Nothing quite matches the peace, meditation, and mindfulness that yoga can provide — except maybe cannabis.
When brought together, these two tools that have been supporting humanity’s wellness for millennia can be especially powerful.
Is combining cannabis and yoga right for you? And what should you expect if you consume before your next yoga session?
This guide to cannabis and yoga sheds light on those questions and more.
What is yoga?
Yoga is an ancient practice that blends physical fitness and meditative mindfulness to strengthen the mind, body, and spirit. The name yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj”, which means “to unite.”
Yoga involves holding various physical poses (such as the well-known “downward dog” or “warrior” poses) and changing positions, focusing on your breathing all the while.
There are many styles of yoga. These include varieties like vinyasa, which focuses on smooth transitions from one position to another, or kundalini, which emphasizes focus on the breath.
Regularly practicing yoga is linked to a range of health benefits, including increased flexibility, reduced stress and anxiety, improved posture, better sleep, increased strength, improved breathing, and more.
Today, yoga is practiced worldwide for both its physical and mental health benefits, as well as its spiritual aspects.
How cannabis and yoga go together
When united with cannabis, yoga’s already potent ability to help people tap into their inner selves and heal on a physical, mental, and spiritual level is elevated even further.
Famous reggae musician and cannabis lover Bob Marley once said, “When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself.” This meditative quality of cannabis is also at the core of the practice of yoga.
Yoga requires you to clear your mind and focus on the present moment. You get in touch with yourself rather than your worries or ruminations about the past and future.
“[Yoga] really does facilitate getting out of the head and quieting the ego concerns of what has already happened in the past and what may happen in the future,” Dee Dussault, the founder of Ganja Yoga in San Francisco, told Yoga Journal. “It puts us more into the sensation of being embodied. Pain relief is part of that, too.”
Cannabis is often similar, providing an almost ritualistic opportunity to focus on preparing the flower or concentrate, packing a bowl or rolling a joint, and smoking or vaping it. (Of course, there are other options as well that require a little less ritual but should be consumed intentionally nonetheless, such as ingesting an edible.)
Then, of course, there is the state of mind cannabis tends to produce; often introspective in nature, it invites self-discovery and personal growth.
When combined with yoga, many consumers report cannabis as enhancing their awareness of their own body and energy throughout the session. Additionally, cannabis may help relieve pesky aches and pains or soothe inflamed muscles so you can stretch further and hold poses for longer periods.
Cannabis, yoga, and the Endocannabinoid System
So, what exactly is the actual link between cannabis and yoga? It may be the endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS), also called the endocannabinoid system.
The ECS is a network of cannabinoid receptors throughout your brain and body, which are activated and deactivated by chemicals called endocannabinoids. Your body makes endocannabinoids naturally.
The ECS is responsible for regulating most bodily functions, like appetite, pain perception, learning and memory, emotional processing, sleep, and more.
It’s also the reason the cannabinoids in cannabis plants (“phytocannabinoids”) affect us the way they do when consumed. Interactions between these phytocannabinoids and the ECS are the primary reason we feel the way we do when we consume cannabis.
Physical exercise, including yoga, encourages the generation of endocannabinoids. These include chemicals like anandamide, nicknamed the “bliss molecule” for its ability to cut stress and anxiety and create feelings of euphoria.
When cannabis and yoga are combined, the phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids both interact with the cannabinoid receptors, creating an enhanced experience that many consumers report as rewarding.
“With yoga, when we are practicing and we start to feel blissful or calm … that’s the endocannabinoid system,” Stacey Mulvey, founder of Marijuasana in Colorado, told Yoga Journal. “Cannabis and yoga pair so well together because they’re both working on the same physiological stuff, like grounding or material within the body.”
When cannabis and yoga combine to create this sort of experience, you can see why they are often referred to as a match made in Heaven.
Tips for combining cannabis and yoga
If you’re interested in trying cannabis and yoga together, we recommend the following tips to improve your chances of having a positive experience and ensuring your physical safety.
Start with a small amount of cannabis
When you’re first combining yoga and cannabis, try to avoid overindulging. A small amount of cannabis will go a long way as you feel how it influences your yoga practice.
You may choose a low-THC flower and simply consume a small amount before your yoga session begins. We also recommend choosing a cannabis edible you’re already familiar with and simply dividing it into small parts for a microdose.
