Practicing Yoga While High: A Path to Wellness
As more states legalize, it’s clear that Americans are becoming acutely aware of how cannabis consumption can help with one’s overall wellness. Whether struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, sleep disorders or other conditions, maijuana has quickly become the plant medicine that many have turned to for relief. But consider how cannabis might otherwise enhance one’s self care, specifically in the practice of yoga. Can doing yoga while high improve the experience?
We recently caught up with Brittany Vidi of Out Here Yoga to inquire about here unique perspective of how cannabis might help one’s yoga practice. After giving it some reflection, she had this to say.
Yoga and cannabis have offered me very similar emotional medicine over the years. Both offer a unique and subtle way of slowing me down and creating space to reflect on what’s going on within me. My experience from both of these powerful tools has brought a deep sense of stillness and inner peace over the years, for which I am incredibly grateful.
There are a plethora of benefits that can come from cannabis including a heightened sense of mindfulness from the THC and the anti-inflammatory effects of other cannabinoids like CBD. Both of these qualities have the capacity to broaden your yoga experience and create a deeper sense of connection to one’s own body.
First things first, let’s take a look at how to properly plan your use of cannabis with the practice of yoga and some things to consider before getting started.
Number 1: Proper Dosing
Those experimenting with cannabis and yoga for the first time should consider beginning with a low dose of THC to start. Just 5-10mg of THC is often enough to relax your body without negatively impacting your mobility, coordination, or balance. This may take a bit of experimentation, but once you’ve found a product and dose that feels right, stick with that. Consistency in this regard goes a long way in creating a quality routine, similar to the practice of yoga itself.
Number 2: Proper Timing
Plan the timing of your yoga session so that you’re able to consume your cannabis approximately 30-minutes before you take to your mat. Remember that different methods of cannabis consumption often have different onset times. Smoking flower or vaping concentrate will generally hit your bloodstream quickly whereas edible products tend to take effect in a more gradual way. Consider these factors when deciding which method of intake feels right to you.
Ok, so you’ve planned your session and consumed cannabis accordingly. Let’s now shift our focus to some of the ways you might find this plant enhancing your experience.
Finding Your Center
Many practitioners arrive at their session with their head swimming in the day’s minutia. For a lot of us, this can take some time to whisk away before we truly feel at ease enough to fully sink into the practice. However, cannabis can help lead you towards finding your center of well being and tuning more deeply into your chakras. For many, this can be achieved more quickly and profoundly with the aid of cannabis.
Heightened Senses
It can often be the case that you might get so focused on the instructor’s directions or finding that “perfect pose” that you tune out to the other elements surrounding you in that moment. The subtle sounds (or music) that circle your ears or the simple scent of a candle. These elements can and should all be part of the experience and you may find yourself more attune to your senses when practicing while high.
Rhythmic Flow
Many of us might avoid the word “graceful” in describing our yoga practice. We tend to be overly critical of ourselves in that way. But practicing high might just be the connection you’ve been looking for in terms of getting your mind and body to sync up. Especially when music is involved, yogis often experience a more rhythmic flow of movement after consuming cannabis.
Mind | Body Connection
While yoga itself is a corridor to helping people connect with their breath and discover themselves from within, cannabis can deepen that bond. Drawing one’s focus inward and finding a connection with our living energy is said to be one of the greatest gifts that cannabis can give us. For many, cannabis is that spiritual lubricant that opens our path to surrender in the practice of yoga and enables a deep feeling of connection between mind, body, and spirit.
Deeply Rooted
There’s often nothing sweeter than the time spent at the end of a yoga session in what we call savasana (resting and restorative pose). This is when we allow ourselves the time and focus to reflect on what’s just transpired. But when cannabis is blended with your routine, you may just feel that intuitive vibration throughout the entire practice versus waiting until the end. You might expect for your movement sequences to flow more naturally without our otherwise distracted mind getting in the way of finding oneness with our breath.
Final words…
The world is filled with plenty of reasons why humans often operate in an unsettled state. Yoga has remained an outlet for many of us to dedicate ourselves to self-care and general wellness. And if cannabis can elevate that experience in any way, why would we close ourselves off from the opportunity of trying it?
So what do you think? Have you ever tried practicing yoga while high and might you consider it now? If you’re interested in getting started, many of the Billo budtenders also practice yoga and can certainly help guide you towards beginning the practice in a safe and intentional way.
