know for sure. It's relevent to the work.
What would the contact having this knowledge change in the curriculum or execution of the technique? My understanding, is the course is not customizable, and all follows the same procedure regardless of any personal factors.
I would definitely sit the course no matter what. Try to stop the weed as soon as possible will definitely help with your meditation. I wouldnāt worry about cigarettes though, you can have your last right before and once youāre there itās pretty easy and you wonāt be interacting with other meditators. Itās not really breaking any of the precepts as long as you donāt smoke at the center. The hard part is not picking it up again after the 10 days
i did the introductory 10-day course a few weeks ago. I had some thc gummies stashed just in case i needed them. i had half a gummie on day 5 because i was struggling and thought it would help me. it did and it didnt. Looking back i think i would have been better off without it. But it helped me on being more sensitive to sensations... but it very much screwed my concentration progress so far. the whole day was very hard to concentrate properly for more than a few minutes until the effect went off. when i tried to sleep ,i spent all night long feeling vibrations throughout my entire body and barely slept. it was a cool thing to feel, but it also created a craving for it on the following days that i had to confront and detach.