Luciano Szafir tells how meditation and cannabis transformed his life for the better

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Before the spotlight and fame, Luciano Szafir was already a practitioner of meditation. Since childhood, the actor and former model has used the ancient practice to deal with the biggest challenges that life has imposed on him, such as hospitalizations due to Covid-19.

“It makes a big difference. In my life of more than 150 days in hospital, if I didn’t already have meditation with me, it would be much more difficult”, he says to F5. Now, he explains his breathing techniques in the documentary “Ser Feliz por Não Motivo”, in which other personalities who are adept at the practice also participate, such as Angélica, Juliana Paes, Fernanda Lima and Monja Cohen.

“There are few people who don’t have anxiety today. Everyone should stop in the middle of the day to meditate. It’s just not our culture”, he laments. The actor is supported by statistics: Brazil ranks as the second most anxious country in the world. According to the Ministry of Health, around 9.3% of the population is affected by the condition.

Szafir says that he has always had a great fascination with Eastern culture, created mainly due to practicing martial arts as a child: “Unintentionally, I measured it since I was a child.” “My parents started me in judo when I was little, 4, 5 years old”, he remembers. “When training ended, we had to sit with our legs crossed and close our eyes, to breathe again.”

The same happened with jiu-jitsu, which he started practicing at age 10. Then, at 20, came yoga. And so, meditation became a daily habit in his life. “I practice every day. At least five minutes a day”, he says.

Sasha’s father explains that meditation helps him in difficult times, as the action of focusing on his breathing takes him out of that reality. “Meditation makes you travel, it takes you to another place. So, when I was very bored or very moody, or with zero gratitude, or in a lot of pain, I would take a breath,” he says about the period in which he was hospitalized.

In his opinion, meditation is good for the body and the mind: “As you get your head straight, you automatically have more energy.” Proudly, he also says that his sons, David, 11, and Mikael, 9, from his marriage to Luhanna Melloni, also meditate.

The benefits also extend to work as an actor. Szafir says he had to use his techniques in an exciting new development: his first international film. “I made a big film. I had never made a production of this size. I took a test in Brazil, passed, took a second test, passed again and went traveling and made this film in Australia”, says the actor.

He says he found himself quite nervous among so many new people. “I studied a lot, but it still gives me that adrenaline rush. I used a lot [a meditação]. I got there, it took me five days to film. These five days felt like an eternity. Damn, what about tomorrow? Will I make it? In these moments, we have to take a breath and move on”, he says.

Having been a fan since childhood, he never cared about the prejudice that accompanies practices that are not part of Brazilian culture. The actor had to deal with criticism when he revealed that he was using medicinal cannabis to treat panic attacks and insomnia.

“I don’t like drugs. It’s not drugs. So much so that I make it very clear: see your doctor”, he says, who uses cannabidiol (CBD), one of the products derived from Cannabis sativa and which does not present psychoactive effects. “I spent almost three years using the black belt and I couldn’t stop at all. It was thanks to cannabis [que eu larguei]”, account.

“I’ve never had a panic attack. When I had it, my lady, it was a very strong one. I had it three times very strong. Then, I had other weaker ones, which I managed to control with medication. But it’s horrible”, he adds.

The documentary Ser Feliz por Não Motivo is in production and is scheduled to premiere in theaters and, later, on Aquarius streaming in 2025.

Source: Folha

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