I don’t believe it’s the nicotine or something psychosomatic or even the mediative aspect of pipe smoking but I can say I feel considerably more relaxed after a bowl. Is their an explanation that I am unaware of?
Why Is Pipe Smoking Relaxing?
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I believe it's the nicotine, but YMMV.
My only comparison is snuff which I never really felt relaxed from but if feeling edgy maybe slightly less so after.
I would agree with the nicotine being a relaxant, but then there's the whole process ie…… packing, lighting, tamping etc. For some even the selection of what pipe & tobacco to smoke can be relaxing. Lets not forget the cleaning and pipe maintenance.
Of course nicotine, but also the act of controlling breath is meditative, most forms of meditation involve controlling breathing or focusing on breathing.
It's the breathing. And it's the fact that I always consider smoking time to be "me time". If I was the sort of fellow that smoked while working or something, I might find it less relaxing.
Yes, I guess maybe it’s even more relaxing now than some earlier time considering the pace of lives these days, our devices etc., probably was misguided in discounting that and the nicotine. I recall a high school teacher telling me 20+ years ago how his once a month cigar provided time to himself to reflect and such, something I didn’t exactly understand at the time but appreciated.
I don't always find pipe smoking relaxing. In particular, high nicotine blends wire me up like truck stop tweaker. That said, I often find evening bowls of a good Latakia blend to be very calming, almost sedating.
It's no different than anything else. If you think you are relaxed ... you are relaxed. Music, a massage, reading, any number of things can distract the mind. The drug,, nicotine, certainly doesn't inhibit the feeling. It's a state of mind so whatever you think works, works. You relax because you intend to, the extranious crap, pipe, guitar, book, etc. is/are agencies for getting where you want to mind to be.
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It’s the nicotine. And the breathing. And for many of us, who aren’t able to smoke as we go about our day, it’s the opportunity to take a break from the busy hustle of life and spend some time doing nothing except smoking.
Not necessarily the nicotine. Nicotine is an estimulant before it's a relaxant. I don't feel any nicotine effects from a pipe, yet I do get the relaxation. I get nicotine from cigars, and is it ever unpleasant.
The whole process makes you slow down, which is one reason for the relaxation.
When I do get the nicotine from a pipe it sux: unpleasant alertness, as if I had drunk way too much coffee.
The whole process makes you slow down, which is one reason for the relaxation.
When I do get the nicotine from a pipe it sux: unpleasant alertness, as if I had drunk way too much coffee.
My experience with snuffing is that hard fast hit of nicotine combined with limited absorption tends to put the edge on, and I feel that with some strong pipe blends as well. The way nicotine is delivered makes a difference. Some higher nic blends induce a near euphoric buzz and some make me want to lay down and snooze. That's part of what drives me to try new blends, just to see where they take me.
Nicotine is relaxing if you are addicted, as it takes away the craving (totally been there with cigarettes and snus before i quit those).
Sitting still on the back patio with your feet up, listening to the wind quietly blowing thru the trees while smoking a pipe is very relaxing because... well of course it is.
Trying to smoke a pipe, without drooling to much, while carrying two uncooperative children, holding a dog leash ("no doggo! heel! leave that poodel alone, I don't care if she's shaved, come here!") and also pushing a plus sized stroller with a wonky wheel... is not so relaxing.
So I don't believe it's the smoking nor the nicotine itself, I believe we are designed for a lot more of quiet contemplating to feel even keeled.
Sitting still on the back patio with your feet up, listening to the wind quietly blowing thru the trees while smoking a pipe is very relaxing because... well of course it is.
Trying to smoke a pipe, without drooling to much, while carrying two uncooperative children, holding a dog leash ("no doggo! heel! leave that poodel alone, I don't care if she's shaved, come here!") and also pushing a plus sized stroller with a wonky wheel... is not so relaxing.
So I don't believe it's the smoking nor the nicotine itself, I believe we are designed for a lot more of quiet contemplating to feel even keeled.
I can sit on the porch and meditate, which is really relaxing even without a pipe.
However, I think the pipe adds another dimension... whether it be the ritual, nicotine and/or the pleasure of the smoke.
In today's society of rush, rush, rush..., at least a pipe reinforces slowing down and that is certainly a good thing for mental well being!
However, I think the pipe adds another dimension... whether it be the ritual, nicotine and/or the pleasure of the smoke.
In today's society of rush, rush, rush..., at least a pipe reinforces slowing down and that is certainly a good thing for mental well being!
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It's the nicotine for me. It has to be, or else people (including myself) would find it no problem switching to smoking lobelia or one of the other aromatic but non-nicotine smokable herbs... if just smoking to be making smoke was the key.
I don't find the nicotine feeling even remotely similar between cigars, dip, cigarettes or the pipe. It seems even weird to compare them.
Think about this... when the first pipes and tobacco was brought to Europe from the Americas, the tobacco was 100x's as potent in nicotine as it is today. There were no Virginias, or even light Connecticut leaf. It was all variations of Rustica. And, there had to be some sort of hitch to make this novel new thing to do catch on. Some of the earliest reports on smoking in the Americas stated that it was a psychoactive effect, some reported relaxation, some reported clarity of thought, some reported some pretty wild things that we wouldn't take serious at all.
But, nowadays with almost no nicotine aromatics, low nic Virginias and other mild cultivars, and our experiences with direct lung hit cigarettes, dip, etc, we can't seem to find a consensus.
I propose that it is whatever you want it to be. I'll smoke for my nicotine relaxation, and you guys can smoke for breathing meditation, packing rituals, and whatever aspect brings you joy.
I don't find the nicotine feeling even remotely similar between cigars, dip, cigarettes or the pipe. It seems even weird to compare them.
Think about this... when the first pipes and tobacco was brought to Europe from the Americas, the tobacco was 100x's as potent in nicotine as it is today. There were no Virginias, or even light Connecticut leaf. It was all variations of Rustica. And, there had to be some sort of hitch to make this novel new thing to do catch on. Some of the earliest reports on smoking in the Americas stated that it was a psychoactive effect, some reported relaxation, some reported clarity of thought, some reported some pretty wild things that we wouldn't take serious at all.
But, nowadays with almost no nicotine aromatics, low nic Virginias and other mild cultivars, and our experiences with direct lung hit cigarettes, dip, etc, we can't seem to find a consensus.
I propose that it is whatever you want it to be. I'll smoke for my nicotine relaxation, and you guys can smoke for breathing meditation, packing rituals, and whatever aspect brings you joy.
Pipe smoking makes you slow down and be patient. Imo. Also, nicotine is the tits.
A lot of people need something to do when "relaxing." Some replies indicate smoking a pipe requires so much attention to detail that true relaxing may be unobtainable.
I cannot even stand the idea of setting and smoking without doing anything else. That sounds like prison.
I don't even think of pipesmoking as inherently relaxing anyways. I smoke for different reasons throughout the day.