As you become more familiar with how consuming affects your yoga routine, you may choose to increase the amount you consume or the potency of the product you select.
However, it’s a good idea at first to establish a baseline expectation while you’re not too high. That way, you have a clear understanding of what feels typical for your mind and body while practicing yoga after consuming.
Select a slow variety of yoga
Select a slower, less intense variety of yoga when combining cannabis with your routine.
Certain types of yoga, like Hatha or Yin, involve holding poses for longer than other types of yoga, like Vinyasa. These varieties may also be less intense than some types of yoga, such as Kundalini yoga, offering you a more mellow pace to adapt to after consuming.
As you become more accustomed to consuming before your yoga routine, you may feel comfortable increasing the intensity.
At first, however, we recommend choosing slower styles so you can get used to how the combination of cannabis and movement feels for you.
Consider your strain or product’s compound profile
There’s a lot of variety in the cannabis world, so it matters what you choose to consume before your yoga routine.
Carefully consider the cannabinoid and terpene content of a strain to gauge how it may affect you.
Examine the THC potency of the product and determine if you’ll be of sound enough mind after consuming it to safely practice yoga. THC is usually expressed in milligrams and/or as a percentage on the label of a product; look for lower amounts of THC, such as 15% THC content or less in flower.
Similarly, consider products with a balanced or CBD-dominant THC-to-CBD ratio. Products with a 2:1, 5:1, 10:1, or even 20:1 CBD-to-THC ratio may be good choices for yogis who don’t want to experience overwhelming intoxication.
If a CBD-dominant cannabis product sounds like just the ticket for your next yoga session, we recommend these Wana Classic Blood Orange 20:1 gummies.
Consider the terpene content and how they may influence your experience as well; are the terpenes in a given strain uplifting and energizing, for example, or are they going to make you feel sleepy and sluggish?
You may want to avoid strains with high levels of the cannabinoid CBN or the terpene myrcene, for example, which are often associated with deeply relaxing, sedative strains. On the other hand, cannabinoids like THCV and terpenes like limonene are more likely to provide a burst of energy and an uplifting feeling.
One of our favorite uplifting products is The Healing Rose Uplift Oil, a tincture that contains the euphoria-inducing cannabinoid CBG and the energizing THCV.
Also, consider the type of cannabis product you’re choosing and how it’s likely to affect you. For example, if you don’t want to feel any intoxication but still want to soothe your muscles and joints, you may reach for a cannabis topical.
Timing is everything. If you smoke cannabis before a yoga class, you may feel it a lot at the beginning, but it’s likely going to fade midway through your routine. If you eat an edible right before starting, it may not take effect until the routine is almost over.
Knowing what to expect from the product you’ve selected can help you use it in the best way possible to support your yoga routine.
Avoid hot yoga when consuming cannabis (at least at first)
Your first time uniting cannabis and yoga should not be at a hot and humid Bikram yoga class.
Plenty of people may consume before hot yoga and feel just fine. However, cannabis can increase your heart rate, and some consumers may find hot yoga too intense as a result. THC may also have dehydrating effects.
If you’ve combined cannabis and yoga before and feel fine and ready to try hot yoga after consuming, we suggest starting with a small amount and seeing how you feel.
The increased temperature makes a difference, so be mindful and cautious when consuming before hot yoga to ensure your physical safety.
Be open-minded
Both yoga and cannabis encourage open-mindedness and a willingness to try new things.
If at first, you don’t enjoy combining cannabis and yoga, that’s okay! Take a look at the product you chose and consider whether it was the right one and how you consumed it.
Maybe a different product type would suit you better, or maybe consuming differently would be preferable.
Combining cannabis and yoga may also just not be for you, but don’t let one so-so experience stop you from trying again.
In the end, if you decide you prefer to keep your cannabis consumption for after your yoga session, that’s quite alright too.
Everyone practices yoga and consumes cannabis in the way that works best for them — there is no single correct way to do either.
Find your zen (and quality cannabis) at Blue Oak Dispensary
If cannabis and yoga is your preferred combination, then you can stock up on high-quality cannabis products for your next yoga session at Blue Oak Dispensary in Bloomfield, NJ.
Our experts on staff will be happy to help you find just the right thing to help you get into that flow state and access your most meditative mindset yet.
Stop by and visit us at 1025 Broad St., Bloomfield, NJ, or give us a call at (973) 893-8111 to see what Blue Oak has in store for you.
